Hi everybody, this episode feels like a late-night call — the kind you don’t want to end. I’m talking with Amy, a friend from my early years in Essex County, New Jersey, and we go deep into what it means to grow, drift, and return to the people who’ve known every version of us.

This one’s audio-only, intentionally — I wanted it to feel like the kind of conversation you lean into, where you can just listen. The pauses, the laughter, the quiet — they’re part of the story too.

We talk about how friendship can be a kind of home — a mirror, a soft landing, and a reminder that connection isn’t about proximity but about presence. If you’ve ever had a friend who helped you find yourself, this one will feel like an exhale.

Off we go. 🎧

CHAPTERS

(00:00:06) Opening: A Call Between Old Friends

(00:01:32) The Work of Friendship: Staying When It’s Hard

(00:03:35) What Deep Friendship Feels Like

(00:05:24) You Are a Relief: Finding Calm in Each Other

(00:06:37) Learning to Let Yourself Be Seen

(00:11:07) Settling into the Hug — Presence as Practice

(00:12:36) Holding the Whole of Someone: The Good, the Awkward, the True

(00:20:01) When We Leave, When We’re Left — and What Remains

(00:22:10) The Invisible Thread Between Us

(00:22:50) Imagination as a Bridge in Friendship

(00:28:00) Sitting with the Uncomfortable and Staying Open

(00:30:54) Where Energy and Empathy Intersect

(00:32:39) The Inner Game of Friendship

(00:34:05) Until Next Time — The Pause That Holds Connection

💬 Who’s a friend that still feels like home to you? Share your thoughts with me on Instagram → @im_here_too_podcast or @i_am_here_too______.

🎧 Home Is a Verb — two conversations about purpose, friendship, and belonging.

With old friends Gene and Amy, exploring how we stay connected to ourselves and others as we keep moving.

Listen next:

👉 Taking the Fork in the Road — with Gene Gurkoff