She lost her family at fifteen. Now her AI is helping thousands of people plan the final chapter of their lives. Meet Baci Hillyer

When Baci Hillyer was fifteen years old, her world changed in a way that would shape the next three decades of her life. Her father died. Five months later her brother also died. In six months, she lost two people she loved and learned something most people only discover much later in life: the price of silence around death.

“I learned very young what happens when death arrives without conversation, without preparation and without community around it,” Hillyer recalls. “That experience shaped not only my grief, but also my ability to stay present in situations that most people avoid.”

For years after these losses, she listened to families, caregivers and communities tell her the same story. The suffering did not arise from death itself. It came from something else entirely.

“The suffering did not come from the death itself, but from silence, avoidance and not knowing what to do,” she explains. The data supports her observations. Seventy percent of Australians want to die at home, but less than 15% actually do so. While 82% of Australians believe it is important to plan for death, less than half have taken action.

This gap between what people wanted and what actually happened became the spark for Deadicate. Hillyer saw an opportunity not only to help individual families, but to change Australian culture itself.

“Deadicate was founded to change that. The company exists to make end-of-life preparation more accessible, less overwhelming, and something that people can approach early, as they would with any other major life planning,” she says.

The philosophy underlying everything Deadicate does is deceptively simple. “Our core belief is simple: conversations lead to preparation, and preparation leads to peace. Everything we build is designed to help people talk, plan and feel supported long before they encounter a crisis.”

Building in the space that people avoid

Deadicate operates in a space that most people and most companies consciously avoid. In Australia, death is taboo. We live in what Hillyer calls a “death-phobic society,” one in which avoidance is wrongly believed to protect, when in reality it increases harm. “When we avoid death, we limit life. When we prepare, we bring peace closer,” she says.

To serve people effectively, Deadicaat needed to exist as an ecosystem where people could enter at the point that felt right for them. The platform offers multiple paths into this difficult terrain. There’s the Live Well Leave Well podcast, where Hillyer has open, practical conversations about death, grief and legacy. There’s Timeless Transitions, a structured journey for people dealing with change, grief or fear, using tools that work even when talking feels too difficult.

And there is LWELan AI assistant built with her own voice, designed to help people explore the practical, emotional and spiritual aspects of end-of-life planning at their own pace.

The technology piece represents one of Hillyer’s proudest innovations. She developed LWELL to address a specific reality: many people do not feel comfortable discussing death with anyone else, even a professional. An AI assistant, built on the principles of responsible technology and responsible death, could offer something different.

“LWELL is built on responsible AI and responsible dying, giving people choice, capacity and control while having the right tools to make informed decisions, even if they don’t feel comfortable talking about dying with someone else,” she explains.

But technology never replaces human connection. It supports it. The AI ​​provides personalized prompts, checklists and explanations, helping users navigate the four quadrants of dying well: practical, emotional, spiritual and physical.

In addition to Deadicate products, Hillyer facilitates end-of-life conversations, educates community groups, volunteers in palliative care and is writing a self-help book to make this work even more accessible. Her primary audience is Gen X, the sandwich generation juggling aging parents, children, careers and their own mortality.

“They are practical, time-poor, and increasingly aware that avoiding difficult conversations only creates more stress later,” she notes. “Deadicate gives them a way to do this differently: with clarity, confidence and relief instead of fear.”

When technology meets humanity

Building a business around death requires rejecting the way the broader culture approaches mortality. One of Hillyer’s most conscious choices was to reject fear-based marketing.

“Death doesn’t need urgent tactics. The preparation should feel stable, human and empowering,” she says.

This approach stands out in a market that is often driven by urgency and fear. Deadicate’s difference lies in integrating conversations, community, education, storytelling, guided emotional support and ethical technology into a holistic ecosystem. The emotional weight of this work is considerable. Hillyer’s ability to have complex, difficult conversations comes from lived experience, palliative care volunteer work, decades of listening and end-of-life doula training. That emotional grounding has been essential to building something authentic in this space.

The decision to build LWELL came with additional responsibility. Australians were surveyed as some of the least trusting of AI in the world, with 69% reportedly nervous about the technology. The development of LWELL required careful, deliberate decision-making and a purposeful rejection of the fast-paced technology culture.

“Innovating in AI with LWELL also comes with responsibility. Australians were considered the least trusting of AI in the world, so the development of LWELL required careful, informed decision-making and the rejection of the fast-paced culture of technology in favor of trust, dignity and humanity,” Hillyer emphasizes.

This commitment to values ​​over speed defines everything Deadicate does. The company exists in a space that most founders would avoid. Yet the need is enormous and growing. By 2042, Australia’s population aged over 85 will exceed one million people. A growing number of Australians are growing older alone. Systems are still unprepared for the emotional and administrative realities that lie ahead.

Yet Australia remains culturally deeply death-avoidant. Nearly half of eligible Australians do not have a will. Only 19% have discussed future care preferences with someone else. More than 70% have never discussed what they want when they die. Families left without this information are left overwhelmed, unprepared and often traumatized by the administrative and emotional aftermath.

Purpose as fuel

Building a business in a taboo area has not been easy. Hillyer has had to challenge cultural norms, educate consumers about a service they didn’t know existed, and balance emotional labor with entrepreneurial demands. Yet every challenge reinforces something fundamental in her work.

“There is a huge need and opportunity to help people approach the finish line with clarity rather than fear,” she reflects.

When obstacles arise, she returns to what sustains her. Her advice to other founders is based on the lessons she’s learned. “My advice is to remember your purpose. You will encounter obstacles and hurdles. You will need to review, innovate and rework as you start. Remind yourself of the importance of your work and the purpose behind it. Let that propel you forward,” says Hillyer.

For Baci Hillyer, purpose is not something separate from business. The target is the company. And it’s powering a movement that is gradually and steadily changing how Australians think about and prepare for their own mortality, one conversation, one plan, one moment of clarity at a time.

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