Everything in life – personally and professionally – centers around cultivating relationships. Relationships are the key to everything. And that goes for who you choose as your female friends, especially as life gets more complicated and harder as we get older.

I’m really glad that Paula Edgar came into my life a few years ago when we were both speakers at a New York City Bar Association conference.

She inspired me more than anyone I had seen speak in years. I went up to her afterwards as a weird fan girl.

We cultivated a relationship and then spoke together on various panels throughout the pandemic. That relationship grew into a friendship.

Paula provides great advice and talks me off my professional ledges. I learn so much from her. We are also a great team when we co-present and I envision more collaborations together (come see us in Chicago in May at the ARK Women in Legal Conference!).

We finally got to see each other a few weeks ago in person after 2+long years.

Here’s to having strong female friends who lift us up and empower us. Female friends to whom you can send a meme or an emoji and they know exactly what to respond. Female friends who celebrate your successes and guide you along your journey.

Focus on developing those relationships. Leave everyone else behind.

I used to have so-called friends in my life who didn’t seem to be rooting for me to succeed. They seemed jealous of me and didn’t have my best interest at heart. I was afraid to cut ties with them because we were so intertwined within our friend group, but then I realized they weren’t really my friends at all. I also realized that I would much rather have a handful of friends who are loyal and kind and supportive versus a big social network where I have to watch my back.

Tag an incredible woman in the comments below who supports you.

And join the Women Who Wow community and another amazing woman -stylist Melanie Lippman will be presenting the next free webinar on May 4 at 1pm ET about how we can use our wardrobes as an extension of our personal brands. Register for the May 4 program.

Follow Paula on LinkedIn.