Elyse Fox is a mental health advocate, filmmaker, and this week’s guest on the Mompreneurs podcast. The founder and CEO of Sad Girls Club sat down with Mompreneurs host Nancy Redd to speak on motherhood and how she became a leading voice in the mental health space.

Sad Girls Club is a global support system that promotes mental wellness with a focus on the BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) community. The organization facilitates safe spaces for difficult conversations, through its online platform and in-person events. Fox built her success upon years of developing this platform. Now a leading voice in matters of mental health, she secured her own wellness column in Teen Vogue called Soft Launch.

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‘Why am I so damn unhappy?’

The writer and advocate reflected on her journey — from struggling with depression to creating a film that changed her entire trajectory.

Fresh out of college, when she studied film and production, Fox moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career in film and television. The aspiring director had everything going for her, yet something wasn’t sitting right.

“I had everything I thought I wanted to be successful,” she told Redd. “I was just like, why am I so damn unhappy? I’m in this relationship for five years, it’s not fulfilling me. My job is not fulfilling me, it’s not what I thought I wanted. Honestly, I was miserable with everything in front of me. That just showed me that I needed to do more to sustain my happiness.”

The Brooklyn native decided it was time to return home, and moved back to New York. “I was like, I’m going to just start fresh and really understand what I need for my mental health.”

“I know that it looks like I’m okay, but these things are heavy on my heart and on my mind, and I’m actually not okay.”

During her first year back in her hometown, Fox created a film documenting her experience living with depression. She spoke her truth through film, no matter what the reaction would be. The response was overwhelming. Fox received an outpouring of support from those who resonated with her point of view.

“When I released that film, I didn’t expect anything to happen. But to my surprise, women from all around the world saw themselves in my story and wanted to be a part of that story, and they wanted to have conversations about what mental health meant for Black women and women of color.”

Sad Girls Club was born from this outpouring of community. “As a filmmaker, you want to create a conversation but I also wanted to create something larger than myself out of this film.”

Today, Sad Girls Club reaches women across the globe.

Through Sad Girls Club, Fox is manifesting her mission to destigmatize mental health by building community and providing accessible resources and programming. Whether the community is getting involved online or in person, the NYC-based nonprofit now reaches women of all ages across the globe.

“That’s the whole thing we’re trying to do: destigmatize, provide resources and curate community. So we have everything you need, like a toolbox,” said Fox. “If you want to talk about it, you can talk about it — we have a digital program so anybody can join. And we also have in-person events, so if you want the in-person community and connection, we got you.”

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Her son, Basel, is her light.

Fox cherishes motherhood and its lessons. Her five-year-old son, Basel, is her number one fan. “He’s a personification of what happiness means to me. He’s my consistent reminder that I’m able to keep going,” she said.

Her mindset evolved with motherhood. “I’m learning the power of patience, which I didn’t have a lot of. I’ve retrained my mind to be slower, to be more mindful, and to also be a better listener.”

Catch new episodes of ‘Mompreneurs’ every week.

Every week, we celebrate beautiful Black entrepreneurs who are simultaneously amazing business moguls and awesome moms. We listen to their life stories and inspiring advice. Catch new episodes of Mompreneurs every Monday on MadameNoire‘s YouTube channel. Or listen to the podcast online at Urban1Podcasts.com.

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