Besties Who Inspire: Friendships That Teach Us the Power of Women Supporting Women in STEM
We talk a lot about skill-building, credentials, and career strategy, but we often overlook the quiet force behind long-term success: relationships. No one builds a career alone. Behind every promotion, pivot, and breakthrough is often a late-night text, a pep talk, a referral, or a friend who refused to let you shrink. And in fast-paced, high-pressure careers, having a support system is a lifeline.
For early-career and rising professionals in STEM, where the climb can feel especially steep, friendship becomes both emotional support and a strategic leadership tool. Who advocates for you when you’re not in the room? Who reminds you who you are when imposter syndrome creeps in? Who tells you the truth when growth feels uncomfortable?
These seven friendships remind us that sisterhood can be one of the most powerful career tools we have.
Tina Fey & Amy Poehler
From Saturday Night Live to hosting the Golden Globes, Tina and Amy’s friendship highlights the power of mutual support and consistency over time. They cheer each other on publicly, share opportunities, collaborate creatively, and never shy away from giving credit where it’s due.
Why they matter: They prove that celebrating your friends out loud doesn’t make your light dimmer. It makes everyone more visible.
What they teach us: In early careers (especially in high-pressure spaces), having peers who hype your wins, share resources, and say your name in rooms you’re not in can fast-track confidence and opportunity.
Career takeaway: Your people matter. Build friendships with peers who grow with you, not just around you.
Kat Edison, Sutton Brady, & Jane Sloan (The Bold Type)
These three show what it looks like to grow up in your career together. They ask for help. They mess up. They give honest advice. They celebrate promotions, cry through breakups, and push each other to take risks even when it’s uncomfortable.
Why they matter: They normalize the messy middle of early careers—the uncertainty, the comparison, and the “Am I even doing this right?” phase.
What they teach us: Career growth isn’t linear, but it’s easier when you’re not doing it alone. A trusted peer group helps you reflect, recalibrate, and keep going.
Career takeaway: You don’t need all the answers. You just need people who will walk with you while you figure them out.
Cristina Yang & Meredith Grey (Grey’s Anatomy)
Cristina and Meredith’s bond is forged in one of the most intense learning environments imaginable. They grow side by side, compete without tearing each other down, and challenge one another to be sharper, bolder, and better. Their friendship proves that the person next to you on the ladder can shape your growth just as powerfully as a mentor above you.
Why they matter: They show that challenge and support aren’t opposites. The right people will push your excellence and protect your confidence at the same time.
What they teach us: Early in your career, you need peers who see your potential before you fully see it yourself, who remind you who you are on the hard days and raise the standard on the good ones.
Career takeaway: Find peers who challenge your work and champion your worth.
Issa Dee & Molly (Insecure)
Issa and Molly show the real-life version of long-term friendship: evolving careers, shifting boundaries, miscommunication, repair, and growth. Their bond isn’t perfect, but it’s intentional. They hold each other accountable and learn how to grow without leaving each other behind.
Why they matter: They normalize that outgrowing old versions of yourself and renegotiating friendships along the way is part of becoming a professional.
What they teach us: Supporting one another doesn’t always look polished. Sometimes it looks like hard conversations, uncomfortable honesty, and choosing to evolve together instead of apart.
Career takeaway: The friendships that last through growth are the ones that help you become who you’re meant to be.
Ann Perkins & Leslie Knope (Parks and Recreation)
Leslie and Ann’s friendship is built on radical belief. Leslie champions Ann loudly, publicly, and without apology, while Ann offers steady grounding, emotional honesty, and care. Together, they show how confidence and compassion can coexist in powerful ways.
Why they matter: They model what it looks like to pour into someone consistently without competition, jealousy, or hesitation.
What they teach us: Being a cheerleader is a leadership skill. Early in your career, having someone who speaks your name in rooms you aren’t in and someone who speaks truth when you need grounding can change everything.
Career takeaway: Be bold in your support and generous with your belief in others.
The Harlem Friend Group (Soft Life + Strong Support)
Camille, Tye, Quinn, and Angie show us modern friendship through the lens of ambition, therapy, entrepreneurship, dating, failure, reinvention, and growth. Their lives evolve and so do their dreams but the constant is their commitment to one another.
Why they matter: They reflect the reality that careers don’t move in straight lines and neither do friendships. Growth requires adaptability and grace.
What they teach us: The best friendships make room for reinvention. Whether you’re pivoting industries, launching something new, or redefining success, the right people won’t try to freeze you in an old version of yourself.
Career takeaway: Choose friends who grow with your evolution.
Beyoncé & Kelly
From Destiny’s Child to solo superstardom, Beyoncé and Kelly’s friendship is a masterclass in long-term loyalty, mutual celebration, and evolving alongside one another without comparison. They’ve shown that supporting each other doesn’t just elevate individual careers; it creates cultural impact.
Why they matter: They model what it looks like to grow without leaving your people behind. Their bond reflects consistency through career highs, personal challenges, and reinvention.
What they teach us: True partnership protects one another publicly and privately and treats each other’s wins as shared victories, especially in high-visibility spaces.
Career takeaway: Collaboration, not comparison, is the real glow-up.
Friendship gives us space to be fully seen as ambitious and uncertain, confident and still learning.
And when women commit to supporting women, the impact goes far beyond feelings. It shows up in salaries, leadership pipelines, innovation, and staying power.
Before diving into specific actions, it’s worth naming this truth plainly: friendship and professional support are not optional luxuries, they are strategic career tools. Women who intentionally cultivate these relationships see measurable gains in visibility, confidence, resilience, and opportunity. Here’s what that support looks like in practice:
Celebrate Out Loud: Publicly championing one another builds visibility, strengthens credibility, and expands access to new opportunities.
Practice Two-Way Mentorship: Career growth accelerates when learning flows in every direction, not only from the top down.
Invest in Peer Power: A strong peer network provides real-time insight, honest feedback, and steady emotional support.
Share the Spotlight: Speaking each other’s names in rooms of opportunity multiplies access and opens doors wider for everyone.
Show Up Consistently: Trust is built through regular check-ins, meaningful collaboration, and reliable follow-through.
Being a “girls’ girl” in STEM isn’t just feel-good language; it’s a career strategy. When support is consistent, its ripple effects extend far beyond individual success, strengthening teams, organizations, and the next generation of leaders.
