Friendship IRL: Real Talk About Friendship, Community, and What It Actually Takes

Alex Alexander

Podcast

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Latest Episodes

Why We Need to Stop Using the Word “Toxic” in Regards to Friendship

4/30/2026 • 23 min

Bad vibes. Frenemy. Fake friend. Toxic friendship. We have an entire vocabulary for when friendships aren’t working, but I think certain words and phrases often oversimplify friendship issues – and ultimately end up costing us something very real. In this episode, I talk in particular about the word toxic: its history, how it’s morphed in modern friendship cultu… Play episode

Neurodivergent Friendships: Self-Advocating, Masking, and Reframing Friend…
Gossip in Friendship: Is It Really as Bad as Everyone Says It Is?
Unmuted Rooms and Judgement-Free Listening With Erin Snow
Why (and How) You Should Start Initiating Recurring Social Gatherings
I Don’t Have Any Friends! (Help!)
Using AI to Navigate and Improve Friendships with Connor Joyce
Jealous of a Friend? Here's What That Feeling Is Actually Telling You
How to Ask Someone to Hang Out (Without Making It Weird)
The 10 Coffee Date Experiment That Changed Her Friendships with Alison Kin…
Group Chat Anxiety (Part 2): What To Actually Do About It
Group Chat Anxiety (Part 1): Why Your Notifications Feel Like Emotional Ho…
Grief and Friendship: Showing Up After Infant Loss with Michelle Valiukenas
An Act of Resistance: Why Getting to Know Your Neighbors Matters Right Now
Too Many Friends? How to Stop Burning Out in Your Relationships
Should the Goal of Your Friendship be to “Never Rock the Boat?”
It’s OK to Get Help With Making Friends (Especially After College!)
[REPLAY] How to Talk to Friends About Celebrating Holidays Together
[REPLAY] How to Stop Dreading Parties and Take Charge of Your Guest Experi…
Narrowing the Liking Gap and Feeling More Confident in Your Interactions
How to Host on Any Budget (and Not Fall Into the Martha Stewart Trap)
The Benefits of Normalizing Not Drinking at Friend Gatherings
Almost Everyone Has Experienced Friendship Break-Up (Twice!) with Meenadchi
It’s Never Too Late to Make Friends
The Dynamics of Couple Friendships
Re-Thinking Conventional Friendship Wisdom with Jacob Marquez
Why We Should All Want Our Friends to Have Robust Social Lives (Even If It…
The Extraordinary Ripple Effects of Small Moments of Connection with Amy S…
There’s a Spectrum to “Belonging” to a Group … and That’s OK!
Moving Past Inconvenience and Leaning into the JOY of Helping Our Friends
Reframing Rejection with Tanesha Moody
Write Your Own Friendship Manual: Building Authentic Relationships While N…
How to Not Feel Neglected in Conversations with Friends (and Why Sometime…
[REPLAY] The Enormous Impact of Small Intimacies
[REPLAY] You Say You Want a Village … But Do You?
[REPLAY] An Extensive Look at the Wheel of Connection
[REPLAY] Digging Into the 3 Kinds of Friendship Roots
[REPLAY] What Is A Friend? And the 4 Types of Friends We All Have
Reframing the Idea of “Quality” in Friendship
The Surprising Benefits of a Friendship Pause
Social Engineering Your Way Into Friendship, From Picnics to the Six Point…
All About Fringe Friends
Being a Social Artist and Why Friendship Deserves Its Own Soundtrack With …
Navigating the Great Friendship Shift with Ericka Parker
The Spectrum of Digital Connection, From “Likes” to Deep Conversations
Making Friends Online with Minded Society Co-Founders Marcela and Claudia
Are Online Friends REAL Friends? (Hint: YES!)
Using Parasocial Relationships as a Bridge For Real Community Instead of a…
Using Data to Manage the Friendship Mental Load With Mark Houghton
How Deep Friendship Can Impact Radical Change with Priya Vulchi

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