Get to Know the Friends of Ricki Lake Community! by Elisa Schmitz

Many of you know that I’m a founding member of Friends of Ricki, the groundbreaking social/TV community for Ricki Lake’s new television show, launching in September. I recently had the opportunity to attend some Friends of Ricki events in Los Angeles, where I met many friends and fellow members for the first time IRL (in real life) – wow!

Meeting Britt Michaelian and Dabney Porte at the spa of the Montage Beverly Hills felt like having a girls’ weekend with dear friends. I can’t quite explain the heartwarming feeling I had hugging them for the first time, but I think this photo Britt took of Dabney and I does a pretty good job of capturing the emotion on my face!

The Social Media Girlfriends meet-up was so much fun! I met so many wonderful people, including the ones in this photo: Julie Spira, Jeryl Jagoda, Amanda Greene, Dabney Porte, Heather Frey and Yvonne Chase. I also got to meet the sensational Stephen Dimmick that night, who I simply adore.

The next day, I attended the Ricki Lake Show production meeting poolside with the lovely Lori Moreno and Jeanette Joy. That night, I was thrilled I got to spend time with the wonderful Bryan Moore of the Ricki Lake Show, and I was able to shoot some promos for the show, which was so fun.

Meeting Ricki herself was absolutely amazing! She is such a down-to-earth, charming person. She made me, and everyone, feel so welcome – it was clear we were among friends. She had just come from watching her son’s baseball practice, which she left work a few minutes early to attend. There wasn’t a parent in that room who didn’t relate to her and the balancing act it takes to make it all happen. She’s simply the real deal, and I’m so excited for the launch of her show. America needs a favorite girlfriend, and Ricki truly embodies her!

I participated in the Friends of Ricki weekly chat on Friday at 12pm CT with Britt, Dabney, Bryan and Lisa Kridos, executive producer of the Ricki Lake Show. She is a brilliant mastermind (and another amazing working mom), and it was so awesome to spend time with her!

If you aren’t already participating in the Friends of Ricki community, I would encourage you to do so. It’s very easy – and so much fun! Join the inspirational conversation any time on the Friends of Ricki Facebook page, or jump into the Twitter stream at #FriendsofRicki. Every Friday at 12pm CT, there’s a Friends of Ricki chat, where you can hear from TV show staff about behind-the-scenes stuff and also the Friend of the Week (I had so much fun when it was my turn). There’s also a new magazine to check out! Watch this quick video I made about Friends of Ricki to learn more.

You’ll be hearing lots more about the Ricki Lake Show and Friends of Ricki community in the coming weeks and months, so take a look and get involved. I’m sure you’ll love it as much as I do. See you on Friends of Ricki!