Friend Forward

After a brief hiatus, we're back and ready to hit you with some fresh content to kick-off the summer! In this episode, we share an excerpt from our interview with Anna Goldfarb ( @annagoldfarb ), journalist and author of the new book Modern Friendship. We also chat a bit about the "Fighting four our Friendships" book tour. Three of the last four stops were sold out! But we're only halfway done. Co...

We recently posted this video to TikTok, and there were women in the comments who said they don't want friends... many of them specifically lamenting the perils of being friends with other women. What do we say to those who are feeling that way? And for women who ARE feeling that way: what would it take to have you change your mind? In this episode of the Friend Forward podcast, we share responses...

The American Time Use Survey finds that the average amount of time Americans spend with their friends each week has dropped significantly. In this episode of the Friend Forward podcast, host Danielle Bayard Jackson-- female friendship expert and educator-- shares what the research says about spending time together. She also shares her personal three-month experiment of trying to triple her time wi...

Sometimes it can feel like there are so many "girl codes" to memorize along our journey toward connection with other women. But after six years of studying the research on women's conflict and cooperation, host and female friendship expert Danielle Bayard Jackson noticed three themes that continue to emerge. She synthesized what she's learned and created an original framework called The Three Affi...

Would you ever pay someone to be your bridesmaid? And how would you feel if you were a bridesmaid at a wedding and you learned that a fellow bridesmaid had been hired to stand beside you? And finally, what reasons would a woman even have to pay for an extra bridesmaid? Today, on the Friend Forward podcast, our resident friendship expert is joined by Jen Glantz, writer and an official bridesmaid fo...

Oftentimes when we hear people speak of "vulnerability," we picture an image of someone tearfully sharing about their childhood or expressing heavy feelings. But there are other ways to show vulnerability that can help you grow closer to friends that don't involve sharing secrets or having an emotional breakdown. If you've committed to being a bit more vulnerable in your female friendships, this e...

It’s been a few weeks since you first noticed a pattern emerge in one of your friendships. You’ve been trying to convince yourself that it’s not a big deal and that it’s not even worth addressing, but over time you’re realising that your silence on the issue is costing you in more ways than one.   In today’s episode of the Friend Forward podcast, our resident friendship expert Danielle Bayard...

The research on women's friendships finds that women tend to greatly value "mutual prioritization" in our same-sex friendships. So when we discover that we're NOT our bestie's bestie, it can be a major gut punch.   In today's episode of the Friend Forward podcast with host Danielle Bayard Jackson, female friendship expert, you'll learn three guiding questions to ask to help you manage feeling...

You’re walking home from a friend’s party when you begin to replay a conversation you had with someone you met and, as you recall the way you dived right into personal life details within the first three minutes, you’re wondering if you overshared…   Other people might regret opening up in that way but not you, because you often say - if it’s not a deep friendship, then I don’t want it - but...

You’re out shopping and you see a group of four women walk by, sipping on coffee, pushing their carts and laughing at something together, and you feel a little sting. You’re wondering if you’ll ever experience that group dynamic again the way you did when you were younger, and you’re secretly wishing that you had a solid friendship group, in the way so many other people seem to.    In to...

You’re walking home after a coffee date with a new friend and begin to reflect on the time that you spent together. You really like hanging out with her, but you realize that she doesn’t share anything about herself with you, at least not anything personal, and come to think of it, you have another friend who’s the same…  In this episode of the Friend Forward podcast, our resident friendship...

Here, on the Friend Forward podcast, we’ve explored the issue of friendship at the intersection of our romantic relationships in a myriad of different ways, but today on the show we are specifically exploring the question of, how do your friendships impact your marriage?   This is a question that’s been top of mind for our resident friendship expert, Danielle Bayard Jackson, since reading Rha...

A recent survey of 13,000 recipients found that 44% of people have reduced the time they spent with a friend because they didn’t like her partner.  So what can you do if your best friend and your partner don’t get along? If you’re feeling stuck in the middle, then this episode is for you.  Today I am joined by Ore Agbaje-Williams, author of the book, “The Three Of Us”, which is the book...

For women, is romantic love more valuable than platonic love? And if so, what role does our culture play in influencing the ways that we prioritize these relationships? Today, on the Friend Forward podcast, we are rebroadcasting an episode that first aired three years ago, because it is one that is so powerful and still so relevant to share around this Galentine’s Day. In this conversation, our re...

These days, when somebody says that they have a “hot take”, it can, especially on social media, be a way of being purposely controversial and going against the grain to create some spicy content that elicits comments, likes and engagement.    However, when it comes to friendship, there is sometimes a discourse around particular topics that leans a certain way, and our resident friendship...

Welcome to "Girl Problems" a bi-weekly segment from the Friend Forward podcast, coming to you every other Tuesday.   Today’s episode addresses a listener’s friendship question regarding the notion of guilt. Our listener is currently undergoing a friendship transition, where she is stepping back from a friendship she no longer feels aligned with. Whilst she is happy to let this relationship di...

The word “accountability” is used pretty often both on social media and in real life situations, but what does it really mean, and how does it play out with regard to friendships?   You may be able to recall a time when you attempted to hold a friend accountable for a decision she had made, and been met with annoyance, anger and even withdrawal, leaving you wondering if you should have just k...

Between financial stress and the many other ongoing demands on our time and energy in this modern world, the issue of burnout is real. It’s not about being lazy or not being invested, it’s simply about not having anything left to give. With no capacity left to nurture our friendships, burning is affecting our relationships and ironically, it’s community and support that we need to buffer ourselves...

Welcome to "Girl Problems" a bi-weekly segment from the Friend Forward podcast, coming to you every other Tuesday.   In today's episode we address a listener’s issue, where she is finding it tough to meet like-minded women and make new friends and is starting to feel a little hopeless about the whole situation.  She enjoys socializing and she’s confident in talking to new people, but she...

You’re sitting alone in the living room, phone in hand, mouth hanging open, suspended in total disbelief - you just got off a call with a friend and what started as a seemingly normal conversation took a turn when she surprised you by sharing that you rubbed her the wrong way recently with something you said at a dinner. Despite trying your best to stay composed, you two somehow slipped into an ex...

This episode is a little different for the Friend Forward podcast, as our resident friendship expert Danielle Bayard Jackson shares a personal story of her own, relating to a struggle she has recently gone through in one of her own friendships.    In the five or six years that Danielle has been building this platform, she has rarely shared much about herself and her personal life, but wh...

Welcome to "Girl Problems" a bi-weekly segment from the Friend Forward podcast, coming to you every other Tuesday.   While I've never blocked a friend, I've certainly unfriended a friend in an emotionally impulsive state. It was so regrettable, and I often hear women talk about being on both sides of similar scenarios, when a friend withdraws without explanation. Today's episode responds to a...

If you had it your way, you’d be open to grabbing coffee or drinks with anyone who asks and, because of that attitude, you’ve probably developed a pretty broad social network. However, this attitude may also leave you feeling overwhelmed, overextended, and confused about who to give your precious time. So, as we bring in the new year, you may be wanting to put some thought into figuring out exactl...

A lot of us have friendships that we just accept will stay as surface-level relationships, or perhaps we talk ourselves out of taking the next steps to explore if there might be capacity for something deeper to evolve after all. Today, on the Friend Forward podcast, our resident friendship expert Danielle Bayard Jackson shares three tactical strategies that you can use to be more intentional about...

Welcome to “Girl Problems”, a bi-weekly segment from the Friend Forward podcast, coming to you every other Tuesday.  Today’s question comes from a listener whose relationship with her best friend of 7 years has recently grown distant and, after several failed attempts to cultivate more connection, is feeling like her efforts to maintain the relationship are becoming a little onesided. Our lis...