Friendship, Bravery, and the Shifts We Don’t Always See Coming

August 1 is National Girlfriends Day…a day created to celebrate the women in our lives who show up, lift us up, and walk beside us in every season.

While the exact origins of National Girlfriends Day are unclear, the spirit behind it is timeless: honoring the bonds of sisterhood, support, and shared experience. It’s a reminder to appreciate those relationships that hold us together when life pulls us apart.

But here's the truth - those friendships change.

They stretch. They shift. Sometimes they quietly fade.

And sometimes, they end in ways we didn’t expect.

As women, our friendships evolve as we move through life.

Childhood best friends.

High school confidantes.

College roommates.

Then work friends who become our go-to lunch crew, our after-hours therapy circle, and our weekday lifelines.

If we become mothers, our worlds shift again - suddenly we’re forming new bonds with the parents of our children’s classmates or teammates.

Through each chapter, we often carry both the joy of deep connection and the quiet ache of letting go. And sometimes - let’s be honest - we get it wrong.

We hurt each other.

We don't give enough grace.

We avoid asking for help even when we need it most.

We feel envy, even when we genuinely want to celebrate others.

That doesn’t make us bad friends. It makes us human.

The bravery is in acknowledging it. Owning it. Choosing to grow from it.

I’ll be honest… my own core group of friends has shifted. I’m still working through how to talk about it in a way that’s honest but not hurtful, reflective without being reactive.

What I can say right now is this: just because a friendship changes doesn’t mean it failed. Sometimes, it simply served its season.

If you’re navigating a friendship shift - or grieving one - know you’re not alone. These changes don’t make us less loyal, less kind, or less brave. They make us women who are evolving.

I hope you’ll take a moment to reach out to someone who’s made a difference in your life - or to release any guilt over a friendship that no longer looks the way it once did.

If you’re carrying the weight of a friendship that’s faded, or if you’re feeling grateful for one that’s never let you down, I’d love to hear your story.

Sometimes sharing is healing. You can always reach out to me if you want to talk or simply be heard.

Bravery looks like friendship in many forms. And BWP is here for all of them.

The Invisible Drain: How Our Phones Are Stealing Our Peace (and What We Can Do About It)

How many times have you picked up your phone today? Ten times? 20? 30? Keep going...

According to a Reviews.org survey cited by Fast Company, the average American checks their phone 144 times a day and spends over four hours staring at its screen. Even more alarming? 57% consider themselves addicted.

For women balancing careers, caregiving, community involvement, and self-care, this isn’t just a distraction - it’s a full-blown drain on our time, focus, and mental well-being.

The Fast Company article offers seven simple strategies to make your phone less enticing. I want to highlight a few that I believe can make a real difference for women who are trying to find space to breathe in the middle of busy, demanding lives.

One suggestion is to turn your phone gray (in your settings under Wallpaper). Removing color from your screen helps reduce the dopamine-triggering visuals that keep us endlessly scrolling. Think about how much calmer your phone might feel if it looked less like a slot machine and more like a tool.

Another recommendation is to create speed bumps. This can mean setting app timers, moving frequently used apps off your home screen, or turning off notifications entirely. These tiny barriers can interrupt the habit of checking your phone every few minutes. At Brave Women Project, we often talk about making conscious choices. This is one of them.

The constant pull of our phones impacts more than just our productivity. It chips away at our ability to be fully present. It creates anxiety, interrupts our sleep, and makes it harder to focus. Most importantly, it takes us away from the real-life moments that actually fill us up.

What if the bravest thing you did today was to sit in silence for five minutes without your phone? What if you chose connection over consumption, presence over distraction?

Creating boundaries with our phones is one way to evolve. It is one way to reclaim our time, our energy, and our peace.

You do not have to go cold turkey. Try one shift. Turn off notifications. Delete one app. Move your charger out of the bedroom. Little changes can help you feel more in control and more connected to your actual life.

You deserve quiet. You deserve focus. And you deserve a life that isn’t constantly interrupted by a blinking screen.

Let’s take our time back. One brave choice at a time.

Breaking the Queen Bee Mentality

At our April Work for Good panel event, I mentioned something that caught many attendees off guard: being a Queen Bee isn’t a badge of honor…it’s a warning sign.

I described how Queen Bees often control the hive, pulling up the ladder behind them so no one else can climb. The term Queen Bee was coined in the 1970s to describe women in leadership roles who were seen as hindering the progress of other women. It's a toxic behavior rooted in scarcity and insecurity, and unfortunately, it still shows up in too many workplaces and social groups. You could feel the surprise ripple through the room.

While it might sound like a compliment at first glance - powerful, in control, admired - the truth is…

…being a Queen Bee isn’t aspirational…

…it’s harmful.

In a business environment, the Queen Bee Syndrome describes women who view other women not as allies or collaborators, but as competition. This often plays out through subtle sabotage, emotional immaturity, or blatant favoritism - mentoring male colleagues over female ones, withholding opportunities, or even undermining another woman’s advancement.

Queen Bee behavior doesn’t just show up in boardrooms; it’s often alive and well in social circles, too. Queen Bees may control access, dominate conversations, or subtly shame others for their choices, status, or success. This behavior creates an undercurrent of comparison and competition rather than connection. Instead of fostering authentic friendships, these dynamics can leave women feeling isolated, judged, or not "enough." Social spaces should be where we feel most accepted and seen, not where we shrink ourselves to fit in.

These behaviors are rooted in insecurity, not strength. A Queen Bee may carry herself with exaggerated confidence, but underneath the polished surface is often an inflated ego and a deep fear of being outshined. She may come across as assertive or "successful," but her success comes at the cost of other women’s growth…

…and that’s not leadership…

…that’s gatekeeping.

Let’s commit to evolving past this outdated dynamic and stand beside one another.

At Brave Women Project, we exist to Educate, Encourage, Engage, Empower, and Evolve. None of that happens when women tear each other down. True leadership is about lifting others up, sharing power, and creating space for diverse voices to rise. It’s about mentoring with integrity, celebrating wins that aren't your own, and challenging the internalized beliefs that there's only room for one woman at the top.

At Brave Women Project, we also prioritize psychological safety in everything we do. Our member-only events are designed as confidential, trusted spaces where conversations are respected, uplifting, and deeply supportive. We don’t promote sales tactics or transactional networking - instead, we cultivate genuine connections and relationships. This commitment to safety and sincerity allows our members to show up fully as themselves, fostering an environment where bravery, vulnerability, and growth can thrive.

Let’s commit to evolving past this outdated dynamic.

We don’t need Queen Bees.

We need Brave Women…women who stand beside each other…not above.