Right on the heels of my power punch conversation about love and grief with Loren Ridinger is an equally power punch conversation with friendship expert Anna Goldfarb, here, appropriately, on Galentine’s Day to talk about friendship, which you all know has been a running theme throughout season 15. I found this conversation with Anna to be so soul-enriching — I truly felt that I had met a new friend through our conversation. Anna talks to us today about what she wishes more people knew about friendship; she shares a powerful anecdote about her father and an old friend of his — sadly, like me, Anna lost her father far too soon; how society isn’t set up to support adult friendships and how we can prioritize friendship in a world where so much is competing for our attention; why friendships need an “about” and how many friends we can realistically give our time to; the difference between bathtub friends, jacuzzi friends, swimming pool friends, bonfire friends, and water park friends; what to do when a friendship feels unbalanced and when expectations between friends aren’t lining up; how we can be better friends; how desire, diligence, and delight are three keys to a happy friendship; and so much more. Anna is the author of the bookModern Friendship: How to Nurture Our Most Valued Connections, which came out last June 4, and in it she puts forth the concept of “wholehearted friendship” and teaches us so many strategies for maintaining friendships, as well as making new ones. Anna’s explanation of active friendships versus memorial friendships was such a lightbulb moment for me — we have so much to learn from her. Anna is a journalist, author, and speaker specializing in the nuances of friendships, relationships, and pop psychology. Her work has appeared inThe New York Times, The Atlantic, TIME, VICE, The Cut, The Washington Post, Vox,Real Simple, and Oprah Daily, and she has a Substack, “Friendship Explained,” that explains friendship through a pop culture lens. I can’t wait for you to hear our conversation.

Modern Friendship: How to Nurture Our Most Valued Connectionsby Anna Goldfarb