Every woman needs a 'truth council' friend. And there’s one test to figure out if you have one.

Wake up bestie, new friendship type has just dropped. 

This time we're talking about your truth council friend. 

Billionaire philanthropist Melinda Gates recently interviewed Oprah and her best friend Gayle King for her YouTube interview series 'Moments that make us.'

Their conversation mainly focused on female friendships, and Gates gave insight into three of her closest friends. "They are my truth council," she shared. "When I have to make a really hard decision or make a big transition, I know I have to have the courage to tell them... and they're honest with me."

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A post shared by Melinda French Gates (@melindafrenchgates)

The comments in the video shared on Instagram are mostly in agreement with Gates' take on friendship:

"So important we have people around us who know us well and we can trust. These people are often hard to find," one commenter wrote.

"I have four amazing friends, we have been friends 60+ years. We have laughed, cried and prayed together ❤️. The power of friendship is a gift you give each other," said another.

"Oh, I love this! Everyone should have a truth council," a third agreed. "I have mine and we have been friends for 40+years. Keep living your best life."

As someone who has the privilege of having multiple friends, I began thinking about if I have any that would be my truth council. That was until I listened to Gayle King give her reasoning on how to tell if you have a truth council friend. "There's been times where I've said 'Oh I'm not going to tell her because I know what she's going to say.' But that's when you should know that that's not the right decision to make."

Watch: Best friends translated. Post continues below.

After hearing this, I immediately knew who my truth council friends were. They're not just the friends you go to when you have a hard decision to make or when something big is happening in your life. They're also the friends you sometimes get scared to talk to because you know deep down what they're going to say.

I don't mean you're scared they're going to judge you — that's not a truth council friend. You're scared because they have your best interests at heart, and they will give you the tough love and advice you need, even if you don't want to hear it. 

It's easy to talk to my truth council when I have a dilemma at work or problems in my relationships. The times I've been scared to talk to them has been when I've been dating someone who was a bit of a... red flag (to put it nicely). There would be so many things in the relationship that I would keep from my truth council, because I knew exactly what they would've said — and I didn't want to hear it. 

As King said, I knew dating that person was the wrong decision because I wasn't telling my friends about it.

Of course, sometimes you need a friend who you can just vent to, a friend who will listen and be there for you. This however is not the core role of the truth council friend. Their job is to be a trustworthy companion who can guide you into making the best decision possible. 

Like Melinda, I am also lucky enough to have a few friends who are in my truth council. We all think differently but we all have the same goal — to help eachother be the best possible versions of ourselves. 

If you want more culture opinions by Emily Vernem, you can follow her on Instagram @emilyvernem.

Feature image: Getty/Canva.