Belle Sisters: Welcome, Today, we’re joined by Leila Kisiah, Founder and Executive Director of Mending Minds Foundation, a Kenya-based nonprofit dedicated to promoting mental wellness and suicide prevention at individual, community, and organizational levels. Leila, welcome to the show.

Leila Kisiah: Thank you so much for having me. I’m excited to be here and grateful for the opportunity to share my journey. I truly appreciate the work Belle Sisters is doing to bring women together and create spaces where we can learn from one another.

Belle Sisters: Can you tell us a little about your journey and how you got to where you are today?

Leila Kisiah: My journey into mental health advocacy began with a deeply personal experience. Years ago, someone I knew disappeared while struggling with mental illness. We eventually found the person after several months, and the experience left me with many unanswered questions. I kept asking myself, “How did I miss the warning signs?” That question stayed with me and eventually became the catalyst for everything that followed.

In 2018, I started writing down ideas about what could be done to improve mental health awareness and support. I filled notebooks with thoughts, observations, and possible solutions. At first, I was afraid to take action because I felt everything had to be perfect. By 2019, I decided to stop waiting and simply begin.

I started by gathering a few friends and volunteering in children’s homes, creating opportunities to discuss mental health and emotional well-being. What began as small community initiatives gradually grew into something much larger. When the COVID-19 pandemic arrived, we saw an even greater need for mental health support, particularly among young people. That experience reinforced my belief that mental health services should be accessible, community-based, and available to everyone.

In 2021, I officially registered Mending Minds Foundation, and from there, the work continued to grow through schools, universities, communities, and partnerships with policymakers across Kenya.

Belle Sisters: What motivated you to move from having an idea to actually taking action?

Leila Kisiah: I remember receiving a distressing call from someone close to me regarding a loved one who was struggling with mental illness.

As we searched for help, every option seemed to require significant financial resources. Everywhere I called, there were barriers. I kept asking myself, “Where are the accessible services? Where are the helplines? Where can people turn when they need help?”

That experience stayed with me. I realized that mental health challenges can affect anyone, within families, schools, workplaces, communities, and places of worship. Addressing these challenges requires a collective effort. That’s why our work focuses heavily on prevention, awareness, and connecting people with trained professionals who can provide the right support.

Belle Sisters: Your organization experienced significant growth. You were partnering with government institutions, speaking at conferences, and leading important initiatives. How did you manage that level of success?

Leila Kisiah: At the time, I was very focused on goals.

Whenever I entered a room, I looked for opportunities to build relationships and create partnerships. I intentionally networked, had conversations, and followed up with people. Referrals and strong relationships helped us grow quickly. I also believe in excellence. Whether I was speaking at a conference, facilitating training, or presenting to stakeholders, I wanted to ensure I was always prepared and delivering quality work.

That commitment opened many doors for us.

However, while the organization was growing externally, I wasn’t paying enough attention to my own well-being. In late 2024, my health began deteriorating. At first, I assumed it was fatigue, but eventually I experienced severe brain fog and became unable to function at the level I was accustomed to.

My health continued to decline, leading to surgery, hospitalization, and a lengthy recovery process.

For the first time, I found myself unable to lead the organization in the way I had always envisioned.

Belle Sisters: How did that experience change your perspective as a leader?

Leila Kisiah: It changed everything.

For years, I had been focused on achieving goals, reaching milestones, and moving from one initiative to the next. Recovery forced me to slow down.

For the first time, I had the opportunity to reflect deeply on the organization, our impact, our structure, and our future. I began asking difficult questions:

What truly makes Mending Minds different?

What are our strongest areas of impact?

What systems need strengthening?

How do we build something that can thrive even in my absence?

That period taught me an important lesson. If you focus only on goals, growth isn’t guaranteed. But if you focus on growth, both personal and organizational, the goals often follow naturally.

That’s when the concept of rebuilding became important to me.

Not starting over. Rebuilding. Strengthening what already exists and creating a stronger foundation for the future.

Belle Sisters: You spend your time supporting others through difficult situations. How do you take care of your own mental health?

Leila Kisiah: I’ve learned that self-care doesn’t always have to be complicated.

For me, it begins with protecting my emotional well-being. I’m very intentional about the people I allow into my space and the environments I spend time in.

I also enjoy simple things.

I love cooking. I enjoy listening to music, taking walks, spending quiet time alone, and creating moments of peace for myself. Sometimes it’s simply sitting quietly, taking a long shower, lighting a candle, or enjoying a peaceful evening.

Those simple moments help me recharge and reconnect with myself. I think many people overlook the importance of simple pleasures, but they can have a powerful impact on our mental well-being.

Belle Sisters: What advice would you give to women who want to start a nonprofit or build a business in the mental health space?

Leila Kisiah: My biggest advice is simple: start.

You don’t have to have everything figured out before you begin.

When I started, I didn’t have all the answers. The clarity came through action. Learn about the field, understand the communities you want to serve, and identify the specific impact you want to make.

Don’t focus on copying what others are doing. Your purpose is unique, and your work should reflect that. Stay aware of emerging trends and be willing to adapt. The mental health landscape is evolving rapidly, and innovation, including AI, is creating new opportunities to improve access and support.

Most importantly, remember the principles I live by: commitment, consistency, communication, and discipline. And when things don’t go according to plan, rebuild.

Rebuilding is not failure. It’s growth. Sometimes the strongest version of what you’re building emerges after you’ve been forced to pause, reflect, and start strengthening the foundation.

Belle Sisters: Thank you so much, Leila, for sharing your story and your insights with us.

Leila Kisiah: Thank you for having me. I’ve truly enjoyed the conversation, and I’m excited to continue learning from other founders and leaders who are creating impact in their communities.

Belle Sisters: And thank you to everyone who tuned in. Until next time, remember that growth often begins with reflection, and sometimes rebuilding is exactly what leads us to something even stronger.