Alex de Vries, 22 june 2023
“A great summer evening with great company!” Sophie commented on our Instagram post about the interview we did with her. We agreed.
She had lead us to her office’s rooftop terrace with a stunning panorama view. Though the days had been getting shorter, a glistening evening sun had illuminated our conversation. The topic for the interview, however, was one that often goes overlooked. We talked about mental health and depression.
Mental health is an important topic for Sophie, because she experienced depression towards the end of her student time. For fear of their reactions, Sophie felt she had to hide her feelings from everyone she knew. Leaving her alone to deal with her mind.
“If you’re on a rooftop, and the sun lowers gradually, you don’t really notice the change,” she describes. “But when the sun sets, it’s dark all of a sudden. And if you haven’t brought a flashlight and you don’t know the way down… well you could compare that to a depression.”
Because of her experience, and feeling so alone in it, Sophie wanted to help other people who might be experiencing something similar. With Maskerclass, her company, she aims to make mental health a more approachable and more visible topic.
Entrepreneurship was one of the things that helped Sophie, as it gave her energy. But she makes sure she always has enough time and space for herself, too, to reflect on her day or to meditate, for example. When the pursuit no longer feels meaningful to Sophie, she will know it is time to do something else. But for now, she’s all in on collectively improving mental health.
Find the full article in our magazine. (Go to ‘my club’ and then ‘documents’.)