--- description: In an article for Cosmopolitan, Sheryl Sandberg shares how her friends inspire her in life's most difficult moments. title: Sheryl Sandberg's Friends From Seventh Grade Helped Her Deal With Husband's Death image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd1585e4bfd67e145/6988aacc5f570f5d9eb22f6e/sheryl-sandberg-friends-cope-husband-death.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [motto](/tag/motto/) ## motto Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Sheryl Sandberg's Friends From Seventh Grade Helped Her Deal With Husband's Death by [TIME Staff](/author/time-staff/) ## TIME Staff Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Oct 20, 2016 2:47 PM CUT  Sheryl Sandberg, chief operating officer of Facebook Inc., smiles during an Advertising Week session in New York, U.S., on Tuesday, Sept. 27, 2016\. Sandberg addressed Facebook's recent video miscalculations that inflated brands' video views for the past two years. Photographer: Michael Nagle/Bloomberg via Getty Images Sheryl Sandberg, chief operating officer of Facebook Inc., smiles during an Advertising Week session in New York, U.S., on Tuesday, Sept. 27, 2016\. Sandberg addressed Facebook's recent video miscalculations that inflated brands' video views for the past two years. Photographer: Michael Nagle/Bloomberg via Getty ImagesMichael Nagle—Bloomberg /Getty Images by [TIME Staff](/author/time-staff/) ## TIME Staff Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Oct 20, 2016 2:47 PM CUT Facebook COO and _Lean In_ author [Sheryl Sandberg](http://motto.time.com/4336546/sheryl-sandberg-university-of-california-berekley-commencement-speech/ "undefined") knows a little something about accomplishing goals, especially as one of the most powerful women in Silicon Valley. While hard work and leaning in may be part of Sandberg’s recipe for success, she just revealed one of her biggest secret career weapons: her [friends](http://motto.time.com/4214801/adult-woman-friends/ "undefined"). In an [article](http://www.cosmopolitan.com/career/a6109592/sheryl-sandberg-secret-career-weapon/ "undefined") for _Cosmopolitan_, Sandberg explained how her friends inspire her through some of life’s most difficult moments. Sandberg [wrote](http://www.cosmopolitan.com/career/a6109592/sheryl-sandberg-secret-career-weapon/ "undefined") that she and her friends were “the smart girls” in school, which was not always the highest form of praise for a teenager. She said, “We weren’t cool, but we were fast and loyal friends. And we have stood by one another for decades — from junior high to high school to college to starting careers and families to the present day.” [_Follow Motto on Facebook_](https://www.facebook.com/mottoworkplaylive/ "undefined")_._ This group of friends that she formed in seventh grade helped her cope with her husband David’s death in 2015\. In her essay, Sandberg praised them and their continuous support: “And they are a big part of why, a year after the [death of my husband,](http://motto.time.com/4516423/sheryl-sandberg-dave-goldberg-facebook-post/ "undefined") Dave, I am able to smile again.” She continued, “For women, this kind of support can be especially important — because, too often, the world tells women what we can’t do.” Having a strong support system of women, however, is just as important in the office. Sandberg wants to debunk the myth that women tear other women down, such as “[mean girls](http://motto.time.com/4419686/taylor-swift-kim-kardashian-west-feud/ "undefined")” in school or “queen bees” at work. A male equivalent, however, doesn’t exist, she says. She encourages everyone to realize that “women are powerful allies at work and beyond.” She said, “When women celebrate one another’s [accomplishments](http://motto.time.com/4372119/accomplishments-list/ "undefined"), we’re all lifted up.” Read the rest of her essay on _Cosmopolitan_ [here](http://www.cosmopolitan.com/career/a6109592/sheryl-sandberg-secret-career-weapon/ "undefined"). ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4538305/sheryl-sandberg-friends/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4538305/sheryl-sandberg-friends/"},"headline":"Sheryl Sandberg's Friends From Seventh Grade Helped Her Deal With Husband's Death","datePublished":"2016-10-20T14:47:26.000Z","dateModified":"2026-04-13T09:03:38.717Z","description":"'We weren’t cool, but we were fast and loyal friends'","url":"https://time.com/4538305/sheryl-sandberg-friends/","keywords":["motto"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd1585e4bfd67e145/6988aacc5f570f5d9eb22f6e/sheryl-sandberg-friends-cope-husband-death.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"TIME Staff","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/time-staff/"}],"articleSection":"","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd1585e4bfd67e145/6988aacc5f570f5d9eb22f6e/sheryl-sandberg-friends-cope-husband-death.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Key Speakers At Advertising Week","caption":"Key Speakers At Advertising Week","creditText":"Michael Nagle—Bloomberg /Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/tag/motto/","name":"motto"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4538305/sheryl-sandberg-friends/","name":"Sheryl Sandberg's Friends From Seventh Grade Helped Her Deal With Husband's Death"}}]}] ```