About the Founder

Sydney Bambardekar


Sydney Bambardekar is a recent graduate from Barnard College of Columbia University who majored in Neuroscience and Behavior, Africana Studies, and Science and Public Policy. She has always been passionate about mental health and wellness, social justice, and policy advocacy for the underserved Black community. Growing up in a predominantly white world that failed to address specific mental health issues related to Black folks, especially Black women, she was determined to bridge the gap between the evergrowing presence of mental illness in the Black community and the lack of access to adequate resources and support. She founded the Bodacious Black Girl platform to create a safe and accessible space for discussing the intersection of mental health and Blackness. With BBG, she hopes to cultivate an online and in-person atmosphere fostered by mental health and wellness, allowing young Black individuals the space to voice their experiences and continue advocating for increased access to mental health resources. She also hopes that BBG will be a stepping stone for Black women to feel seen and supported despite mental health struggles being stigmatized.

  • A message from the Founder

    HELLO🤎

    Welcome to the Bodacious Black Girl Community! We are so happy you’re all here:)

    Bodacious Black Girl is an online space for female-identifying folks of color to discuss all things mental health, wellness, and lifestyle. As a recent graduate in Neuroscience and Africana Studies at Barnard College of Columbia University, I have always had a passion for the intersection of mental health and Blackness.

    Statistics show that approximately sixteen percent (4.8 million) of Black and African American people reported having a mental illness, and 22.4 percent of those (1.1 million people) reported a serious mental illness over the past year.

    As a woman of color who has seriously struggled with mental health, I know firsthand how difficult it is to find community and to feel supported in a society that, unfortunately, stigmatizes mental health.

    That’s why I created the Bodacious Black Girl platform! BBG will hold space for folks to engage in discussion about their own mental health and wellness journeys and to provide support and love for one another. We hope to incorporate weekly newsletters filled with everything from support groups to yoga classes to self-love affirmations to podcast recommendations and everything in between!

    BBG is not just a platform but is also a family. This has been a long-time dream of mine and I’m so excited to be sharing this with you all.

    with love,

    Sydney Bambardekar

    Founder of BBG