This week on Being Social, we're talking about family connections—how to stay connected with the family you genuinely want in your life, especially when distance, busy schedules, and life changes make it harder to spend time together. We share our own experiences with family traditions, making new memories, family dinners, game nights, themed nights, and finding creative ways to spend quality time together.

We also talk about the complicated side of family relationships, including boundaries, conflict, difficult conversations, and the reality that not every family relationship is healthy or worth maintaining. We discuss chosen family, the importance of having people who support you, and how family relationships can grow and change over time.

Plus, we share practical ways to stay connected—from FaceTime dates and cooking together to planning trips, volunteering, going on walks, starting family traditions, and simply making the effort to reach out. Because sometimes staying connected comes down to one thing: being intentional with your time and showing up for the people you love.

Question of the week:
What family tradition or activity helps you stay connected with your family? What do you do to make time for the people you love?

Music Credit:
Original intro music created by David East

Follow us:
@beingsocialpod

Jean:
@commonplacesd

Viviana:
@sandiegogather + @booksandbrewsbc

This week on Being Social, we're talking about community—what it actually means, why the word feels so overused, and the difference between having an audience and truly building a community. We share our own experiences creating Books & Brews, San Diego Gather, and Commonplace, and talk about what makes some groups feel genuinely connected while others can feel more like just another event.

We also dive into why community requires consistency, support, inclusivity, and a real sense of belonging. We talk about loneliness, the importance of in-person connection, why social media can't replace real relationships, and why finding community can get harder as we get older. Plus, we share practical ways to find your people—from joining recurring events and clubs to becoming a regular somewhere, talking to strangers, and even starting a community of your own.

Question of the week:
What does community mean to you? Do you feel like you have a community, and how did you find it?

Resources & Accounts Mentioned:
Ramel J. Wallace: @rameljwallace
CreativeMornings San Diego: @creativemornings_sd
Still Chill: @stillchill.ig
Psychology Today — “The Importance of Community”
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/what-the-wild-things-are/202307/the-importance-of-community

Music Credit:
Original intro music created by David East

Follow us:
@beingsocialpod

Jean:
@commonplacesd

Viviana:
@sandiegogather + @booksandbrewsbc

This week on Being Social, we're talking about one of the hardest parts of adult friendships: friendship breakups. We share our own experiences with friendships that ended through ghosting, slow fades, and major falling outs, and discuss why losing a friend can sometimes hurt just as much as a romantic breakup.

We also dive into why friendship heartbreak isn't talked about enough, the importance of communication and closure, how to recognize friendship compatibility, and the signs it may be time to let a relationship go. Plus, we explore whether friendships can be repaired, how life transitions change our relationships, and why protecting your peace is sometimes the healthiest choice. 

Question of the week:
Have you ever experienced a friendship breakup? What helped you move forward—or do you wish you'd had more closure? 

Music Credit:
Original intro music created by David East

Follow us: @beingsocialpod

Jean: @commonplacesd
Viviana: @sandiegogather + @booksandbrewsbc

This week on Being Social, we're talking all about birthdays, celebrations, and the different ways people like to feel loved. We discuss why birthdays matter, whether they're worth making a big deal over, and how celebrating your friends can strengthen your relationships.

We also dive into love languages, thoughtful gift giving, quality time, surprise parties, and why life's milestones deserve to be celebrated—even the ones that don't come with a traditional celebration. Plus, we share our favorite birthday memories, holiday traditions, and the small acts that make friends feel truly appreciated.

Question of the week: How do you like to celebrate your birthday? Are you all about a big party, a quiet dinner, a birthday trip, or skipping the celebration altogether?

Music Credit:
Original intro music created by David East

Follow us: @beingsocialpod

Jean: @commonplacesd
Viviana: @sandiegogather + @booksandbrewsbc

This week on Being Social, we're talking all about The Five-Star Weekend and the friendship lessons hidden throughout the series. We discuss what happens when you bring together friends from different chapters of your life, why girls' trips can strengthen or test a friendship, and what it really means to show up for the people you care about.

We also dive into grief, accountability, honesty, and whether some secrets should stay buried. Plus, we share our thoughts on the show's biggest twists, the characters we related to most, and the friendship moments that stuck with us long after the credits rolled.

Question of the week: Which character did you relate to the most? Have you ever mixed friend groups or gone on a girls' trip that changed a friendship?

Music Credit:
Original intro music created by David East

Follow us: @beingsocialpod

Jean: @commonplacesd
Viviana: @sandiegogather + @booksandbrewsbc

This week on Being Social, we're talking all about work friendships—can your coworkers become real friends, or are some friendships meant to stay at the office?

We share stories from our own careers and discuss why some workplace friendships last long after the job ends while others naturally fade away. We also chat about remote work, friendships with bosses, workplace boundaries, office culture, and the coworkers we'll never forget.

Question of the week: Have you ever made a real friend through work? Are you still friends after leaving the job?

Music Credit:
Original intro music created by David East

Follow us: @beingsocialpod

Jean: @commonplacesd
Viviana: @sandiegogather + @booksandbrewsbc

This week on Being Social, we’re talking about making friends as an adult with our special guest Lola. Lola shares her experience moving from Denver to Portland without knowing anyone and how she built a new community from scratch.

We discuss the reality of making friends in a new city, why shared activities make connecting easier, how to turn new connections into real friendships, and the importance of putting yourself out there even when it feels uncomfortable. Lola shares some amazing advice on finding your people, being the person who sends the invite, and creating meaningful connections wherever you are.

Question of the week: Have you ever had to start over socially? How did you find your people?

Music Credit:
Original intro music created by David East

Follow us: @beingsocialpod

Jean: @commonplacesd
Viviana: @sandiegogather + @booksandbrewsbc

This week on Being Social, we're talking about the TV friendships that shaped us—from Sex and the City and Friends to Broad City, Gilmore Girls, and more. We discuss the friend groups we admire, the ones we definitely wouldn't want to join, and whether TV gave us realistic expectations for adult friendships.

We also catch up on our recent adventures, including Viviana's unexpectedly awkward reunion with a former high school teacher at a book swap and Jean's girls' trip to Las Vegas.

Question of the week: Which TV friend group would you want to be part of, and which one would you avoid?

Music Credit:
Original intro music created by David East

Follow us: @beingsocialpod

Jean: @commonplacesd
Viviana: @sandiegogather + @booksandbrewsbc

This week on Being Social, we’re talking about collective effervescence—that electric feeling you get when a crowd is fully in sync at concerts, sports games, karaoke nights, and live events.

We also catch up on life: our recent launch/lunch party (and the unexpected venue pivot), weekend neighborhood adventures around San Diego, and why planning monthly friend time has become such a game changer.

Plus, a little reset talk—Korean spa days, friendship rituals, and how staying connected sometimes looks like scheduling it in advance.

Question of the week: When was the last time you felt collective effervescence—and where were you?

Music Credit:
 Original intro music created by David East

Follow us: @beingsocialpod

Jean: @commonplacesd
 Viviana: @sandiegogather + @booksandbrewsbc

This week on Being Social, we’re diving into childhood friendships — the first friends we remember, growing up shy, middle school memories, and the friendships that shaped (or broke) us.

We talk built-in best friends, friendship breakups, drifting apart, sleepovers, yearbook nostalgia, and what media taught us about friendship growing up.

Plus, we review Yesteryear — covering trad wife culture, isolation, motherhood, and why the main character needed friends more than anything.

Question of the week: Do you still talk to any childhood friends, and what would you tell your younger self about friendship?

Music Credit:
Original intro music created by David East

Follow us: @beingsocialpod

Jean: @commonplacesd

Viviana: @sandiegogather + @booksandbrewsbc