In this week's episode of the Friend Forward podcast, host and friendship expert Danielle Bayard Jackson shares insights for women who feel like they've passively cultivated a friendship network filled with relationships that they don't even really want.

Tune in to learn how to navigate this situation with more clarity and confidence.

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Looking for your next book club read? Order your copy of Fighting for our Friendships: The Science and Art of Conflict and Connection in Women's Relationships. and we'll send you an exclusive "facilitator's guide" (free!) to help you lead the conversation with your book club. Send confirmation of your order number to hello(at)betterfemalefriendships(dot)com and we'll send you this free resource.

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Want Danielle to speak at your event? Email our team at info(at)tellpublicrelations(dot)com.

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In this episode, Danielle briefly hinted at an event taking place in Tampa, Florida on March 8, 2025. We can't share too much yet, but save the date!

Got trust issues? In this week's episode, host and friendship expert Danielle Bayard Jackson shares 4 ways to gradually and responsibly allow yourself to be more trusting in your female friendships.

Want two bonus strategies? We reserve extra content (including bonus episodes!) for members of the private Friend Forward Group Chat. Join here.

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LAST CHANCE TO JOIN OUR GROUP COACHING PROGRAM, "FRIENDSHIP ELEVATED".

We have our welcome call kicking off next week which means you have three days left to register. Join at betterfemalefriendships.com/friendship-elevated

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Want Danielle to speak at your event? Email our team at info(at)tellpublicrelations(dot)com.

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Are you in a transitional period in your life and ready to take a serious friendship inventory? We strongly suggest this activity to experience genuine "aha" moments about what needs to shift in your friendship landscape.

What is social health, and how can you improve it? Today we're speaking with Harvard-trained social scientist Kasley Killam who's been studying social health for ten years. Her new book, The Art and Science of Connection, is the world's first book on social health, and we're going to get clear on why this is an actual domain of our overall health.

Spoiler: It can't be solved by just talking to your bestie once a week. It's much deeper than that.

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Take the Friend Forward Friendship Inventory, including an activity workbook and 45-minute guided video. You will immediately gain clarity on who to prioritize and what shifts need to be made in your friendship landscape:

https://www.betterfemalefriendships.com/inventory

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Buy Danielle's book Fighting for our Friendships: The Science and Art of Conflict and Connection in Women's Relationships

Welcome to our new weekly segment: GIRL PROBLEMS-- a mini-episode where resident friendship coach and educator Danielle Bayard Jackson will answer a question directly from either our Instagram DM's (@friendforward) or emails we receive at Betterfemalefriendships.com. To share your thoughts on today's "girl problem", visit us on Instagram. And to submit a "girl problem" of your own, DM us or send an email to hello@betterfemalefriendships.com. Don't want to want for your chance to be selected? Join our group chat to ask other women for help OR book a 1-on-1 session with Danielle (spaces limited!)

This week we talk to Ali, a young woman whose social media video went viral-- and shortly afterwards, there was a falling out. Listen as we interview her to learn what inspired the video, and what happened after it began to circulate online. We'll end the episode with a takeaway for women who are conflict averse people-pleasers, because there's a lot that they can learn from Ali's experience.

Research shows that women have a greater tendency toward rumination than men-- and it might play a major role in how we show up with our friends! In this episode of the Friend Forward podcast, resident female friendship coach and educator Danielle Bayard Jackson will explain her "Rumination I.D.E.A.s" Framework to describe the 4 negative consequences of rumination when trying to reconcile with a friend. (When sharing Danielle's framework we encourage you to tag us on Instagram @friendforward or on TikTok at @thefriendshipexpert!). As always, stay tuned to the end of the episode for your this week's homework!  ***** WANT TO JOIN THE NEW "FRIEND FORWARD GROUP CHAT?" Visit us at www.patreon.com/friendforward and sign up today.***

This episode is DIFFERENT. I'm finally opening up about what it's like to be a female friendship coach and educator, in an attempt to practice more vulnerability with our Friend Forward audience.  *** WE JUST LAUNCHED A MONTHLY MEMBERSHIP!*** If you like reading books and talking about female friendship (and opportunities to talk to women who are just as intentional as you are about creating healthy platonic relationships), come join us at Betterfemalefriendships.com/bookclub while there's still room!

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Follow Danielle on Instagram or TikTok. Book her to speak at your conference by contacting Sam Lee at info@tellpublicrelations.com

As a single woman who is actively dating, it can be tough to get adequate support from your friends. Sometimes they mean well, but the things they say and do can feel dismissive or insulting, and that can begin to create a certain emotional distance that's hard to recover from.

That's where dating expert Lily Womble comes in. In Lily's new book "Thank You, More Please", she breaks down how women can get more adequate support from their friends along their dating journey.

As always, the unedited version of this interview can be found in our private community, The Group Chat.

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Take the Friend Forward Friendship Inventory, including an activity workbook and 45-minute guided video. You will immediately gain clarity on who to prioritize and what shifts need to be made in your friendship landscape:

https://www.betterfemalefriendships.com/inventory

To learn more about the research around women's connection and conflict, visit Betterfemalefriendships.com

Our most recent TikTok video earned more than 500K views, and it was about validating your friend when she's venting-- let's just say that women had a lot to share in the comment section! So in this week's episode, we're unpacking how to the pros and cons of validating and offering solutions, and the dangers of doing the wrong one at the wrong time. Friendship coach Danielle Bayard Jackson also gives a few scripts (the rest are in our Friend Forward library which launches next week!) to keep in your back pocket so you know exactly what to say the next time your friend is giving you an earful about her latest misadventure, and you're just not sure how to respond. To book Danielle to speak or to grab a slot for a 1:1 coaching session, visit Betterfemalefriendships.com --- Follow Danielle, Follow 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. Come hang out with us in the few remaining cities:

6/7: Raleigh/ Durham

6/13: Orlando

6/20: Chicago

7/12: DC (with a very special guest!)

Details at Betterfemalefriendships.com

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Take the Friend Forward Friendship Inventory, including an activity workbook and 45-minute guided video. You will immediately gain clarity on who to prioritize and what shifts need to be made in your friendship landscape:

https://www.betterfemalefriendships.com/inventory

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Are you curious about what the latest research reveals about the mechanics of women's friendships? Order your copy of Fighting for our Friendships: The Science and Art of Conflict and Connection in Women's Relationships and then host a book club meeting for it this summer!

1. Two reasons why money often causes conflict in friendships
2. What to do whether you’re the friend with only a couple dollars in the account OR the friend who’s living comfortably
3. And finally, how to plan social outings that everyone can take part in

How do you address a friend who only talks about herself? Sure, you love her for her adventurousness and humor, but sometimes it just seems like you're along for the ride while she's the star of the show. In this episode, you'll learn three reasons why self-centeredness harms friendships, a 3-step formula for addressing this issue, and two quick hacks to get out of a "monologue-style" conversation that's gone on for far too long.

https://www.betterfemalefriendships.com/membership

1. What the sober-curious movement is all about
2. Signs that a friend’s drinking may have gone too far
3. Two things that may instantly change in your friendships if you decide to live an alcohol-free life

We've missed you! It's season 4 for the Friend Forward Podcast and we're getting more personal this time around. Listen in as our resident friendship coach, Danielle Bayard Jackson, gives a preview of the episode topics you can expect, along with a few other surprises. Let's do this.

Each year closes with a collective optimism to "get it right" in the year to come. In our season finale, we walk you through research-based strategies for keeping the resolutions you're making for your friendships. To get more from this episode, download our new ebook (which includes a FREE assessment that reveals the specific friendship goals YOU should make for 2022). Betterfemalefriendships.com/friendshipintentions. See you again in February 2022 when we kick-off season 4! Until then, follow along with us on Instagram @friendforward or join our coaching program at Betterfemalefriendships.com/membership

It's inevitable in any long-lasting friendship: your friend will make choices that you disapprove of, but how do you address it without her feeling like you're being completely unsupportive? In this episode, we'll explore 3 things to keep in mind when you want to show your friend you have her back (even though you disagree with her decisions). [Download your free "Friendship Intentions" ebook to take the assessment and determine which area of friendship you should focus on for the year 2022.] For more personalized support, book a coaching session at Betterfemalefriendships.com today. Space is limited!

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 that we received on Instagram to this question: For women who used to feel like they didn't need friendship (specifically friendship with other women), what made you begin to open up?

*If you're enjoying this conversation, you'd love the new book "Fighting for our Friendships: The Science and Art of Conflict and Connection in Women's Friendships".

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*You can also share your personal friendship stories with Danielle on her book tour.

FIGHTING FOR OUR FRIENDSHIPS TOUR

• 5/13 TAMPA
• 5/18 LOS ANGELES
• 5/30 NYC
• 6/4 ATLANTA

Buy your ticket NOW before registration closes!

*Connect with Danielle on Instagram.

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*Invite Danielle to speak at your event by contacting Sam at info@tellpublicrelations.com

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Take the Friend Forward Friendship Inventory, including an activity workbook and 45-minute guided video. You will immediately gain clarity on who to prioritize and what shifts need to be made in your friendship landscape:

https://www.betterfemalefriendships.com/inventory

In the third week of our "How to support a friend when..." series, we're talking about showing up for a friend with a new baby. Dr. Angel Montfort is a psychologist who specializes in perinatal mental health and joins us as a guest to lend her voice to this conversation. Follow her on Instagram at @drangelmontfort for more, and follow us at @friendforward or visit Betterfemalefriendships.com/membership to join our VIP 8-week group coaching program to get your friendships in order before the new year!

This week, we're kicking off a 4-week series titled "How to Support Your Friend When..." and it's all about chronic illness. We are joined by listeners Erin and Nikita who share their struggle with various illnesses and the ways in which friends should (and SHOULDN'T!) support women in their position. If you're looking for ways to strengthen your own friendships, join our 8-week group coaching program called "Friendship Elevated" by visiting Betterfemalefriendships.com/membership

Danielle has a major announcement. Buckle up.

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 with friends... and 7 barriers that came up for her during the process.

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Take the Friend Forward Friendship Inventory, including an activity workbook and 45-minute guided video. You will immediately gain clarity on who to prioritize and what shifts need to be made in your friendship landscape:

https://www.betterfemalefriendships.com/inventory

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** Order Danielle's book (and get your preorder bonuses before they expire!) at Betterfemalefriendships.com/fighting-for-our-friendships

** Want to book Danielle to speak at your event? With more than 15 years of experience in education and with tons of formal keynote presentations and workshops under her belt, she's ready to bring a personalized experience to you and your audience. Contact info@tellpublicrelations.com

** Follow Danielle on Instagram @daniellebayardjackson

Every now and then you need a girls' trip with your friends, but how do you plan so that there's a guarantee that it will be drama-free? In this week's episode we'll talk about the 2 benefits of group trips, the 4 things to consider while you plan, and how to recover if things go sideways. Because the Real Housewives series can't be the only model we have of how girls' trips are supposed to go.  Ready for 1-on-1 friendship coaching? Visit us at Betterfemalefriendships.com

By now, you're familiar with the idea of the "strong friend". Whether YOU are this person or you have this person in your friend group, it's important to know ways to take some of pressure off. In today's episode, we'll explore ways to identify the "strong friend", reasons she doesn't ask for help, and tangible ways to show her support. For one-on-one insight, schedule your coaching session today at betterfemalefriendships.com/services