The Disappointing Friend Podcast

In this episode of The Disappointing Friend Podcast , we’re doing something a little different… again. It’s the final episode of the season—yep, this is The Wrap Up . After a season full of ghostings, growth, and group chat chaos, Fatuma and Juliet are pressing pause—but not for good. We’ll be back later this year, bigger, better, and with even more friendship mess to unpack. But before we take ou...

In this episode of The Disappointing Friend , we’re doing something a little different. Sometimes, when you can’t make sense of friendship drama, you need to go straight to the source of all wisdom: Aunty Georgina. Aunty Georgina isn’t just any aunty—she’s Fatuma’s mum’s best friend of 35+ years , a community pillar, and the kind of woman who will hug you, side-eye you, and read your soul all in t...

In this episode of The Disappointing Friend , we’re wading into murky waters of toxic friendships. Fatuma opens up about the shift from being the world’s most enthusiastic gift-giver to someone who’s had to literally hide in bathroom stalls to avoid toxic energy. Meanwhile, Juliet shares her own run-ins with passive-aggressive “friends” and the emotional aftermath of being the target of hazing. To...

Who Comes First: Your BFF, Your Lover, or Yourself? In this episode of The Disappointing Friend Podcast, we dive into the messy, real-life balancing act of managing romantic relationships, platonic bonds, and personal identity. Is it possible to be a good partner without being a bad friend? Can you love someone without losing yourself? Juliet shares how she’s the perfect plus-one—always ready with...

TV friendships promised us matching outfits, deep talks, and lifelong loyalty — but real life gave us missed calls, one-cheese platters, and complicated friendship breakups. In this episode of The Disappointing Friend , we unpack how TV shows shaped our expectations of friendship, from The Babysitters Club and Saved by the Bell to Secret Life of Us and Sex and the City . We talk about how pop cult...

Have you ever left a catch-up with a friend feeling absolutely wiped? Like you need to sage your whole body or order $50 worth of KFC just to recover? What happens when a long-term friendship becomes more exhausting than energizing? In this episode, Fatuma tells a hilariously too-real story about explaining the concept of an “emotional drainer” to her six-year-old—which spirals into a deep, funny,...

Welcome to episode three of The Disappointing Friend Podcast ! In today’s episode, Juliet talks to one of her first friends Laura Sabine. First meeting at kindergarten, the pair forgot about each other during their years at separate primary schools only to meet again as teenage rivals on the Melbourne Punk scene of the early 2000's. From a debate over the theft of a slab of beer to confronting eat...

Welcome to the second episode of The Disappointing Friend Podcast ! In today’s episode, we dive deep into a topic that's close to our hearts – the importance of finding your first true friend and how that connection shapes the person you become. Our host, Fatuma Ndenzako, takes us on a personal journey through her childhood, navigating the complexities of being an African migrant in Australia in t...

In the first-ever episode of The Disappointing Friend , hosts Fatuma Ndenzako and Juliet Miranda Rowe dive into the messiness of adult friendships—why they fail, how they evolve, and what we can do to be better friends. Get to know the co-hosts as they share their friendship origin story and the friend breakups that lead them to starting the podcast. Expect raw honesty, laughter, and the occasiona...

Introducing “The Disappointing Friend” Podcast. Episode 1: Launching March 31st 2025 Where Melbourne Creatives Fatuma Ndenzako & Juliet Miranda Rowe try to work out whats going on with the state of platonic relationships?! After their own individual friendship breakdowns these co-hosts are evaluating their past, breaking old habits and speaking to experts on navigating the complexities of frie...