When the desire for friendship is not equal, things can get very tricky. My guest, the wise Ruchi Koval, is here to help. We talked about the reality of hurt feelings and disappointments in real friendships, and the question of whether every friendship needs to "fill your cup." 

It was a challenging letter from a listener and a challenging conversation overall. 

Meet Ruchi Koval

Ruchi is the co-founder and Associate Director of Congregation JFX, an innovative community in Cleveland, Ohio. She has been a Jewish educator for two decades, leading self-development groups for adults and teens, and mentoring educators around the world. She’s is a certified parenting coach, motivational speaker, musician, author of two books, and a mother. And she is a Trip Leader for Momentum, inspiring hundreds of women on their journeys in Israel. I recently finished her second book, called Soul Construction: Shape Your Character Using 8 Steps From the Timeless Jewish Practice of Mussar. 

Find Ruchi on Instagram and on her website.

"Feelings will be hurt and you can't always prevent that. That's not real life. We want to be as kind as we can. We want to be as truthful as we need to be. We want to pursue peace as much as we can. But the bottom line is, there are relationships in which nobody ever gets hurt. Those people are called acquaintances." ~ Ruchi Koval

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Special thank you, as always, to my assistant producer, Rebekah Jacobs!