Simone Gordon on The Black Fairy Godmother & Helping Families in Need | Nick Egan Times

Simone Gordon joins Nick Egan Times for an inspiring conversation about purpose, philanthropy, community leadership, and the mission behind the globally recognized Black Fairy Godmother Foundation.

Known to millions as the “Black Fairy Godmother,” Simone Gordon has built a powerful movement dedicated to helping families facing financial hardship, homelessness, domestic violence, and other life challenges. Through compassion, advocacy, and direct action, she has become one of the most influential voices in community support and grassroots philanthropy.

In this episode, Simone shares the story behind the Black Fairy Godmother Foundation, the challenges she has overcome, and the impact the organization is making in communities across the United States and around the world. She discusses helping disadvantaged families, providing essential resources, supporting women and children in crisis, and using social media as a force for positive change.

The conversation explores philanthropy, nonprofit leadership, social impact, community service, entrepreneurship, advocacy, empowerment, and the importance of creating opportunities for those in need.

A powerful and uplifting discussion with a remarkable changemaker whose work continues to transform lives and inspire hope for countless families worldwide.

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:18

Hello, thanks for tuning this episode of Nick Egan Times. On this episode, we have an exceptional guest. We have Simone Gordon. Simone's a Black Fairy Godmother. Simone's a proud founder and CEO of the Black Fairy Godmother Foundation, which the foundation is doing amazing work all around the world and is a non-profit organization which helps disadvantaged families and people all around the world. Simone, welcome and thanks for coming on the podcast.

SPEAKER_01 0:42

Thank you so much for having me.

SPEAKER_00 0:44

You're welcome. How's it all been going over there?

SPEAKER_01 0:47

Everything is going great.

SPEAKER_00 0:50

Yeah. And um tell me, how has the pandemic uh personally and professionally, and even the foundation um in somewhat, I guess, some degree, has that has that affected you?

SPEAKER_01 1:03

Um, it affected everyone here at the foundation because we're now 24-7 since March of 2020, where a lot of people are going homeless and they need emergency food assistance. Um, we went from getting 15 applications prior to now approximately 210 applicants per day.

SPEAKER_00 1:25

Wow.

SPEAKER_01 1:28

It's very overwhelming.

SPEAKER_00 1:29

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:30

But we make it work. We make it work.

SPEAKER_00 1:33

That's incredible. All right, let's just jump straight into it. Um, tell me about your family, um, and tell me about your story of obviously before the foundation began, what it was like growing up for you.

SPEAKER_01 1:47

Well, you know, I grew up with two parents who've been together since high school. They've been together for almost 40 years. Um, and you know, every um teenager's dream is to graduate high school and go off to college. Well, unfortunately, I was unable to um afford um a four-year institution. So I decided to go to um a community college in my area and study psychology. Um, things got a little rough with financial aid, so I started working. And um, the money was going great, and I never went back to college. Um, I worked for a corporate bank, and you know, the stock market and everything was going great, but when the mortgage crisis happened in the USA, um a lot of banks laid off, and I was one of them who lost my job. And um, I had a baby, um, his name is Jarvis, and I got a diagnosis from his pediatrician that he had autism spectrum disorder. So during the time of me losing my job, I had to stay with my parents in a two-bedroom apartment, and they had to help me, and I was only getting 200 bucks a week from you know, unemployment state benefits, and I kept getting the door slammed. Big nonprofits were just putting me on hold to get help for my son. So I reached out to social media, Facebook, and I asked many people around the world, like, where can I get assistance from? And one of my Facebook friends stated that there was a group that helped disadvantaged families. So I joined that group and I asked for help, and there were four strangers who actually helped me get um depends. They helped me um contact the local children's specialized hospital for my son to get therapy, you know, therapy. And there were two other women who um actually helped me get back into community college, and I graduated on June 3rd with my degree in biology because I'm going to go into public health and become a nurse. So I decided to be the voice of all the disadvantaged mothers who are trying their best to get assistance but don't know where. So I started fundraising on my platform, Facebook, and many of the celebrities chimed in and donated. And I got so big I moved on to Instagram, and I went um October 2019 from 100 followers to the end of 2019 with 13,000 followers, and it was globally, and we became strong ever since. And that's how I got the name, the Black Fairy Godmother, Grant and Wishes Around the World.

SPEAKER_00 4:17

I love it, and it's incredible your work you've done. Yeah, that's just pure, um, purely amazing. Like, yeah, it's just you can't describe it. All right, um, tell me the work that the foundation does, specifically um helping people around the world, too. How can how can people reach out to you as well?

SPEAKER_01 4:34

We do emergency food assistance, um, where we deliver fresh food, vegetables, and also provide toiletries to families in need on you know the same day. Um, we also assist with domestic violence situations where many individuals who are facing situations where they need to get out, we will help them with the hotel or an Airbnb where they can be safe. And we also help with education. There's many of women who are single moms and they want to go back to school. So we have a fund that's called the Fairy Desk Scholarship Fund, where we're telling mothers just because you're a mother don't mean that you can dream and also achieve your dream of going back to school. And we partnered up with Tori Birch on that one last year. So this year we're still looking for partnership and sponsorship and hopefully get some more moms in school this year.

SPEAKER_00 5:25

100%. Tell me what what inspires you daily?

SPEAKER_01 5:31

I'm going to be honest with you, Nick. I feel like before I go to bed at night with my son, feeling a void of someone being able to eat or have a place to rest, or someone being safe. That's the best thing in the world. Me and my volunteers, we may have a bad day, but at the end of the day, when someone says, My kids ate or I'm safe, or thank you for the comfy pillows in the bed. That that's I mean, what more can you ask for? I'd rather hear those words than to hear someone say, Here, here's a diamond ring. I just love people, and everybody deserves to be safe, fed, and have a stable, you know, like a stable life.

SPEAKER_00 6:18

That's inspiring, and you're an amazing person. Well done. Um, what's what's the best advice you've received?

SPEAKER_01 6:26

The best advice that I could give anyone, I want to give advice to everyone who's in need. You never know who's listening or who's watching you. Don't always feel afraid to ask for help because that one that one help or call can actually change your life, like it changed minds. Don't be afraid to go to social media and ask for help. Don't be afraid to ask a bus driver, police calls, or anyone, and to the people who actually want to help but don't know how. Every neighbor needs that five-minute talk, and that five-minute talk actually changed someone's life. Think about it.

SPEAKER_00 7:03

Wow. And your handles is the black on Facebook is the Black Fairy Godmother Official. Um, Twitter's Yeah, go.

SPEAKER_01 7:12

My Facebook is the Black Fairy Godmother Foundation. Um, my Twitter is the Black Fairy G1, and on Instagram, the Black Fairy Godmother Official, and on TikTok, we are the Black Fairy Godmother Official as well.

SPEAKER_00 7:26

Amazing. Well, everyone can follow you there. Um, and you've done a lot of um previous interviews. You're on the Kelly Clarkson show as well. How was that experience?

SPEAKER_01 7:35

That was amazing. Um, Kelly Clarkson found me, and she was actually buying gifts for a lot of disadvantaged kids on my platform, and she invited me on her show, and and it was just a beautiful thing to just know that you never know who's watching and who's able to give when they can. And she's an amazing person, like she's a celebrity, but she's so down to earth, and I was just blessed for that moment.

SPEAKER_00 8:01

Amazing. And um, what is the future for the Black Um Fairy Godmother Foundation? What does it actually look like? Where do you want to take it?

SPEAKER_01 8:11

Well, we're moving strong. Um, I am thinking about going on tour and actually meeting some families and being face to face by making their dreams come true. You know, um doing everything on social media, but it doesn't hurt to actually touch a person. Um, and also in approximately a few years, I would like to at least open two transformal houses where we're able to have people stay for 90 days and help them get stabilized with the job, education, and housing. So, you know, it's coming.

SPEAKER_00 8:44

Keeping it moving.

SPEAKER_01 8:45

And I hope to come back on your show. Yeah, 100%.

SPEAKER_00 8:48

You're always welcome. You're always welcome. Um, and what do you what do you like to do? Um what are your passions and hobbies aside from the amazing, incredible work you're doing? What do you like to do in your downtime if you get any classic care?

SPEAKER_01 9:02

I like being a mom. I like to be a mom and read and listen to music. Um, you know, I'm family oriented, so that's all I like to do is be around people, be a mom, listen to music, and read a book.

SPEAKER_00 9:18

Wow. And if you're 18 again and you could go back in time and you could change anything, what would you change?

SPEAKER_01 9:26

Always listen to your elders. They have the best wisdom in the world.

SPEAKER_00 9:31

All right, that's amazing. Amazing wisdom. Simone, thanks for coming on the podcast. I do appreciate it. It's amazing your trajectory, all the work you're doing. And yeah, thank you for coming on.

SPEAKER_01 9:41

Thank you so much for having me, Nick.

SPEAKER_00 9:43

You're welcome. Take care.

SPEAKER_01 9:46

Bye now.