Four female founders taking the lead in addressing the mental health crisis
Female founders are leading the charge when it comes to addressing the mental health crises in the workplace. And it’s no wonder – because women understand firsthand the struggles other women go through.
They understand intimately the challenge of showing up to work with a chronic illness, balancing motherhood with career progression, and fighting for equal pay and opportunities in a male-dominated space.
That’s why, through innovative female-first solutions, these female founders are actively supporting women by tackling mental health challenges head-on and serving a whole section of the workforce that is too often overlooked.
The mental health struggles of female entrepreneurs
For women who struggle with mental health challenges, entrepreneurship can be more than a change of career – it can offer women the opportunity to create the life they really want. Whether it’s more flexibility, the space to prioritise self-care, or the chance to build something that really matters to them.
However, there are costs to the independence of entrepreneurship, such as: high pressure, long hours, and financial uncertainty. These can contribute to mental health struggles.
According to psychologist and entrepreneur Diann Wingert, “Women tend to carry the burden of emotional labour, in business and in families, which can contribute to feelings of anxiety, depression, guilt, shame, and inadequacy.” As a result, research shows that 83% of female founders experience high stress, 78% experience persistent anxiety, and 54% experience burnout.
Unfortunately, many women turn to alcohol or substance abuse to ease their mental health symptoms and help them cope. Sadly, this can lead to the need for a dual diagnosis. As Giles Fourie, Director and Co-owner of White River Manor explains, “drugs and alcohol are often used as dysfunctional coping mechanisms to help us live with painful symptoms of these mental illnesses […] It is now widely accepted that a mental health disorder can induce a substance addiction – and vice versa.”
The following female founders are determined to break this damaging cycle of burnout, mental health challenges, and addiction by giving women the support they need, when it’s needed. Drawing on their own mental health challenges, hormonal struggles, and more, these female founders are taking the lead in addressing the female mental health crisis.
1) Amy Thomson, Founder of Moody Month
Amy Thomson used her personal experience of stress-induced burnout to create Moody Month, the wellness app that connects women with their hormones, helping them understand how hormone fluctuations can impact mental health.
Speaking with Elle Magazine, Amy shared: “I started Moody Month because I want to make accessing your hormone health as easy as checking the weather in the morning. Knowing the basic pillars helps us navigate a new world of female-body literacy.”
In doing so, Amy hopes women will integrate rest and self-care into their schedules in order to maximise their performance and strengthen mental health.
2) Sonia Kaurah, Founder of Tala Thrive
Tala Thrive was founded by Sonia Kaurah, a female entrepreneur with a rich multi-cultural background that has greatly influenced her passion for culturally competent care.
Tala Thrive connects women with therapists and coaches who understand their specific culture, language, and/or religion in order to provide culturally-sensitive and relevant care.
Sonia was inspired to start her mental health platform during a therapy session. She shared with Founder Catalyst that, “during therapy, I often felt misunderstood. One therapist suggested cutting ties with my parents, branding them ‘toxic’. That advice missed the cultural context – Asian families don’t operate within Western notions of boundaries. I realised many other multicultural backgrounds felt similarly misunderstood. We exist in this in-between space.”
So, Sonia built a platform where therapists understand the many complexities and nuances of cultural identity, without needing it constantly explained to them. This allows therapists to address overlooked needs and support their clients in feeling seen, heard, and understood.
3) Kim Palmer, Founder of the Clementine App
The Clementine app was founded by Joyce Marter as a way to free women from “unhelpful thoughts, feelings and expectations.” Countless women understand firsthand the affects stress, anxiety, and sleep difficulties can have on daily life. And for female founders who are also often balancing family demands with professional aspirations, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed.
For female founder, Kim Palmer, who suffered a panic attack unexpectedly during a public speaking engagement, mental health went from being something other people dealt with to an ever-present part of her daily life.
Kim shares, “my first panic attack was quickly followed by another, and another and before I knew it I was on maternity leave feeling crappy about myself and having panic attacks on a daily basis.” After trying out many different types of therapy, Kim discovered hypnotherapy and has never looked back.
Determined to help other women take control of their mental health, and their lives, Kim launched the Clementine App. On the app, women can receive specialist support from therapists using treatments such as hypnotherapy, tapping, mindfulness, breathwork, and mindset coaching.
Through the Celementine app, women can listen to audio sessions on their way to work, before they go to sleep, or whenever they need them – taking self-care off the back burner and turning it into a daily habit.
4) Joy Harden Bradford, Founder of Therapy for Black Girls
Dr. Joy Harden Bradford is a licensed psychologist, speaker, and advocate for female mental health. She is widely recognised and highly acclaimed for her efforts to make therapy and psychology resources more widely understood, accessible, and culturally relevant to Black women.
Joy is the founder of the popular podcast, Therapy for Black Girls. In Joy’s own words, “The Therapy for Black Girls podcast is a weekly chat about all things mental health, personal development, and all the small decisions we can make to become the best possible versions of ourselves.”
However, Therapy for Black girls isn’t just a podcast – it is a thriving online community where Black women can receive support from Black female therapists and receive helpful resources, information, and personal stories through Joy’s blog.
Through her work, Joy is committed to destigmatising mental health care within the Black female community. She is passionate about starting conversations that resonate with women’s lived experiences and wants to empower Black women to embrace therapy as part of their self-care and personal growth.
Promoting a culture of support
Each of the female founders we have mentioned above are working to promote a culture of support amongst women. After all, there is beauty and connection to be found in shared experiences. When women look out for each other, they create supportive environments that prioritise mental wellbeing and help women thrive.
If you are looking for mental health support, we hope the resources we’ve shared provide you with some inspiration. As women, we shouldn’t feel alone in our struggles.
Whether you can’t find the support you need, you’re lacking an understanding community, or you simply want to learn more about female mental health, we encourage you to explore the apps and resources above. We’re confident they will be an encouragement to you.
