Friend Forward

Does your birth order actually impact the role you play with friends (and the expectations you have of your friends)?

In this episode of Friend Forward, host Danielle Bayard Jackson talks with trauma therapist Fanny Tristan, LCSW, about how eldest-daughter experiences can shape women’s friendships.

They explore the pressure to be responsible and dependable, how that role can leave needs unspoken, and ways to begin building more reciprocal relationships without assuming birth order defines who you are.

🎧 BUT WAIT… THERE'S MORE.

Members of Office Hours get supplementary material with every episode to deepen their friendships. This week, members received access to the interview video along with Danielle's book recommendations (fiction and nonfiction) for eldest daughters.

Join anytime at: https://www.betterfemalefriendships.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
• 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, host and friendship expert Danielle Bayard Jackson interviews psychotherapist and author Terri Cole about the father wound: how a lack of protection, presence, or emotional attunement can shape a daughter’s sense of worth and her adult relationships.

By the time you've finished this episode, you'll understand:

• the definition of a "father wound"
• possible signs of a father wound
• how high achievement can become a way to try to earn worth
• how the wound shows up in friendships

🎧 BUT WAIT… THERE'S MORE.

Members of Office Hours get supplementary material with every episode to deepen their friendships. This week, members enjoyed:

• the video that goes with this episode
• a list of the best times to travel during the holidays to see your friends, according to an air traffic controller

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

📚 RESEARCH & REFERENCES:

In this episode, Danielle mentioned Terri Cole's new book, Father Wound: Break Unhealthy Patterns to Reclaim your Worth and Power. Grab your copy here.

📚 UPCOMING EVENTS

VIRTUAL: "Why 'momming' in front of friends feels awkward" with Grace Bastidas. Substack Live via The Mommune Substack. Join here at November 6 at 12:00pm EST.

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

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].

What actually motivates women to attend a social gathering?

If you plan on hosting a gathering any time over the next few weeks, you'll want to know so that you can decrease the chances of people RSVP'ing "no" (or saying "yes" but onyl to cancel hours before).

In this episode, host and friendship expert Danielle Bayard Jackson shares fresh data from the new "Hosting and Gathering Among American Women: Trends and Barriers" Survey from the Women's Relational Health Institute.

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

• the number one thing women say motivates them to attend a gathering
• other factors that make women more likely to say "yes"
• three tangible things hosts can do to actually make guests want to show up

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].

What is the "hosting gap" (hosting paradox)? In this episode, host and friendship expert Danielle Bayard Jackson studies fresh data from the new "Hosting and Gathering Among American Women: Trends and Barriers" Survey 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/

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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].