Friendship IRL: Real Talk About Friendship, Community, and What It Actually Takes
Episodes
You’re Not Doing It Wrong: Why Friendship Looks Different for Everyone
07 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we return to one of Friendship IRL’s most quintessential questions: what IS a friend anyway? Today’s guest is Jeni Holla, who, tw...
Opening Lines and the Magic of a Pizza Gathering with Leah Wiseman Fink
30 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Opening lines aren’t just for dating – they come in handy when you’re looking for new friends, too. Today’s guest, Leah Wiseman Fink, says she...
The Power of Deep Conversations: What Chris Burnett Learned While Interviewing 70 of His Friends and Family
23 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The holidays are here, which means many of us will be spending time with family and friends over the next couple months. It’s the perfect time to ta...
You Are More Than Grand: Social Wellness for Grandparents with DeeDee Moore
16 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
When DeeDee Moore became a grandparent, she had a hard time finding resources that would help her with the transition. So, she created one: More than ...
Navigating Friendships with ADHD with Charlotte Dover
09 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
A few years ago, I was diagnosed with ADHD. I didn’t know it at the time, but ADHD was affecting so many areas of my life, including my friendships....
Why I Need You To Care About Friendship
02 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This week, the Friendship IRL podcast turns a year old. One whole year!I launched this podcast knowing this was an important topic, but the more work ...
Why Simple Neighborhood Gatherings Are Important (and How to Pull One Off) with Erin Woodruff
26 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Last March, Erin Woodruff was walking through her neighborhood with her two-year-old daughter. It had been a long winter and it felt like spring would...
Behind the Scenes: A Friendship that Spans Decades with Elise Enriquez
19 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
What does it take for a friendship to be a constant in your life for two decades?That’s what we’re talking about with today’s guest, Elise Enriq...
Confession: I’ve Never Had a Best Friend, with Terri Huggins Hart
12 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Today’s episode is with Terri Huggins Hart, an award-winning journalist who has written for Parents, Good Housekeeping, and other major publications...
A Survival Guide for Navigating Small Talk
05 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
If you’re getting out there and meeting new people, there’s no getting around the fact that you’re going to have to do some small talk.I don’t...
Actionable Ways to Build the Connections You Need In Your Community
28 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Moving somewhere new? Here’s some advice from today’s guest: Get stuff on your walls.Michele Reichman is a personal trainer, health coach, mom, an...
Getting Comfortable with Being Uncomfortable: Life Changes in Friendships
21 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Picture this. You’ve been friends with somebody for 40 years. You’ve always lived close by. Then, one of you moves across the world. Suddenly you ...
The Myths of Mom Friends
14 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The energy it takes to raise little ones is intense. Parents and caregivers NEED friends because this is not a job you should have to go about alone.T...
Friendship Demotions (and How To Build Even Better Friendships)
07 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Recently, somebody asked me how to go about friendship demotions.I think it’s super common to go through a season in friendships where things feel g...
How Making Friends Can Help You Make the Big Life Choices with Deasha Waddup
31 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Making friends is one area in life where you just need to go out there and do it.It might involve being a little uncomfortable. It takes time and prac...
Social Wellness in Millennials vs. Boomers, and How This Plays Out in Parental and In-Law Relationships
24 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
A year ago, I went on a walk with a friend who’s around the age of my parents. I shared how I wished my parents and in-laws found other people to ta...
Real Talk about Friend Trios
17 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Ever been in a friendship trio? It can be complicated, right?I get questions about friendship trios all the time, and today, we’re finally tackling ...
The Liking Gap: What It Is, Why It’s Important, and How to Overcome It
10 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Have you ever regretted a conversation with a stranger or acquaintance?To be fair, reflecting on past interactions isn’t a bad thing. Maybe you said...
Strawberry Friends: Forming Supportive Friendships While Neurodivergent
03 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
“To love someone long-term is to attend a thousand funerals of the people they used to be.”This quote by Heidi Priebe beautifully summarizes what ...
Take Action: Reviving Third Places and Walkable Communities
27 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In North America, there are laws in place that make it more difficult to connect.Zoning and parking laws impact the amount of foot traffic in a town, ...
Third Places: Bringing “Living Rooms” Back to Our Communities
20 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Sometimes it's nice to just have a space to “exist” – to laugh and let go and feel light. I’ve mentioned third places in other episodes, ...
You Don’t Need to Understand People to Accept Them
13 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
TRIGGER WARNING: In this episode we talk about depression and suicide.Building friendships and community is a skill that takes hard work to master. Fo...
How To Feel Very “Not Alone”
06 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Today’s episode begins with a decision to book plane tickets to California over my birthday and stay with some friends who were going through a medi...
How To Show Up for the People In Your Lives Who Are Grieving
29 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
If the title didn't already tell you, we're talking about grief and loss today. Suzanne Jabour is a transformational coach, certified Grief ...
The Complexities of Introverted Friendships
22 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
How does friendship affect introverts? This is a topic I’ve been wanting to bring to the podcast for a long time, and since I’m an extrovert who i...
The New Version of Friendship - It’s Not “All or Nothing”
15 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Today is one of those episodes where you get to sit on my big couch in my living room with me and Nkem Chukwumerije, having a late night conversation ...
What Are We Doing About Men's Friendships? Part 2
08 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Men’s friendships feel like a big ball of yarn with thousands of strings that we have to untangle. In Part 2 of today’s episode, we’re delving i...
All About Men's Friendships
01 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The more I think about men's friendships, the more fired up I get. If I could paint an analogy for you, men’s friendships feel like a big ball ...
Living on a Boat: Friendship in the Cruising Community
25 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
As much as I love having the hard conversations and talking about the big life moments, sometimes it's just as fun to talk about how community an...
Friendship as Comfort and Making Meaningful Connections
18 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Are you blocking yourself from making beautiful connections?My favorite thing is meeting people I never would have met otherwise and today’s guest, ...
Creating Space to Just Exist: The One About Adult Slumber Parties
11 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Can you imagine what it would be like to find “unicorn friends”? The kind you can have adult slumber parties with and just “exist” and do life...
What is Loneliness?
04 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
What is loneliness? It’s a feeling a lot of people are having nowadays. And if we can get to the heart of this question, we can come up with some st...
The Tricky Balance of Friendships as an Expat
27 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
When some of your closest people move across the world, there are so many things to learn - whether it’s a new appreciation for the beauty that can ...
The Real Pain of Friendship Break-Ups with Patrice Poltzer
20 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The pain from friendship break-ups is real.Society doesn’t give them the same weight as romantic break-ups, but sometimes they can leave you even mo...
How the Marco Polo App Helped Create an Epic Friendship Group with Brenda Bloczynski
13 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Today’s guest is life coach Brenda Bloczynski, who reached out to us to share about a friendship group she’s a part of with her church. It began a...
How I’m Approaching My 5 Friendship Goals of 2023
06 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The past few years, loneliness has become the new normal.Yes, we want to learn how to self-soothe, to sit with ourselves, to be bored. What’s NOT go...
Taking the Pressure Off Our Inevitable Friendship “Pivots”
30 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
A lot of us want direct beginnings and endings in friendship. But the reality is, most of us are just riding a wave. We control our friendships less t...
The Shift in Friendship During Our Mid to Late 20’s
23 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
When we were kids, proximity was the basis for our friendships. As adults, we have more control over our friendships than ever before. We get to choos...
Small Actions Add Up: Putting Energy into Your Friendships
16 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Becoming more invested in our friendships is like becoming a runner. At first, it takes energy just convincing yourself to get out the door. That firs...
The One for "Little Alex"
09 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Episode DescriptionI can't believe I recorded this episode. I hope this work – bringing more community + friendship-focused conversations to t...
Showing Up for People Who are Grieving With Aly Bird
02 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
TRIGGER WARNING: This episode contains some sensitive topics around the loss of loved ones.As you probably know by now, I’m no stranger to grief. My...
Formal Communities, from the Military to Toastmasters
23 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
I am not from a military family. So to me, deployment sounds terrifying.Think about it: you’re moving to a place where you don’t know anyone. If y...
“Chosen Family” with My Chosen Family Member, Jeffrey
16 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
All right gang. Here’s to nights that turn into mornings, and friends that turn into family.This episode features my friend Jeffrey, whose voice you...
Staying Curious and Managing Differences Within Friendships
09 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
I feel like everybody wants the easy button to friendship. And while there isn’t an easy button, I do think managing friendship dynamics is somethin...
Friend Groups: How to Join a Friend Group or Create One
02 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Friend groups get a lot of attention whenever I post about them on social media, and I’m not surprised. The group itself is like a story root. You f...
There’s No “One-Size-Fits-All” Version of Social Wellness, with Lizzie Braicks-Rinker
26 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
TRIGGER WARNING: This episode contains some sensitive topics around the loss of a parent. Today I’m with my dear friend, Lizzie Braicks-Rinker, a we...
Digging Into the 3 Kinds of Friendship Roots
19 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
About three years ago, many of my friends moved away within a six month period.While I was excited for these friends, I also grieved; my friends are m...
How to Make Friends as a Grown-Up
12 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Today’s episode is about how to make friends – namely, the REALITY we find ourselves in when seeking friendship as grown-ups. How we do it now is ...
Simple Ways For Improving Social Wellness in the New Year (+ a Sneak Peek of My Book)
05 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Full disclosure: I am a “set-your-goals” kind of person. I used to get a little out of control with goal setting each year, thinking everything wa...
Five Ways to Connect with Friends During the Holiday Season
15 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
I used to be a bit of a Grinch around the holidays. My family of origin story is not the best – and in fact, this season used to give me panic attac...
How To Build a Friendship Community for Your Family
08 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
If this episode has a theme, it’s this: the adults in the room need to put on their air masks first.Today I’m talking with my friend Adrienne, who...
How To Build Meaningful Relationships Beyond Just “Catching Up” with Alex Friedman
01 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
As adults, we often tell our friends we want to “catch up.”People catch up over the phone. They catch up over dinner. But the thing about catching...
The Secret to Hosting a Gathering (Hint – You’re Probably Doing Too Much)
24 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
My secret to hosting and gathering people together? I don’t do it all. For a while I tried to “do it all” as a hostess, but it honestly was str...
How to Make Friends as an Adult with Connection Feast's Founder, Alex Friedman
17 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Feeling lonely or disconnected? Learn how to make friends as an adult and build intentional friendships through Connection Feast with guest Alexandra ...
Navigating Friendship Through Life Transitions: The Friends Who Stay
10 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
When big life changes happen, our closest people When life changes—pregnancy, a move, illness—our identity and relationships shift too. In this ep...
The 4 Types of Friends and Why They All Matter
03 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
What if friendship isn’t all or nothing? In this episode, we’re redefining adult friendship and exploring the 4 types of friends that bring conne...
How to Balance Friendship and Marriage Without Losing Yourself
03 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
What happens when you stop expecting your partner to be your everything?In this episode, Alex and her husband Michael dive into how balancing friendsh...
5 Mindset Shifts to Build Stronger Adult Friendships & Community
03 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Struggling to make real friends as an adult or build a lasting support system? In this episode, we explore 5 mindset shifts to deepen adult friendship...
Welcome to Friendship IRL
19 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Imagine you could listen in on those unfiltered conversations about what is actually happening inside someone's friendships, community, and suppo...