The Best Friend Project
When her best friendship ended, Rachel Joy Swardson went to the bathroom. Hundreds of them. She taped up postcards with a QR code in bathroom stalls, asking the question she was too hurt and humiliated to verbalize, "How do you do friendship?" Thousands of women answered, and their stories changed and healed her. So she brought them forward, here for you on The Best Friend Project podcast.
Episodes
16 episodes
Ep 15: ☎️ On the Phone | Jen Cote
Hopping On The Phone with Jen Cote from episode 14, where we talk Friendship and Menopause. On this call Jen corrects a misspeak, shares a text from her friend and asks Rachel the question she has been getting a lot lately, "Have you talked to ...
Ep 14: How Does Friendship Survive Menopause | Jen Cote and Margaret Honda
Menopause is a chemical castration that feels like it is wrecking your body and mind. So how do friendships survive it?Our original research says women need friends who make them feel safe, who remember the small things, and don't cance...
Ep 13: ☎️ On the Phone | Mary McGreevy
How often have you heard "Tennyson, C.S. Lewis and Tig Nataro" in the same sentence? Well, if you listened to The Best Friend Project this week - you heard it twice! Get Mary's take on our talk in this episode of On The Phone. A 199...
Ep 12: Death Does Not Get the Last Word, Friends Do | Mary McGreevy
What will you be known for after you die? Your life is so much more than a resume. Will your legacy of kindness live on? Your grudges? Your struggle to forgive? Or will it be hating cold butter, loving salty chips and chive dip, and the time yo...
Ep 11: ☎️ On the Phone | Robyn Liechti
Unfortunately I wasn't able to actually record my On The Phone call with Robyn. However, I did have a painful epiphany in replaying her episode. Some high school ghosts have come to haunt... And I think I need to face them, at some point. ...
Ep 10: "I Thought She Was Mean Because She Was Pretty" | Robyn Lietchti
Every friendship has a story — and Robyn's started at a locker in ninth grade with a snap judgment she almost let cost her everything. In this episode of The Best Friend Project, host Rachel sits down with journal creator and author...
Ep 9: ☎️ On the Phone | Melanie Curtis
Wait, did she really say she manifested a best friendship with Weird Al Yankovic? She said it, and more.In this 1990's-style phone call series, we check in with our featured guest of the week to hear what they thought of their episode.&n...
Ep 8: (Part 2): Healing the Friendship Wound | Melanie Curtis & Shannon Lee
What does it actually take to keep a friendship for 20 years? In Part 2 of this conversation, best friends Melanie Curtis and Shannon Lee show us — through wine, tears, ayahuasca, and a whole lot of radical honesty.In this episode of The...
Ep 7: (Part 1): A Skydiver, an Ayahuasca Guide, and a 20-Year Best Friendship | Melanie Curtis & Shannon Leigh
It was a short video. Not even two minutes long. Just two friends singing their hearts that made Rachel cry, and question everything about her own friendships. This is the conversation that followed.Scrolling Instagram one night, Rachel ...
Ep 6: ☎️ On the Phone | Noelle Rhodes (Well, almost...)
Well, I completely botched the time change, so Noelle and I aren't actually on the phone today. 😅 But something happened this week that I couldn't wait to share. After my conversation with Noelle, I found myself putting one of her friendship le...
Ep 5: The Funny Friend Gets Sad: A New Jersey Comic's Take on Adult Friendship | Noelle Rhodes
Rachel Joy Swardson first discovered Noelle Rhodes through a hilarious social media post about why everyone needs a friend from New Jersey. The post made Rachel laugh. It also made her wonder, is it easier to make friends in some parts of the c...
Ep 4: ☎️ On the Phone | Michelle Mackenzie
Hi! Have you listened to Episode Two: The Hidden Impact of Childhood Poverty on Friendship with Michelle and Elle?When Michelle shared how growing up in poverty shaped her self-confidence as a child, I was speechless. I could...
Ep 3: ☎️ On the Phone | Elle James
Hi! Did you have a chance to listen to Episode One: I Thought We'd Grow Old Together with Elle and Michelle?If so, I invite you to eavesdrop on my phone call with Elle. I was so curious to hear what it was like for...
Ep 2: (Part 2) The Hidden Impact of Childhood Poverty on Friendship | Michelle Mackenzie & Elle James
When Shameless Elle lost the friendship she thought would last forever, she wasn't looking for new friends. But life had other plans.In Part 2 of this conversation, Rachel Joy Swardson welcomes Michelle (@TheLifeOfAWidow) to t...
Ep 1: (Part 1) I Thought We'd Grow Old Together | Elle James & Michelle Mackenzie
Rachel Joy Swardson thought losing her best friend was rare. Then she met content creator Shameless Elle and discovered they shared a surprisingly similar story. For nearly a decade, Elle believed she'd already found her person, the friend she'...
Why Are Some Women Better at Friendship Than Others? | The Best Friend Project Podcast
What happens when a 12-year friendship ends? For former television journalist and private investigator Rachel Joy Swardson, it sparked an investigation; not into a crime, but into one of life's most powerful and overlooked relationships: female...