The Connection Code with Rachel and Jeana

Jeana Anderson Cohen and Rachel Gillman Rischall
  • 5.0 (33)
  • CAREERS

The Connection Code is a show about the relationships that make your life and work just a little bit better.

  1. 16H AGO

    Reason, Season, or Lifetime: Navigating Friendship Breakups

    In this capsule conversation, Rachel Gillman Rischall and Jeana Anderson Cohen explore one of the most tender and rarely discussed relationship topics: friendship breakups and estrangement. Inspired by Hillary Duff and her recent reflections on estrangement in an interview with Anthony Mason, Rachel and Jeana unpack what it means to lose someone close to you — and not know how, or whether, to repair the relationship. Together, they discuss: How to tell the difference between a friendship worth repairing and one that’s okay to let goWhy friendship breakups can hurt differently — and sometimes more deeply — than romantic onesWhether there’s a way to have a “final conversation,” and what to do when closure doesn’t comeHow to hold boundaries without abandoning compassionDrawing from personal experience, research, and insights from Platonic and For You When I Am Gone, the episode closes with a reminder that friendship isn’t “just friends,” it’s a profound form of love. And when it ends, the grief deserves to be honored. In Show & Tell, Rachel shares the connective power of live storytelling and shared vulnerability, while Jeana highlights a striking insight about emotional connection and fear of loss — adding one final layer to how deeply we’re wired for friendship. In this episode: Hillary Duff and Anthony Mason interview, referencing estrangementPlatonic by Marisa G. FrancoFor You When I Am Gone by Rabbi Steve LederJay Shetty — referenced via The New York Times

    39 min

  2. SEASON 2, EPISODE 9 TRAILER

    Trailer: Navigating Friendship Breakups

    (Catch full video episodes on The Connection Code with Rachel and Jeana's YouTube channel) In this clip from The Connection Code, Rachel and Jeana share the impact of friendship breakups and estrangements. Episode out everywhere March 4, 2026.

    4 min

  3. FEB 25

    Building a Network From Scratch. (Lessons From Megan Roudebush)

    This week’s conversation had us thinking a lot about systems — how people track relationships, follow through on introductions, and stay intentional about connection in busy seasons of life. Our guest, Megan Roudebush (founder of keepwith), shares her approach to networking as a long game — one built on curiosity, follow-through, and respect. It’s a thoughtful episode for anyone who’s ever wondered: “How do people actually do this well?”“And how could I be more deliberate about it?”More to explore: keepwith: Megan Roudebush’s relationship-first networking platformParker Dewey : Paid micro-internships for students and recent graduatesExecutives’ Club of Chicago: A cornerstone of Megan’s early Chicago network

    1h 1m

  4. FEB 23

    Trailer: building a network from scratch with Megan Roudebush

    (Catch full video episodes on The Connection Code with Rachel and Jeana's YouTube channel) In this clip from The Connection Code, Megan Roudebush shares how curiosity, informational interviews, and intentional relationship-building helped her create a network without shortcuts or inherited connections. Episode out everywhere Feb. 25, 2026.

    4 min

  5. FEB 18

    What Does It Mean to Be “The Luckiest”? Kelly Cervantes on Grief, Friendship, and Perspective

    Content warning: This episode and clip discuss grief, the loss of a child and breast cancer. What does it really mean to be lucky? In this deeply moving episode of The Connection Code, we’re joined by author, grief writer, and patient advocate Kelly Cervantes, whose memoir The Luckiest challenges everything we think we know about fortune, success, and happiness. Kelly shares her extraordinary story on navigating motherhood, caregiving, and devastating loss while her husband starred in Hamilton on Broadway and in Chicago. We talk about how luck is often just a snapshot of what others can see, how grief reshapes identity, and why community isn’t optional during life’s hardest chapters. This conversation explores: Why “luck” is often a matter of perspectiveHow female friendships can become lifelinesThe grief of losing an identity — not just a personLetting go of control and learning to surrenderWhy connection matters most when life feels unbearableKelly’s reflections are honest, funny, devastating, and deeply human. This conversation is a powerful reminder that none of us move through life alone. More from Kelly: READ: The Luckiest: A Memoir of Love, Loss, Motherhood, and the Pursuit of SelfFOLLOW: Kelly Cervantes on Instagram at @kellygc411SUBSCRIBE: Kelly's weekly substack here

    1h 10m

  6. SEASON 2, EPISODE 7 TRAILER

    Episode coming Feb. 18: Kelly Cervantes on Grief, Friendship, and Perspective

    Content warning: This episode and clip discuss, grief and the loss of a child.In next week's episode, we're lucky to sit down with Kelly Cervantes, whose memoir ⁠The Luckiest⁠ challenges everything we think we know about fortune, success, and happiness.Prepare for a moving and truly human conversation of high-highs and low-lows. Kelly shares her extraordinary story on navigating motherhood, caregiving, and devastating loss while her husband starred in Hamilton on Broadway and in Chicago.

    3 min

  7. FEB 11

    A Check-In on Friendship, Networking, and Following-Up

    On this episode of The Connection Code, it’s just Rachel and Jeana. We kick off the year with a “connection inventory”—a thoughtful, honest look at the season of connection they’re each in right now. From nurturing core relationships to following up without being annoying, this conversation spans friendship, networking, rituals, and the lessons we only learn by getting it wrong first. If you’ve ever wondered: How often should I follow up?How do I build relationships without feeling transactional?What rituals actually keep friendships alive?And what does “connection” look like in this season of life?This episode is for you. Cozy, practical, and full of real talk. Consider this your permission slip to reconnect with intention.

    36 min

  8. FEB 4

    Expecting Together Founder Georgia Kastaris on Building Community Before Parenthood Begins

    What if community wasn’t something parents had to find after a baby arrives, but something they could build before? This week on The Connection Code, we’re joined by Georgia Kastaris, founder of Expecting Together, a prenatal social club designed to bring expecting parents together through education, connection, and shared experience. Inspired by the UK’s National Childbirth Trust, Georgia is reimagining how parents prepare for one of life’s biggest transitions—by forming small, intentionally matched cohorts of expecting parents based on due date and neighborhood, and pairing expert-led prenatal education with built-in community. In this conversation, we explore: Why loneliness in early parenthood is so common—and so solvableHow shared timing and life stage fast-track meaningful connectionWhat Georgia learned from becoming a parent abroadThe power of “organized friendship” for adultsFundraising, entrepreneurship, and building a mission-driven company while pregnantWhy connection should be part of healthcare, not an afterthoughtThis episode is for anyone thinking about friendship, systems of care, and how we show up for each other in moments of major life change.

    48 min
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Trailers

5
out of 5
33 Ratings

About

The Connection Code is a show about the relationships that make your life and work just a little bit better.

Information

  • Creator
    Jeana Anderson Cohen and Rachel Gillman Rischall
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    37
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Jeana Anderson Cohen and Rachel Gillman Rischall
  • Show Website
    The Connection Code with Rachel and Jeana