March 26, 2024 • 7 mins
Today we showcase the work of Elyse Fox and the Sad Girls Club and their work to highlight mental health issues and provide support particularly within in the Black community.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:05):
Hey, this is Anny and Samantha and welcome to Steffon
Never Told You production of iHeartRadio.
Speaker 2 (00:18):
And today we want to take some time to celebrate
a nonprofit and I think we're going to try to
do this at least once a month, figuring out specific organizations,
even though oftentimes when we do we talk about the
people and the organizations. We're going to do that throughout.
But we did want to highlight one organization that's been
helping the black communities, specifically women and girls to lessen
(00:40):
the stigma of mental health issues and seeking help when
they need it. And that organization is called the Sad
Girls Club, which great name, by the way, great name,
and just at the top, yes there is mention of suicide,
not no details, just let you know that that is mentioned.
And of course with the Sad Girls, we're going to
(01:00):
be talking about their founder, Elise Fox, who started this
organization in twenty seventeen, So Fox released a trailer from
her very personal documentary titled Conversation with Friends, which documents
her struggle with depression and it was then that she
realized there are so many women and girls like her
that understood her struggles and needed help, which is how
(01:23):
the Sad Girls Club began. In twenty seventeen, a self
dot com article, right after confronting her own depression head on,
Elise Fox founded Sad Girls Club, an online group for
young women dealing with mental health issues, particularly women of color.
Speaker 1 (01:39):
The article continues asking Fox why she decided to start
the organization. Quote, after I released that film, an abundance
of girls reached out to me from all over the
world to thank me for telling my story, and they
said they wanted to be more brave and honest toward
their parents and friends. I felt that way too when
I was younger, so I wanted to create a community
for women who were feeling the same way as the girls.
(02:01):
I wanted to create a community around mental illness and
not make it something that were ashamed of, but something
that we're proud of.
Speaker 2 (02:07):
Right. And here's a quote from a more recent article
from Pop Sugar in February twenty two eighty four. Alice
Fox started Side Girls Club in twenty seventeen when she
was at her lowest. She had attempted suicide and was
looking for a community of black women with whom she
could talk about mental health. I always call it an accident.
I'm an accidental activist, she says of House Out Girls
(02:29):
Club began, but in a way that feels like this
is my calling and this is what's true to me.
What she didn't know was that the nonprofit organization she
started in Cypress Hills, Brooklyn would reach more than one
million women and girls of color and counting who are
dealing with the same mental health challenges she has faced.
While I was navigating my healing journey, I was looking
to platforms of like minded people, women who looked like me,
(02:51):
have similar stories, were from the hood, but were still
navigating things. And I didn't find any of that. I
couldn't find a place where I saw myself reflected. So
instead of complaining about it, I just decided to create
that space, not knowing what it would grow into today.
Speaker 1 (03:06):
And the organization has flourished since its inception and continues
to be a great resource for so many people struggling
with mental health care. The organization works to have people
meet irl, as they explain on the site Sadgirlsclub dot org,
quote real talk in real time, connect with the community
through poetry, slams, live seminars, yoga sessions, and more. In
(03:28):
a safe space for anyone with feelings in progress.
Speaker 2 (03:30):
And in addition to the IRL and online support, they
have been quite busy also from their site. Since twenty seventeen,
we've touched two hundred thousand lives across five continents and
forty countries, with over two hundred and fifty hours of
free therapy, seventy million immediate impressions, and over two hundred
and sixty five thousand Instagram followers. And Fox and the
(03:51):
organization continue to show the importance of mental health support
and breaking down the stigma. She told Pop Sugar. Sad
Girls Club is changing the trajectory of how mental health
is perceived within the black community by one removing the
veil of the stigma and then two showing that vulnerability
is okay. I think we're flipping the narrative on what
we worked programmed to think as far as our wellness
and really putting a new definition to it in a
(04:13):
way that makes you feel prideful, confident, and aligned with
the world. There's so much power in numbers. The more
you see representation of where you want to be or
what you deem as successful or this is where I
want to be in my mental health journey, the more
you would thrive to be in that space.
Speaker 1 (04:26):
And Fox talks about how she felt starting the organization, quote,
I really had a lot of shame around it. Even
starting Sad Girls Club, I was like, I might just
have one other person by my side, but that's fine.
At least one other person had somebody else to talk to.
It was definitely definitely scary. Starting something and putting it
online is one thing, but starting something and then running
(04:47):
into friends in person and them knowing that you have
this experience was a whole different game. And I was
honestly surprised at how I was embraced and also how
many people in my clothes circle were going through the
same things as me but never had the confidence to
talk about it until I started speaking about it. So
it was kind of like that thread of when you
run a relay race, you pass the baton and you
(05:08):
see someone going faster than you were, you're cheering them on,
and they passed the baton and you both are cheering
that other person on. That's what Sad Girls Club kind
of is. It's like this relay race of women or
just a community of people who want to see everybody win.
They want everyone to find peace and community within their
mental health.
Speaker 2 (05:27):
The Sad Girls Club continues to reach so many young
girls and women as many navigate their mental health needs
and escaping the stigma behind it. Fox has been working
with many others to break down these stigmas and advocating
for others around the world and their own journeys. She
has continued to work in the film world, even starting
her own brand called Produced by Girls, which quote lift
(05:47):
up other women in the film industry, born out of
the need to tell more stories centered around women. So
obviously there's a lot going on. You can go to
their site Sadgirls Club dot org and see if you
can connect. If you think this is something that could
be relevant to you, support their work. Follow their Instagram
that gots a really great updated posts, being able to
(06:09):
ask questions and give you resources, so it's a good
thing to look into. They also have great merch which
I'm about to order a sweatshirt. On the sweatshirt it
says the anti Sad Girls Sad Girls Club. I think
that's what it says anyway, but I'm like, yeah, I
want I want that shirt. That's amazing. They are doing
a lot of work still. They have a lot of
good representation. A lot of cubelebrities have been behind this
(06:31):
initiative and really really seem to support what they're doing,
So go check it out. Thank you so much to
Alice Fox who has seen a need and took up
that mantle, as we often see with amazing people who
realize the need there needs to be changed and they
become that change.
Speaker 1 (06:46):
Love it, absolutely love it. One of our favorite things
to see on this segment. So listeners, yes, go check
out all of this. If you haven't already. If you
have suggestions for this resources, please let us know. You
can email us at Stephania mom Stuff at iHeartMedia dot com.
You can find us on Twitter at Mom's of podcast
(07:07):
or on Instagram and TikTok at stuff. Whenever told you.
We have a tea public store and we have a
book you can get wherever you get your books. Thanks
as always to our super producer Christina, our executive producer Maya,
and your contributor Joey. Thank you and thanks to you
for listening stuff and never to do this production of iHeartRadio.
For more podcasts from my Heart Radio, you can check
out the iHeartRadio app Apple Podcasts wherever you listen to
(07:27):
your favorite shows
Hey, this is Anny and Samantha and welcome to Steffon
Never Told You production of iHeartRadio.
Speaker 2 (00:18):
And today we want to take some time to celebrate
a nonprofit and I think we're going to try to
do this at least once a month, figuring out specific organizations,
even though oftentimes when we do we talk about the
people and the organizations. We're going to do that throughout.
But we did want to highlight one organization that's been
helping the black communities, specifically women and girls to lessen
(00:40):
the stigma of mental health issues and seeking help when
they need it. And that organization is called the Sad
Girls Club, which great name, by the way, great name,
and just at the top, yes there is mention of suicide,
not no details, just let you know that that is mentioned.
And of course with the Sad Girls, we're going to
(01:00):
be talking about their founder, Elise Fox, who started this
organization in twenty seventeen, So Fox released a trailer from
her very personal documentary titled Conversation with Friends, which documents
her struggle with depression and it was then that she
realized there are so many women and girls like her
that understood her struggles and needed help, which is how
(01:23):
the Sad Girls Club began. In twenty seventeen, a self
dot com article, right after confronting her own depression head on,
Elise Fox founded Sad Girls Club, an online group for
young women dealing with mental health issues, particularly women of color.
Speaker 1 (01:39):
The article continues asking Fox why she decided to start
the organization. Quote, after I released that film, an abundance
of girls reached out to me from all over the
world to thank me for telling my story, and they
said they wanted to be more brave and honest toward
their parents and friends. I felt that way too when
I was younger, so I wanted to create a community
for women who were feeling the same way as the girls.
(02:01):
I wanted to create a community around mental illness and
not make it something that were ashamed of, but something
that we're proud of.
Speaker 2 (02:07):
Right. And here's a quote from a more recent article
from Pop Sugar in February twenty two eighty four. Alice
Fox started Side Girls Club in twenty seventeen when she
was at her lowest. She had attempted suicide and was
looking for a community of black women with whom she
could talk about mental health. I always call it an accident.
I'm an accidental activist, she says of House Out Girls
(02:29):
Club began, but in a way that feels like this
is my calling and this is what's true to me.
What she didn't know was that the nonprofit organization she
started in Cypress Hills, Brooklyn would reach more than one
million women and girls of color and counting who are
dealing with the same mental health challenges she has faced.
While I was navigating my healing journey, I was looking
to platforms of like minded people, women who looked like me,
(02:51):
have similar stories, were from the hood, but were still
navigating things. And I didn't find any of that. I
couldn't find a place where I saw myself reflected. So
instead of complaining about it, I just decided to create
that space, not knowing what it would grow into today.
Speaker 1 (03:06):
And the organization has flourished since its inception and continues
to be a great resource for so many people struggling
with mental health care. The organization works to have people
meet irl, as they explain on the site Sadgirlsclub dot org,
quote real talk in real time, connect with the community
through poetry, slams, live seminars, yoga sessions, and more. In
(03:28):
a safe space for anyone with feelings in progress.
Speaker 2 (03:30):
And in addition to the IRL and online support, they
have been quite busy also from their site. Since twenty seventeen,
we've touched two hundred thousand lives across five continents and
forty countries, with over two hundred and fifty hours of
free therapy, seventy million immediate impressions, and over two hundred
and sixty five thousand Instagram followers. And Fox and the
(03:51):
organization continue to show the importance of mental health support
and breaking down the stigma. She told Pop Sugar. Sad
Girls Club is changing the trajectory of how mental health
is perceived within the black community by one removing the
veil of the stigma and then two showing that vulnerability
is okay. I think we're flipping the narrative on what
we worked programmed to think as far as our wellness
and really putting a new definition to it in a
(04:13):
way that makes you feel prideful, confident, and aligned with
the world. There's so much power in numbers. The more
you see representation of where you want to be or
what you deem as successful or this is where I
want to be in my mental health journey, the more
you would thrive to be in that space.
Speaker 1 (04:26):
And Fox talks about how she felt starting the organization, quote,
I really had a lot of shame around it. Even
starting Sad Girls Club, I was like, I might just
have one other person by my side, but that's fine.
At least one other person had somebody else to talk to.
It was definitely definitely scary. Starting something and putting it
online is one thing, but starting something and then running
(04:47):
into friends in person and them knowing that you have
this experience was a whole different game. And I was
honestly surprised at how I was embraced and also how
many people in my clothes circle were going through the
same things as me but never had the confidence to
talk about it until I started speaking about it. So
it was kind of like that thread of when you
run a relay race, you pass the baton and you
(05:08):
see someone going faster than you were, you're cheering them on,
and they passed the baton and you both are cheering
that other person on. That's what Sad Girls Club kind
of is. It's like this relay race of women or
just a community of people who want to see everybody win.
They want everyone to find peace and community within their
mental health.
Speaker 2 (05:27):
The Sad Girls Club continues to reach so many young
girls and women as many navigate their mental health needs
and escaping the stigma behind it. Fox has been working
with many others to break down these stigmas and advocating
for others around the world and their own journeys. She
has continued to work in the film world, even starting
her own brand called Produced by Girls, which quote lift
(05:47):
up other women in the film industry, born out of
the need to tell more stories centered around women. So
obviously there's a lot going on. You can go to
their site Sadgirls Club dot org and see if you
can connect. If you think this is something that could
be relevant to you, support their work. Follow their Instagram
that gots a really great updated posts, being able to
(06:09):
ask questions and give you resources, so it's a good
thing to look into. They also have great merch which
I'm about to order a sweatshirt. On the sweatshirt it
says the anti Sad Girls Sad Girls Club. I think
that's what it says anyway, but I'm like, yeah, I
want I want that shirt. That's amazing. They are doing
a lot of work still. They have a lot of
good representation. A lot of cubelebrities have been behind this
(06:31):
initiative and really really seem to support what they're doing,
So go check it out. Thank you so much to
Alice Fox who has seen a need and took up
that mantle, as we often see with amazing people who
realize the need there needs to be changed and they
become that change.
Speaker 1 (06:46):
Love it, absolutely love it. One of our favorite things
to see on this segment. So listeners, yes, go check
out all of this. If you haven't already. If you
have suggestions for this resources, please let us know. You
can email us at Stephania mom Stuff at iHeartMedia dot com.
You can find us on Twitter at Mom's of podcast
(07:07):
or on Instagram and TikTok at stuff. Whenever told you.
We have a tea public store and we have a
book you can get wherever you get your books. Thanks
as always to our super producer Christina, our executive producer Maya,
and your contributor Joey. Thank you and thanks to you
for listening stuff and never to do this production of iHeartRadio.
For more podcasts from my Heart Radio, you can check
out the iHeartRadio app Apple Podcasts wherever you listen to
(07:27):
your favorite shows
Stuff Mom Never Told You News
Hosts And Creators
Anney Reese
Samantha McVey
Popular Podcasts
1. The Podium
The Podium: An NBC Olympic and Paralympic podcast. Join us for insider coverage during the intense competition at the 2024 Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games. In the run-up to the Opening Ceremony, we’ll bring you deep into the stories and events that have you know and those you'll be hard-pressed to forget.
2. In The Village
In The Village will take you into the most exclusive areas of the 2024 Paris Olympic Games to explore the daily life of athletes, complete with all the funny, mundane and unexpected things you learn off the field of play. Join Elizabeth Beisel as she sits down with Olympians each day in Paris.
3. iHeartOlympics: The Latest
Listen to the latest news from the 2024 Olympics.