Lessons from Wicked
It All Begins Here
Lately, I’ve noticed the same themes in my work with clients. 2025 was hard—personally, globally, financially, spiritually, and emotionally. In 2026, I continue to hear stories of loss, change, exhaustion, rebuilding, and challenges of just getting through each day.
Seeing Wicked reminded me how important relationships are. I’ve loved the show since Broadway in 2010; its message of friendship is deeply personal to me. I was drawn to being a Social Worker & Therapist by a desire to help those who lack the kind of relationships that Glinda and Elphaba represent—relationships where you are seen clearly and accepted fully. Friendships grounded in truth, forgiveness, and genuine care—where conflict doesn’t end connection, repair is possible, and the relationship remains anchored in what matters most.
Many people cope with strength, self-reliance, and resilience—important traits—but we also need true connection.
Having even one place where you don’t have to carry everything alone can support healing, growth, and a sense of steadiness through life’s harder seasons. Thriving doesn't mean doing it alone; it often grows when we let ourselves be known and supported by others. Therapy can offer that kind of safe, contained connection—a space where trust is built slowly, boundaries are clear, and you are met without judgment. Over time, therapy can help people recognize what healthy, reciprocal relationships— rooted in mutual care, honesty, and repair— feel like. Therapy can also help to strengthen individuals’ ability to seek and sustain these relationships beyond the therapy room.
Glinda and Elphaba’s story is more than a fictional bond—it’s a reminder of how deeply we all need safe connection, especially during challenging times. As someone who has performed strength for most of my life, I am learning that we are shaped not only by our strength, but by the places where we are allowed to be seen and supported.
Where could you practice being held, instead of always holding everything together?
When life feels heavy, the presence—or absence—of meaningful connection becomes even more noticeable. As a therapist, I’ve watched people cling to their support systems, redefine relationships, set long-avoided boundaries, grieve friendships that changed, and lean into the people who stayed. These conversations have taught me that friendship and healing share the same roots: being seen, being supported, and being allowed to grow at your own pace.
Here are a few other takeaways:
Hard seasons reveal who is steady. When the world shakes, some people fall away—but others step closer.
Healing isn’t possible in isolation. Even the most independent among us need one safe connection—someone who holds space for our truth.
Repair is part of real relationship. 2025 strained many bonds, and it also created opportunities for honesty, forgiveness, and rebuilding.
Connection looks different for everyone. Some people crave deep friendship. Others prefer quiet companionship, small circles, or intentional solitude. All of these are valid.
🌱 For Those Without a Glinda-and-Elphaba Friendship
I want to acknowledge something gently but directly: not everyone has a friendship like Glinda and Elphaba, and not everyone is looking for one.
You might be walking through life with a small support system, no support system, or simply a preference for independence. You might be recovering from relational hurt or learning to trust again. You might be emotionally tired in ways you haven’t told anyone.
Some people heal in community.
Some heal in the quiet.
Some heal with one safe person.
Some heal with boundaries, rest, or temporary solitude.
Whatever path you are on, your path is just as meaningful, and your season is just as valid.