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

The Easy Ask


Listen Later

Who in your life are you most consistently connected to? Is it a partner? A roommate? A friend, sibling, or parent? 

Now tell me this: when was the last time you wanted to lean into an interest, and you automatically asked this particular person to join … even though it wasn’t their thing? 

I call this the “easy ask,” and I think it’s a universal experience. I came up with the term years ago when I asked my partner Michael to go shopping with me, even though he doesn’t enjoy shopping. (Spoiler alert: he didn’t want to go.) 

There are times when the easy ask is okay, and there are times when you should work a little harder to find a more suitable person to join – or just go about it alone. 

I hope this episode gets you thinking: Where in your life are you making the easy ask? And what is the impact of this in your experiences and your relationships?


In this episode you’ll hear about:

  • How the "easy ask" often stems from convenience and familiarity, rather than a genuine desire for the experience
  • Times when the easy ask makes sense, like when you need help with certain tasks or when that person has expressed interest
  • Hidden costs of the easy ask, from strained relationships to missing out on opportunities to connect with friends who’d actually enjoy this activity
  • Why it benefits to choose the less convenient but more meaningful connection over the easy option


Resources & Links

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

55 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

43,474 Listeners

The Lazy Genius Podcast by Kendra, The Lazy Genius

The Lazy Genius Podcast

6,499 Listeners

The Daily by The New York Times

The Daily

110,901 Listeners

The Diary Of A CEO with Steven Bartlett by DOAC

The Diary Of A CEO with Steven Bartlett

6,842 Listeners

Feel Better, Live More with Dr Rangan Chatterjee by Dr Rangan Chatterjee: GP & Author

Feel Better, Live More with Dr Rangan Chatterjee

4,022 Listeners

The Liz Moody Podcast by Liz Moody

The Liz Moody Podcast

2,972 Listeners

Bare Marriage by Sheila Gregoire

Bare Marriage

1,179 Listeners

On Purpose with Jay Shetty by iHeartPodcasts

On Purpose with Jay Shetty

27,075 Listeners

The Papaya Podcast by Sarah Nicole Landry

The Papaya Podcast

1,553 Listeners

Friend Forward by Danielle Bayard Jackson -- Female Friendship Expert

Friend Forward

271 Listeners

How to Be a Better Human by TED

How to Be a Better Human

1,359 Listeners

Huberman Lab by Scicomm Media

Huberman Lab

28,252 Listeners

Dial Emma by Emma Reed Turrell

Dial Emma

81 Listeners

The Mel Robbins Podcast by Mel Robbins

The Mel Robbins Podcast

20,900 Listeners

Letters from an American by Heather Cox Richardson

Letters from an American

5,070 Listeners