SPOTLIGHT-HELEN MORRIS
Helen Morris on the reality of building the SF Women's Social Club and what it looks like to create spaces that foster connection and community.
Helen Morris is the founder of SF Women's social club, a women-first community built from a desire to connect more post-grad women in the city of SF and beyond. What started as a fun project quickly snowballed into a thriving community of over 35,000 women.
What’s Your Why?
Helen didn’t launch with a business plan or brand deck—it started with a simple TikTok: “Hi, I’m Helen, and this is my friend Sarah, and we’re looking to find some girls to play tennis with."
That one video turned into a tidal wave of interest. Over a thousand women reacted. What began as a few casual meetups quickly grew into a city-wide network. The more the community expanded, the more she saw the unique energy that happens when post-grad women gather in spaces without the presence of men.
“There’s this really cool energy when women come together without needing to protect themselves. It creates a safe space where everyone’s willing to be vulnerable.”
After spending some time in tech sales, the creative outlet that building the club provided was incredibly refreshing.
“It gave me purpose."
But even more than that, it became a space where she could witness real friendships and connections forming right in front of her.
“It was fucking hard,” she says.
“But what keeps you going is the small wins. If you can impact one person
Positively, that’s what matters.”
On Starting Something New
Helen doesn’t shy away from the unknown.
“Since I was born, I’ve kind of been like—fuck it, let’s give it a try.”
She believes the real failure would be never trying at all.
Her boldness comes from more than just instinct. It’s the foundation of support she has—friends, family, and people outside of the club who will catch her if she falls. Equally important is the team inside that helped bring the vision to life.
“None of this would’ve been possible without Katherine, Tiffany, and Alyssa.”
Together, they helped me turn something small into something magnetic.
Advice to her Younger Self
“I’d tell myself to give myself more love, and to stop comparing myself to others.”
Helen’s learned how deceptive online success can be. When all you see is people winning, it sets an unrealistic standard—and that can stop people from even trying.
“If success is the only standard, nobody would ever try.”
For her, it’s now more about looking within and asking:
“Are you doing this for the right reasons?”
What Community Means
To Helen, community is a feeling.
“It means being safe, seen, and uplifted by the people around you."
On a broader scale, the word community may lend itself more to a feeling of belonging and collective identity.
One thing Helen was clear about was that “When a community gets to a certain point, it’s so important to have a diverse group of decision-makers who represent the different identities and perspectives within it.”
Representation isn’t a box to check—it’s making sure the people in your community feel seen and heard.
Taking the first step
"It all began with a simple TikTok—but turning it into something real meant diving into the unsexy stuff."
She spent months filing state paperwork and legal docs.
“No one talks about that part, but it’s important.”
At first, it was just for fun. But soon the community took on a life of its own, and the time commitment made it hard to balance with her tech job. That’s when she knew it was more than a side project.