Friend Forward

What is the "hosting gap" (host paradox)? In this episode, host and friendship expert Danielle Bayard Jackson studies fresh data from the new "Social Gathering Trends and Barriers Report" from the Women's Relational Health Institute.

There were multiple sections of the report, but today we'll focus on the section about hosting, including:

• the gap between what we prioritize when we host and what we want most as an attendee
• the two barriers for American women who gather
• two things we can do to increase our motivation to gather our friends

DOWNLOAD THE FULL REPORT HERE.

🎧 BUT WAIT… THERE'S MORE.

Members of Office Hours get supplementary material with every episode to deepen their friendships.

Join anytime at: https://www.betterfemalefriendships.com/

📚 RESEARCH & REFERENCES:

In this episode, Danielle mentioned research by Benjamin Meagher: "Ecologizing social psychology: The physical environment as a constituent of social processes"

📚 UPCOMING EVENTS

The "Good Chemistry" mixer is happening on November 7 in Tampa, Fl. Get more details here: Good Chemistry

🎙️ GET FEATURED ON THE PODCAST

Have a friendship question, hot take, or personal story you want featured? Send a voice note via Instagram DMs @friendforward or email a voice note or video to [email protected].

WORK WITH DANIELLE BAYARD JACKSON:

• Join Office Hours for bonus content and community → https://www.betterfemalefriendships.com/officehours
• Check out more connection resources → https://friend-forward.captivate.fm/resources

FOLLOW DANIELLE BAYARD JACKSON:

• Get the book "Fighting for our Friendships" → https://www.betterfemalefriendships.com/fighting-for-our-friendships
• Follow on Instagram → https://friend-forward.captivate.fm/instagram
• Follow on TikTok → https://www.tiktok.com/@thefriendshipexpert
• Learn more about Danielle →https://www.daniellebayardjackson.com/

🗣️ BOOK DANIELLE TO SPEAK

Looking for a speaker on women's cooperation, communication, and conflict? Send your inquiry to [email protected].

In this episode, we're kicking off our 4-week series on gathering, as we enter the holiday season.

This week, host and friendship expert Danielle Bayard Jackson interviews Amber Mayfield Hewitt about the art of hosting, emphasizing authenticity, intentionality, and community building. They explore practical tips for creating meaningful gatherings that foster connection and joy.

Key topics addressed in this episode:

• Reframing hosting as a joyful skill, not a burden
• Addressing common mentalities around hosting and guest lists
• Creating personal and intentional experiences
• The importance of vulnerability and authenticity in gatherings
• Designing spaces and activities that foster curiosity and connection
• The role of recurring events in community building

🎧 BUT WAIT… THERE'S MORE.

Members of Office Hours get supplementary material with every episode to deepen their friendships. Join anytime at: https://www.betterfemalefriendships.com/officehours

This week's bonus: A five-part series on a book about women's aggression that doesn't release until next year (but as a member, you get a preview!).

ABOUT AMBER MAYFIELD HEWETT

Amber Mayfield Hewett is an award-winning event producer and founder of the To Be Hosted supper club, the creator of While Entertaining, and the author of Your Turn to Host.

CONNECT WITH AMBER:

• Book, Your Turn to Host
• Website: https://www.ambermayfield.com/about
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ambb_mayy/

🎙️ GET FEATURED ON THE PODCAST

Have a friendship question, hot take, or personal story you want featured? Send a voice note via Instagram DMs @friendforward or email a voice note or video to [email protected].

***ATTEND OUR WOMEN'S MIXER***

We're hosting "Good Chemistry", a data-driven social mixer, on November 7 at 5pm in Tampa, Florida. Grab your ticket here (seats are limited!)

WORK WITH DANIELLE BAYARD JACKSON:

• Join Office Hours for bonus content and community → https://friend-forward.captivate.fm/office-hours
• Join the Friendship Elevated Fall 2026 Waitlist → https://friend-forward.captivate.fm/friendship-elevated-waitlist
• Check out more connection resources → https://friend-forward.captivate.fm/resources
• Become a certified relational health coach → https://friend-forward.captivate.fm/relational-health-institute

FOLLOW DANIELLE BAYARD JACKSON:

• Get the book "Fighting for our Friendships" → https://friend-forward.captivate.fm/book
• Follow on Instagram → https://friend-forward.captivate.fm/instagram
• Follow on TikTok → https://friend-forward.captivate.fm/tiktok
• Learn more about Danielle → https://friend-forward.captivate.fm/website

🗣️ BOOK DANIELLE TO SPEAK

Looking for a speaker on women's cooperation, communication, and conflict? Send your inquiry to [email protected].

We're kicking off our gathering series with a gathering of our own...

One November 7, we're hosting the first of our multi-city "Good Chemistry" Tour in Tampa, Florida at Gemma Floral Wine at 5pm.

Attendees can expect speed-friending, mini connection masterclass, food + drinks, and a personal assessments to learn about (and leverage) your personal connection style.

GRAB YOUR TICKET NOW and you'll claim 6 months free access to "Office Hours" our private Patreon membership.

** Grab your ticket here. **

Learn what you can expect by watching this video.

Want to sponsor this event or bring Good Chemistry to your city? Contact us at [email protected].

In this episode, host Danielle Bayard Jackson steps into the role of your personal "friendship PR person," guiding you through some of the trickiest situations women encounter in their friendships.

Drawing from her background in public relations and research on women's connection, Danielle Bayard Jackson shares practical scripts, formulas, and growth-oriented responses to help you respond to testing situations without sacrificing your authenticity or reputation.

🎧 BUT WAIT… THERE'S MORE.

Members of Office Hours get supplementary material with every episode to deepen their friendships. Join anytime at: https://www.betterfemalefriendships.com/

📚 EPISODE RESOURCES & REFERENCES:

In this episode, Danielle mentioned her PR consulting business, TELL Public Relations: Tellpublicrelations.com

🎙️ GET FEATURED ON THE PODCAST

Have a friendship question, hot take, or personal story you want featured? Send a voice note via Instagram DMs @friendforward or email a voice note or video to [email protected].

WORK WITH DANIELLE BAYARD JACKSON:

• Join Office Hours for bonus content and community → https://www.betterfemalefriendships.com/officehours
• Join the Friendship Elevated Fall 2026 Waitlist → https://friend-forward.captivate.fm/friendship-elevated-waitlist
• Check out more connection resources → https://friend-forward.captivate.fm/resources

FOLLOW DANIELLE BAYARD JACKSON:

• Get the book "Fighting for our Friendships" → https://www.betterfemalefriendships.com/fighting-for-our-friendships
• Follow on Instagram → https://friend-forward.captivate.fm/instagram
• Follow on TikTok → https://www.tiktok.com/@thefriendshipexpert
• Learn more about Danielle →https://www.daniellebayardjackson.com/

🗣️ BOOK DANIELLE TO SPEAK

Looking for a speaker on women's cooperation, communication, and conflict? Send your inquiry to [email protected].

You'd call yourself confident. You have high self-esteem. You show up for your people. So a book about worth? That's for someone else… right? That's exactly what Danielle thought before she cracked open Dr. Marisa G. Franco's new book and realized, ten pages in, that she had no idea how much of her own self-worth work she'd been skipping.

In this episode, Danielle sits down with psychologist and New York Times bestselling author Dr. Marisa G. Franco to talk about her new book Worth, which she calls the prequel to Platonic. They unpack why unworthiness is really an inability to process love, how performing "goodness" in your friendships actually disconnects you from them, what it looks like when two types of high self-esteem show up in the same friend group, and why the goal isn't "I am worthy;” it's something far more radical.

CHAPTERS:

• Why unworthiness makes love slip right off you — even when it's right in front of you
• The two types of high self-esteem and why one of them makes you a worse friend
• How "being good" trains you to abandon yourself in your friendships
• Why forcing a compliment on a friend who rejects it isn't actually love
• The difference between bending for a friend and feeling personally compromised
• Worth isn't "I am worthy" — it's something more radical than that

🎧 BUT WAIT… THERE'S MORE.

Members of Office Hours get supplementary material with every episode to deepen their friendships. Join anytime at: https://www.betterfemalefriendships.com/officehours

This week's bonus: Members will access the full, unedited video interview.

ABOUT DR. MARISA G. FRANCO

Dr. Marisa G. Franco is a psychologist, professor at the University of Maryland, and New York Times bestselling author of Platonic: How the Science of Attachment Can Help You Make — and Keep — Friends. Her new book, Worth: The New Science of Self-Esteem and Secure Attachment, explores how our relationship with our own feelings shapes every relationship we have, and why self-esteem is a skill, not a fixed trait.

CONNECT WITH DR. FRANCO:

• Book, Worth: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/784327/worth-by-marisa-g-franco-phd/
• Book, Platonic: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/676695/platonic-by-marisa-g-franco-phd/
• Website: https://www.drmarisagfranco.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drmarisagfranco/

📚 EPISODE RESOURCES & REFERENCES:

• Dr. Marisa G. Franco, Worth: The New Science of Self-Esteem and Secure Attachment: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/784327/worth-by-marisa-g-franco-phd/
• Dr. Marisa G. Franco, Platonic: How the Science of Attachment Can Help You Make — and Keep — Friends: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/676695/platonic-by-marisa-g-franco-phd/

🎙️ GET FEATURED ON THE PODCAST

Have a friendship question, hot take, or personal story you want featured? Send a voice note via Instagram DMs @friendforward or email a voice note or video to [email protected].

WORK WITH DANIELLE BAYARD JACKSON:

• Join Office Hours for bonus content and community → https://friend-forward.captivate.fm/office-hours
• Join the Friendship Elevated Fall 2026 Waitlist → https://friend-forward.captivate.fm/friendship-elevated-waitlist
• Check out more connection resources → https://friend-forward.captivate.fm/resources
• Become a certified relational health coach → https://friend-forward.captivate.fm/relational-health-institute

FOLLOW DANIELLE BAYARD JACKSON:

• Get the book "Fighting for our Friendships" → https://friend-forward.captivate.fm/book
• Follow on Instagram → https://friend-forward.captivate.fm/instagram
• Follow on TikTok → https://friend-forward.captivate.fm/tiktok
• Learn more about Danielle → https://friend-forward.captivate.fm/website

🗣️ BOOK DANIELLE TO SPEAK

Looking for a speaker on women's cooperation, communication, and conflict? Send your inquiry to [email protected].

You know that you need to spend more time with your friends, but as a busy woman over 30, how exactly are you supposed to do that?

In this episode, I'm sharing shocking data from the latest American Time Use Survey for 2025 to see where our time is actually going. Then I'm sharing a solution for how we can reclaim our time.

Note: Access the extended episode as a member of Office Hours.

📚 JOIN THE "SIX WITH FRIENDS" CHALLENGE WAIT LIST

To be one of the first to join the "Six with Friends" Challenge and enjoy a discount and bonus, add your name to the wait list here.

📚 EPISODE RESOURCES & REFERENCES:

• 2025 American Time Use Survey: https://www.bls.gov/tus/

🎙️ GET FEATURED ON THE PODCAST

Have a friendship question, hot take, or personal story you want featured? Send a voice note via Instagram DMs @friendforward or email a voice note or video to [email protected].

WORK WITH DANIELLE BAYARD JACKSON:

• Join Office Hours for bonus content and community → https://www.betterfemalefriendships.com/officehours
• Join the Friendship Elevated Fall 2026 Waitlist → https://friend-forward.captivate.fm/friendship-elevated-waitlist
• Check out more connection resources → https://friend-forward.captivate.fm/resources
• Become a certified relational health coach → https://friend-forward.captivate.fm/relational-health-institute

FOLLOW DANIELLE BAYARD JACKSON:

• Get the book "Fighting for our Friendships" → https://friend-forward.captivate.fm/book
• Follow on Instagram → https://friend-forward.captivate.fm/instagram
• Follow on TikTok → https://friend-forward.captivate.fm/tiktok
• Learn more about Danielle → https://friend-forward.captivate.fm/website

🗣️ BOOK DANIELLE TO SPEAK

Looking for a speaker on women's cooperation, communication, and conflict? Send your inquiry to [email protected].

Social capital helps the quality of your friendships, and your friendships impact the quality of your social capital.

Social capital is all about the value you get (and give) in your social network. And regardless of how introverted or extroverted you are, it's something we all need.

TOPICS IN THIS EPISODE:

In this episode of the Friend Forward podcast, we'll look at:

• the three components of social capital (relationship, cognitive, and structural)
• the benefits of growing your social capital
• why talking about social capital feels transactional

Members of our Office Hours Community: You can expect bonus content sharing tangible tactics to improve all three components of your social capital by this weekend!

🎧 BUT WAIT… THERE'S MORE.

Members of Office Hours get supplementary material with every episode to deepen their friendships. Join anytime at: https://www.betterfemalefriendships.com/

---------------------------------------------

NYC FRIENDS: UPCOMING EVENT

Danielle Bayard Jackson will be in conversation with Dr. Anne Welsh about the intersection of ambition, motherhood, and friendship at the Veronica Beard shop on Madison Avenue on Thursday, August 27 at 5pm. Email [email protected] to RSVP.

📚 EPISODE RESOURCES & REFERENCES:

• Breakdown of "social capital" from Dr. Rick Mask:https://www.snhu.edu/about-us/newsroom/career/what-is-social-capital
• Interested in the science of social networks? We love Marissa King's book, Social Chemistry
• "I Need You to Survive": The song lyrics Danielle speaks at the end of the episode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WdlrRjzDemg&list=RDWdlrRjzDemg&start_radio=1

🎙️ GET FEATURED ON THE PODCAST

Have a friendship question, hot take, or personal story you want featured? Send a voice note via Instagram DMs @friendforward or email a voice note or video to [email protected].

WORK WITH DANIELLE BAYARD JACKSON:

• Join Office Hours for bonus content and community → https://www.betterfemalefriendships.com/officehours
• Join the Friendship Elevated Fall 2026 Waitlist → https://friend-forward.captivate.fm/friendship-elevated-waitlist
• Check out more connection resources → https://friend-forward.captivate.fm/resources

FOLLOW DANIELLE BAYARD JACKSON:

• Get the book "Fighting for our Friendships" → https://friend-forward.captivate.fm/book
• Follow on Instagram → https://friend-forward.captivate.fm/instagram
• Follow on TikTok → https://friend-forward.captivate.fm/tiktok
• Learn more about Danielle → https://friend-forward.captivate.fm/website

🗣️ BOOK DANIELLE TO SPEAK

Looking for a speaker on women's cooperation, communication, and conflict? Send your inquiry to [email protected].

Platonic wingwomen are the backbone of society.

Some people are reluctant to introduce their friends to one another, but society thrives on it. While it can be nerve-wracking to mix friend groups (we've covered this in a previous episode-- see below), it's a skill we should all have.

In this episode, Danielle shares 4 steps to becoming a charismatic and effective wingwoman for your friends.

🎧 BUT WAIT… THERE'S MORE.

Members of Office Hours get supplementary material with every episode to deepen their friendships. Join anytime (and get your first two weeks free) at: https://friend-forward.captivate.fm/office-hours.

TOPICS IN THIS EPISODE:

• The difference between healthy and unhealthy striving, and which one your ambition is actually fueling
• Why thinking of ambition as a ladder is keeping you stuck
• The ambition paradox that leaves working mothers depleted no matter how hard they try
• What most women get wrong about the village (and the connections they're discounting)
• Why your friendships outside of motherhood might matter more than the ones inside it
• How to bridge the gap with child-free friends when everyone feels underwater

NYC EVENT 8/27: Danielle Bayard Jackson and Dr. Anne Welsh with be talking about Ambitious Motherhood (and friendship!) at 5pm at the Veronica Beard on Madison Avenue. Want to attend? Email [email protected] to RSVP.

---------------------------------------------

📚 EPISODE RESOURCES & REFERENCES:

• Is "friendship poaching" a real thing? Check out one of our previous episodes on this topic: https://www.betterfemalefriendships.com/friend-forward-feature
• Interested in the science of social networks? We love Marissa King's book, Social Chemistry

🎙️ GET FEATURED ON THE PODCAST

Have a friendship question, hot take, or personal story you want featured? Send a voice note via Instagram DMs @friendforward or email a voice note or video to [email protected].

WORK WITH DANIELLE BAYARD JACKSON:

• Join Office Hours for bonus content and community → https://www.betterfemalefriendships.com/officehours
• Join the Friendship Elevated Fall 2026 Waitlist → https://friend-forward.captivate.fm/friendship-elevated-waitlist
• Check out more connection resources → https://friend-forward.captivate.fm/resources
• Become a certified relational health coach → https://friend-forward.captivate.fm/relational-health-institute

FOLLOW DANIELLE BAYARD JACKSON:

• Get the book "Fighting for our Friendships" → https://friend-forward.captivate.fm/book
• Follow on Instagram → https://friend-forward.captivate.fm/instagram
• Follow on TikTok → https://friend-forward.captivate.fm/tiktok
• Learn more about Danielle → https://friend-forward.captivate.fm/website

🗣️ BOOK DANIELLE TO SPEAK

Looking for a speaker on women's cooperation, communication, and conflict? Send your inquiry to [email protected].

How motherhood changes your closest friendships, with Dr. Anne Welsh

You're crushing it at work, you're showing up for your kids, and you're trying… really trying… to also be a good friend. But the pursuit of excelling in all three keeps leaving you depleted and falling short across the board. And that picture of the village you keep seeing everywhere? The tight-knit crew of women who are all magically available and deeply connected? It might be setting you up to discount the support you already have.

In this episode, Danielle sits down with clinical psychologist and executive coach Dr. Anne Welsh, author of the forthcoming book Ambitious Mother, to talk about what happens when ambition, motherhood, and friendship all compete for the same woman's energy. They dig into the difference between healthy and unhealthy striving, why ambition works better as a web than a ladder, what most women get wrong about the village, and how to maintain friendships with child-free women when everyone feels underwater. Dr. Anne also shares what she sees ambitious women ignoring that costs them the most: their own wants.

🎧 BUT WAIT… THERE'S MORE.

Members of Office Hours get supplementary material with every episode to deepen their friendships. Join anytime (and get your first two weeks free) at: https://friend-forward.captivate.fm/office-hours.

TOPICS IN THIS EPISODE:

• The difference between healthy and unhealthy striving, and which one your ambition is actually fueling
• Why thinking of ambition as a ladder is keeping you stuck
• The ambition paradox that leaves working mothers depleted no matter how hard they try
• What most women get wrong about the village (and the connections they're discounting)
• Why your friendships outside of motherhood might matter more than the ones inside it
• How to bridge the gap with child-free friends when everyone feels underwater

NYC EVENT 8/27: Danielle Bayard Jackson and Dr. Anne Welsh with be talking about Ambitious Motherhood (and friendship!) at 5pm at the Veronica Beard on Madison Avenue. Want to attend? Email [email protected] to RSVP.

---------------------------------------------

ABOUT DR. ANNE WELSH

Dr. Anne Welsh is a clinical psychologist, executive coach, and mother of four. She's the author of Ambitious Mother: From Surviving to Thriving in Your Career and at Home, and her work centers on helping ambitious women shift from overwhelm and perfectionism to healthy striving, without giving up what they actually want.

CONNECT WITH DR. ANNE:

• Book, Ambitious Mother: https://www.drannewelsh.com/ambitious-mother-book
• Website: https://www.drannewelsh.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drannewelsh/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drannewelsh/

📚 EPISODE RESOURCES & REFERENCES:

• Dr. Anne Welsh, Ambitious Mother: From Surviving to Thriving in Your Career and at Home: https://www.drannewelsh.com/ambitious-mother-book

🎙️ GET FEATURED ON THE PODCAST

Have a friendship question, hot take, or personal story you want featured? Send a voice note via Instagram DMs @friendforward or email a voice note or video to [email protected].

WORK WITH DANIELLE BAYARD JACKSON:

• Join Office Hours for bonus content and community → https://friend-forward.captivate.fm/office-hours
• Join the Friendship Elevated Fall 2026 Waitlist → https://friend-forward.captivate.fm/friendship-elevated-waitlist
• Check out more connection resources → https://friend-forward.captivate.fm/resources
• Become a certified relational health coach → https://friend-forward.captivate.fm/relational-health-institute

FOLLOW DANIELLE BAYARD JACKSON:

• Get the book "Fighting for our Friendships" → https://friend-forward.captivate.fm/book
• Follow on Instagram → https://friend-forward.captivate.fm/instagram
• Follow on TikTok → https://friend-forward.captivate.fm/tiktok
• Learn more about Danielle → https://friend-forward.captivate.fm/website

🗣️ BOOK DANIELLE TO SPEAK

Looking for a speaker on women's cooperation, communication, and conflict? Send your inquiry to [email protected].

CHAPTERS:

• 00:00 — The pull of trying to be everything at once
• 03:49 — Introducing Dr. Anne Welsh and Ambitious Mother
• 05:35 — Healthy striving vs. unhealthy striving
• 07:44 — Ambition as a web, not a ladder
• 10:54 — The ambition paradox and spreading yourself thin
• 13:22 — What we get wrong about the village and the value of weak ties
• 16:14 — Why friendships outside motherhood still matter
• 20:21 — Honesty, vulnerability, and reconnecting with your wants

You noticed she didn't share your last post. She liked her post but not yours. She hasn't watched your stories in weeks, but she's clearly online. And now you're spiraling, trying to figure out what that says about your friendship. Sound familiar?

In this episode, Danielle sits down with licensed mental health counselor JoJo Venant to unpack the very real strain social media puts on women's friendships: from birthday shout-out expectations to the "friends should support your business" discourse. Together, they explore how influencers with healthy pre-fame friendships navigate digital boundaries differently, why we've gone from reading the room to reading the feed, and what happens when we personalize every like, share, and story view. JoJo also walks through how to actually have the conversation with a friend when social media expectations don't match.

🎧 BUT WAIT… THERE'S MORE.

Members of Office Hours get supplementary material with every episode to deepen their friendships. Join anytime (and get your first two weeks free) at: https://friend-forward.captivate.fm/office-hours.

TOPICS IN THIS EPISODE:

• The one thing that determines whether an influencer's friendships survive her platform growth
• What the birthday shout-out expectation is actually telling you about yourself
• We used to read the room; now we're reading the feed, and it's breaking something
• The word Danielle almost didn't say out loud in this conversation
• The myth that's quietly killing more friendships than any unshared post
• What happens when JoJo asks her clients to role-play the friend they're upset with

ABOUT JOJO VENANT

JoJo Venant is a licensed mental health counselor and the founder of The Clarity Hour, a counseling practice based in Orlando, Florida. With over a decade of experience specializing in healthy relationships, self-esteem, and life transitions, she's known for her grounded, relational approach to helping women navigate connection and conflict. She has served as an adjunct professor at Palm Beach Atlantic University and contributed as an expert voice to the Mental Health Television Network.

CONNECT WITH JOJO:

• Website: https://theclarityhour.net
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theclarityhour
• Links: https://solo.to/joannvenant

🎙️ GET FEATURED ON THE PODCAST

Have a friendship question, hot take, or personal story you want featured? Send a voice note via Instagram DMs @friendforward or email a voice note or video to [email protected].

WORK WITH DANIELLE BAYARD JACKSON:

• Join Office Hours for bonus content and community → https://friend-forward.captivate.fm/office-hours
• Join the Friendship Elevated Fall 2026 Waitlist → https://friend-forward.captivate.fm/friendship-elevated-waitlist
• Check out more connection resources → https://friend-forward.captivate.fm/resources
• Become a certified relational health coach → https://friend-forward.captivate.fm/relational-health-institute

FOLLOW DANIELLE BAYARD JACKSON:

• Get the book "Fighting for our Friendships" → https://friend-forward.captivate.fm/book
• Follow on Instagram → https://friend-forward.captivate.fm/instagram
• Follow on TikTok → https://friend-forward.captivate.fm/tiktok
• Learn more about Danielle → https://friend-forward.captivate.fm/website

🗣️ BOOK DANIELLE TO SPEAK

Looking for a speaker on women's cooperation, communication, and conflict? Send your inquiry to [email protected].