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 the podcast to talk about the friendship that formed when three women found themselves navigating grief, loss, loneliness, and some of the hardest seasons of their lives at the exact same time.

Michelle shares how growing up in poverty shaped the way she approached friendship, while Elle reflects on the surprising lessons she's learned from the women who stepped into her life after her best friend breakup. Together, they talk about accepting help, showing up imperfectly, and why some of the most meaningful friendships aren't built during the best years of our lives, they're built during the hardest.

This isn't a conversation about waiting until you have life figured out before making friends. It's a conversation about finding people willing to march through the hardships with you, because they're in it too.

In This Episode:

• How three women found each other during seasons of grief and loss
• The impact poverty can have on friendship and self-worth
• Why asking for help is harder than it looks
• What happens when women stop trying to earn love and simply receive it
• Friendship after widowhood, divorce, and heartbreak
• The small acts of kindness that change relationships forever
• Why nobody has to march through life's hardest moments alone

Connect with Our Guests:

Shameless Elle
Instagram, TikTok, YouTube & Facebook: @ShamelessElle

https://shamelesselle.com

Michelle
Instagram: @TheLifeOfAWidow

About The Best Friend Podcast

The Best Friend Podcast is where original friendship research meets real-life stories. Host Rachel Joy Swardson, founder of The Best Friend Project, investigates how women find, make, lose, and keep the platonic loves of their lives through original data, personal experience, and candid conversations.

Chapters:

0:00 Opening — "Without Those Friendships, You'd Be Climbing the Walls"

1:00 Welcome to The Best Friend Project + Michelle Joins the Conversation

2:00 Michelle on Showing Up for Elle Through Grief

3:00 How Elle & Stephanie Show Up for Michelle Every Friday

5:00 The Power of Letting People In When You're Struggling

6:00 How Elle, Michelle & Stephanie's Friendship Was Born Out of Necessity

8:00 "Meet People Where They're At" — What Authentic Friendship Looks Like

9:00 Rachel Reflects on Survival Mode, Male Friends & Her First Real Female Friendship

11:00 Words of Advice for Anyone Struggling with Friendship

12:00 "Humble Yourself" — Elle's Honest Take on Growing Through Friendship

13:00 How to Be a Good Friend When You Have No Time or Capacity

14:00 "It's Not Do You Have Time for Me — It's How Can I Meet You Where You Are"

15:00 Michelle Opens Up: Poverty, Shame & Learning to Let People In

17:00 Overgiving to Be Loved — "If I Do This, Then You Will Love Me"

18:00 Elle Reflects on Michelle & Stephanie's Strength and Intelligence

19:00 Where to Follow Elle (Shameless Elle) & Michelle (Life of a Widow)

20:00 The Taylor Swift Origin Story Behind Michelle's Handle

21:00 Rachel's Closing Reflections — Seeing the Right People in Your Darkest Hour

22:00 Next Week: Noelle Rhodes on the Burden of Being the Funny Friend

#TheBestFriendProject #FemaleFriendship #GriefAndFriendship #WomenSupportingWomen #FriendshipAdvice #MakingFriendsAsAnAdult #VulnerabilityAndConnection