Dear Family, by Rachel Steinman

April 09, 2024 The Rachels- Why Friendship is the New Marriage and Golden for Mental Health

Rachel Winter and Rachel Steinman are best friends, co-authors, and co-hosts of this special collab between the Dear Family, Podcast with Stay Forever Gold.

Rachel Winter is a writer, director, and an Academy Award®-nominated producer for Dallas Buyers Club. She produced LeBron James' biopic, Shooting Stars, and produced and directed the audio drama, Supreme: The Battle for Roe starring Maya Hawke and William H. Macy. It's a nine-part series weaving together the incredible story of the young female lawyer who argued Roe V. Wade in front of the Supreme Court and the Justice who wrote the opinion. She made her directorial debut with The Space Between, starring Kelsey Grammer, for which they both received awards from various Film Festivals. She's got a killer sense of design and a flair for life that always involves color.

Rachel Steinman is a writer, teacher, and mental health advocate who hosts the Dear Family, Podcast with inspirational guests who have overcome mental health obstacles to thrive. She received her Masters in Education and teaching credentials from UCLA, has taught every elementary school grade, and has even been the school librarian. She is a lead presenter for NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness), going into middle and high schools to educate students, parents, and staff about warning signs while offering resources and hope. She's passionate about getting people to talk about mental health by replacing stigma, shame, and secrecy with love, compassion, and understanding. She loves to laugh and is a great audience.

The Rachels call themselves Friendship Ambassadors who believe we should celebrate friendship for how it benefits the community, connection, mental health, longevity, and overall happiness. It's why they wrote Stay Golden, Girls: Friendship is the New Marriage, a fun and bright hardcover gift book made up of light essays, poignant and fun celebrity quotes, and bold, joyful illustrations. We are in the midst of a Barbie/Female empowerment movement and a cultural shift and it's great to see women of all ages embracing "platonic romance."

Together, the Rachels discuss:

*Their platonic romance- a best friendship that has lasted over three decades through the ups and downs of careers, marriage, kids, the loss of a parent, and more.

*How the pandemic changed how we view friendship.

*Why Galentine's Day is the best holiday.

*The benefits of mommunes.

*An article about seven young Chinese women who pooled their resources and bought a run-down mansion outside the city for their retirement but ended up using it as a gathering place- the inspiration for their book.

*The Rachels' amazing group of women friends, in addition to other groups of women worldwide, are starting to prioritize their relationships with their best friends and living healthier, happier lives.

*Studies (including The U.S. Surgeon General and the Harvard Happiness Study) show how friendship leads to happiness. Why married men live longer when they are married to women but the reverse is not true for women who are married to men.

*What makes old friends so golden.

*Why the Rachels partnered with Girls Inc., an organization that is 160 years old that mentors girls and young women.

*Why Rachel Winter, who has a full-time job as a producer and a director, puts so much time and effort into getting the book and the message out into the world.

*Why Rachel Steinman, a mental health advocate, believes friendship is the best medicine and therapy, and a way to combat the epidemic of loneliness so many are facing.

*Why friendship is the new marriage, why we should celebrate platonic romance, why there's a shift in prioritizing friendship, and why you can be intimate with a friend without sex.

*How friends can be soulmates and how the Rachels are happily married (to men) and have kids but are each other platonic soulmates.

*The Rachels' relationship is like a marriage in that they gave each other rings, opened a joint bank account, swirl each other around when they go dancing, and tell each other they love each other… among other things.

*How much fun it is to learn about all the women's friend group chat names.

*What happens when there is competition among friends, and how even women of a certain age can feel jealous and competitive with their girlfriends.

*What happens when you lose a friend because the relationship feels irreparable.

*How to foster friendships and create community and connection.

*Examples of how to be a better friend.

*What happens when women work together and why we're so much stronger when we're together.

*Mother/Daughter relationships and how lucky you are if you can move into the phase of becoming close friends.

*Why the ritual of women all over the world getting together to imbibe beverages (coffee, tea, booze) is so important for stress relief, relaxation, connection, and celebration.

*Why Ladies' Night/Girls' Trips are so important and how much better we feel afterward.

*An example of a great friend date.

*The Rachels discuss the new brand they're building, Stay Forever Gold, all about friendship, community, and connection.

*The Rachels' letters to their younger selves.

*The Rachels' happiness habits.

*****

SHOW NOTE LINKS:

Stay Forever Gold Website

SGG on Amazon

Shop SGG on Etsy

Instagram- Stay Forever Gold

Facebook- Stay Forever Gold