Friendship IRL: Real Talk About Friendship, Community, and What It Actually Takes

How To Support Your Friends Through All of Life’s Fresh Starts with Olivia Howell


Listen Later

Have you ever felt like a bad friend for not showing up for someone you care about?

Or maybe you’re frustrated that you’re ALWAYS showing up for everyone but feel like nobody reciprocates; or, MAYBE you’re somebody who struggles to let people support you. If any of this resonates, this episode is for you.

Today’s guest is Olivia Howell, co-founder and CEO of the Fresh Starts Registry, the first and only platform that offers a registry to help people begin again after a major life change. She’s also the co-host of A Fresh Story, a top 2% personal journals podcast.

I’ve been following Olivia and Fresh Starts for a long time, and I’m stoked to get this episode out there. It’s full of so many tangible examples of how to show up for people in a world where we’re overwhelmed by responsibility and calls for our attention.

In this episode you’ll hear about:

  • Life changes – the average person goes through 14 (!) in a lifetime, from job changes and break-ups to moves and having kids
  • Meeting people where they are, which often means you have to take your ego out of it  and remember that the reaction might not be the one you envisioned
  • How sometimes, it’s not sustainable to show up in the volume that equates our love – plus, the benefits of focusing on the small things instead of the grand gestures
  • Coming up with tried and true scripts you can say to your friends (and borrowing some from Fresh Starts if you need some help with material)
  • Letting people into your life and believing you are worthy of support, and building the support system that feels right for you

Resources & Links

Check out Fresh Starts, follow them on Instagram, and see their scripts that can help you next time you want to show up for your friends while they’re going through their major life moments.

Listen to the Fresh Starts podcast, and keep an eye out for their upcoming episode which I’ll be a guest on!

Like what you hear? Visit my website, leave me a voicemail, and follow me on Instagram and TikTok!

Want to take this conversation a step further? Send this episode to a friend. Tell them you found it interesting and use what we just talked about as a conversation starter the next time you and your friend hang out!

...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

Friendship IRL: Real Talk About Friendship, Community, and What It Actually TakesBy Alex Alexander

  • 4.9
  • 4.9
  • 4.9
  • 4.9
  • 4.9

4.9

56 ratings


More shows like Friendship IRL: Real Talk About Friendship, Community, and What It Actually Takes

View all
Hidden Brain by Hidden Brain, Shankar Vedantam

Hidden Brain

43,567 Listeners

The Moth by The Moth

The Moth

27,224 Listeners

The One You Feed by Eric Zimmer

The One You Feed

2,550 Listeners

Life Coaching with Christine Hassler by Christine Hassler

Life Coaching with Christine Hassler

1,634 Listeners

Death, Sex & Money by Slate Podcasts

Death, Sex & Money

7,736 Listeners

The Daily by The New York Times

The Daily

112,467 Listeners

Up First from NPR by NPR

Up First from NPR

56,388 Listeners

Where Should We Begin? with Esther Perel by Esther Perel Global Media

Where Should We Begin? with Esther Perel

14,951 Listeners

The Liz Moody Podcast by Liz Moody

The Liz Moody Podcast

3,121 Listeners

Life Kit by NPR

Life Kit

4,373 Listeners

Friend Forward by Danielle Bayard Jackson -- Female Friendship Expert

Friend Forward

272 Listeners

How to Be a Better Human by TED

How to Be a Better Human

1,383 Listeners

We Can Do Hard Things by Treat Media and Glennon Doyle

We Can Do Hard Things

41,460 Listeners

The Mel Robbins Podcast by Mel Robbins

The Mel Robbins Podcast

20,479 Listeners

A Really Good Cry by iHeartPodcasts

A Really Good Cry

281 Listeners