We're sharing 5 signs that you may not be ready for authentic community.... yet. After we share these signs, you'll hear an excerpt from our interview with Cat Lantigua, author of the book Build It And They Will Come: A Guide To Architecting Intentional Community.

We end the episode with host Danielle Bayard Jackson sharing three ways she dropped the ball with community-building this year (and how she's attempting to recover).

Remember, the FULL EPISODE is available EXCLUSIVELY at "Office Hours" (our Patreon channel). Join now.

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Our "For the Girls" challenge starts MONDAY, February 3! Free for Patreon members. Join now.

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We're FIVE WEEKS away from the Women's Connection Summit. Grab your ticket NOW before the price goes up.

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This episode is sponsored by the Women's Relational Health Institute, an organization for women leaders who want to build authentic connections for among their female-dominated teams.

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Invite Danielle to speak for your Women's History Month program, summer event, or upcoming staff development. Inquire at daniellebayardjackson.com

*Announcement Edition*

We've got a few things happening behind the scenes that you should know about:

1. Our "For the Girls" challenge kicks off on Monday, February 3 If you're serious about improving the strength and health of your platonic connections with other women, this challenge is for you. Free for members of the "Dean's List" tier of our "Office Hours" community. Join now at Patreon.com/friendforward
2. Galentine's Day is coming up, and it's the perfect time to round up some of your girls and go through Fighting for our Friendships: The Science and Art of Conflict and Connection in Women's Relationships together. To encourage you to make it happen, we're giving you a free Facilitator's Guide. Download your copy at betterfemalefriendships.com now for a limited time.
3. The Women's Connection Summit is happening in a few WEEKS. Join us in sunny Tampa, Fl for a weekend filled with informative panels, speed-friending, food and drinks, and an opportunity to learn about the science of connection WHILE making new connections in real time. Grab your ticket at womensconnectionsummit.com.
4. If you need a speaker, panelist, or workshop facilitator to explore the science of women's connection and conflict at your Women's History Month event, Danielle Bayard Jackson some availability... so book ASAP. Email Sam at info@tellpublicrelations.com with details and we'll get back to your shortly.

Research shows that cynicism is on the rise. What does that mean for your ability to create and maintain deep friendships? In this episode of the Friend Forward podcast, we review some key points from the book "Hope for Cynics" by Jamil Zaki and think through the relational consequences of this trend.

Remember, the full episode is available exclusively in "Office Hours", our Patreon network.

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*Attend our annual Women's Connection Summit on 3/7-8/2025

**Serious about making new friends in the new year? Register for our "Forming Friendships Accelerator!"

***Follow Danielle on Instagram

Why does it seem like women are always talking about "fake friends"? While SOME women really ARE actively betraying their friends and operating with bad intentions, there's actually more to the story.

In this episode of the Friend Forward podcast, host, author and relational health educator Danielle Bayard Jackson shares her analysis of the popular phrase.

In this EXCERPT of the Friend Forward Podcast, we'll explore:

• 4 theories for why women talk about "fake friends"
• 3 ways to position yourself for genuine female friendships
• signs of a genuine, deep friendship

FULL EPISODES ARE AVAILABLE EXCLUSIVELY IN THE "OFFICE HOURS" COMMUNITY ON PATREON:

Join any time at https://www.betterfemalefriendships.c...

TAKE OUR NEW COURSE: "FORMING FRIENDSHIPS ACCELERATOR" to learn how to form new connections in 3 weeks (yes, seriously).

https://www.betterfemalefriendships.c...

COME TO OUR WOMEN'S CONNECTION SUMMIT IN SUNNY TAMPA, FL on MARCH 7-8!

https://www.womensconnectionsummit.com/

Book Danielle to speak at your event or facilitate a workshop for your team/ school/ business:

https://www.betterfemalefriendships.c...

Welcome back to a new season, baby! (And we're on YouTube!)

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Listen, I know this might sound harsh, but hear me out:

There is a research study that examines the ways that certain aspects of your personality impact the way you form and maintain friendships. This week we're :

• digging into the study to better understand how we can better show up in friendships
• evaluating the personality domains that most impact relationship quality
• getting homework to help us adapt the parts of our personality that have gotten in the way of quality friendships while maintaining our authenticity [Patreon exclusive]

While you should definitely keep the essence of who you are and not look for ways to adapt to please others, it's worth evaluating the ways that some (malleable!) aspects of your personality might need to be adapted if they're having a consistently negative impact on your friendships.

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** DID YOU KNOW you can enjoy this same episode on YouTube?

**You can also access the FULL EPISODE by coming to "Office Hours" (our Patreon community). Get access now at www.betterfemalefriendships.com/podcast

** If you're serious about making new connections with other women in 2025, we're weeks away from the Women's Connection Summit happening on March 7-8 in sunny Tampa, Fl. Wanna be an attendee (or heck, even a sponsor)? Get the details at www.womensconnectionsummit.com

Major thanks to the Women's Relational Health Institute for sponsoring this episode of the Friend Forward podcast.

With the election, hurricane evacuations, holidays, and behind-the-scenes projects, the Friend Forward team is taking a break. In this episode, friendship expert and host Danielle Bayard Jackson shares three reasons we're in our "rest era" and what you can expect when we return.

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*Book Danielle to speak at your event at info(at)tellpublicrelations(dot)com.

*Suggest a topic for the episode at betterfemalefriendships.com

*Grab a copy of Fighting for our Friendships: The Science and Art of Conflict and Connection in Women's Relationships

*Follow us on Instagram

How do you know if you're showing care or showing codependency? How do you deal with a friend who's involvement in your life feels overwhelming? How do we show love for one another without losing ourselves?

In this week's episode of the Friend Forward podcast, we'll speak with psychotherapist Terri Cole whose new book -- Too Much: A Guide to Breaking the Cycle of High-Functioning Co-Dependence-- aims to answer those very questions.

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Shhhhh! Details for our Women's Summit were quietly published today.

Check it out here.

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Want bonus and extended podcast episode? Join our private Friend Forward Group Chat here.

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Looking for a new book club selection? Grab your copy of Fighting for our Friendships: The Science and Art of Conflict and Connection in Women's Relationships today.

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Connect with Danielle on Instagram.

Book Danielle Bayard Jackson to speak at your event.

Reality tv often gets a bad wrap, but for girlfriends who watch together, it becomes a bonding agent. Why is that? The hosts of the wildly popular "2 Black Girls, 1 Rose" podcast are real life besties who break it all down on this week's episode.

Be sure to listen to their show wherever you listen to podcasts, and join their Patreon for a deeper dive into all things reality tv.

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To learn more about what the research reveals about the mechanics of women's friendships, buy your copy of Danielle Bayard Jackson's new book, Fighting for our Friendships: The Science and Art of Conflict and Connection in Women's Relationships.

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Want to learn and connect in real life? Save the date for March 7-8, 2025 for a two-day event in Tampa, Florida. Details to come.