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The Friend School
The Friend School episodes
- No Mask Needed (The Halloween Special) | Episode 025
This Halloween special takes a chilling turn as Matt faces the night alone...no Paige by his side. But don't shy away; we’re peeling back the layers of the everyday masks we wear. Not the playful ones from your local Spirit costume store, but the subtle, invisible ones crafted from societal expectations, judgment, and a blobs of stress.
Whether you're in ministry, business, caregiving, or any role that pressures you to ‘put on a show’ instead of connecting authentically, this episode is calling your name! Jump in to explore the importance of ditching our polished highlight reels and embracing our true selves.
After all, that's the secret recipe for forging strong, genuine friendships. When you know who you are, the message is clear: no mask needed.
TALK IT OVER
- What’s one “mask” you’ve realized you often wear in conversations?
- Can you think of a recent interaction when you slipped into performance mode? What might it have looked like to just show up as yourself?
- How has your role (job, ministry, family) affected your ability to connect on a personal level with others?
- What would change in your relationships if you believed you were already “enough”...already fully loved and approved?
- How can we be safe people for others to be “unmasked” with?
Connect with Matt & Paige:
Follow The Friend School on Instagram & Facebook
Join the Movement
FREE download: "The True You" devotional
FREE List of Better Questions
***"THE TRUE YOU" Now available on Amazon!!!***
One last thing...we'd LOVE your help investing in more and more grace-based friendships. Check out the link below!
17 min - Depth over Duration: Rethinking Forever Friendships | Episode 024
When forever doesn’t happen…what does that say about your friendship?
Welcome to The Friend School podcast with Matt & Paige! It's time to discover your confidence and deepen your connection with others.
This week we're tearing down the myth that “true friendship lasts forever” and exploring what it means when a close connection fades. If you’ve ever felt guilt, grief, or confusion over a lost friend...or worried you somehow failed...this episode is for you. Learn why friendship changes are normal, how the gospel reframes your worth, and why depth often matters more than duration. Encouraging, freeing, and full of real talk, this conversation will help you let go with grace, hold on with wisdom, and embrace the beauty of what was… without missing what’s now.
TALK IT OVER
- Is there a friendship that comes to mind when you think about one that faded or drifted away? Have you grieved it properly?
- How does the gospel change the way you view friendship losses or transitions?
- What expectations do you tend to place on friendships that might be rooted more in longing than reality?
- Have you experienced a “short-but-deep” friendship that surprised you in how meaningful it became?
- What would it look like for you to release a friendship with gratitude instead of guilt?
- Which of the reasons mentioned (life stage, values shift, location, emotional burden, etc.) has affected your recent friendships the most?
- How can you be intentional and open-handed at the same time in your current friendships?
Connect with Matt & Paige:
Follow The Friend School on Instagram & Facebook
Join the Movement
FREE download: "The True You" devotional
FREE List of Better Questions
***"THE TRUE YOU" Now available on Amazon!!!***
One last thing...we'd LOVE your help investing in more and more grace-based friendships. Check out the link below!
37 min - Stop Going It Alone: The 4 Lies Keeping You Lonely | Episode 023
You’ve heard it. Maybe you’ve said it: “I don’t need friends.” Whether it’s past wounds, a jam-packed schedule, or pride disguised as independence, many of us quietly buy into the myth that going solo is strong. In this episode, we dig into the deeper reasons people drift into loneliness without realizing it, and we unpack four powerful reasons that might be holding you back from friendship (yes, they all start with "P").
Welcome to The Friend School podcast with Matt & Paige! It's time to discover your confidence and deepen your connection with others.
Let's jump in and debunk some myths, get real, and talk about what we miss out on when we start to believe we're better off alone.
TALK IT OVER:
1. Which of the 4 Ps resonated most with you—and why?
2. What’s one way your pride might be keeping you isolated?
3. Have you ever used “I’m too busy” to mask something deeper?
4. What would it look like this week to create margin for connection?
5. What’s a wound that might be keeping you from going deeper with people?
6. Who’s someone you could reach out to today?
Connect with Matt & Paige:
Follow The Friend School on Instagram & Facebook
Join the Movement
FREE download: "The True You" devotional
FREE List of Better Questions
***"THE TRUE YOU" Now available on Amazon!!!***
One last thing...we'd LOVE your help investing in more and more grace-based friendships. Check out the link below!
44 min - Broken Dishes & Second Chances: The Mavis Marriage Story | Episode 022
Welcome to The Friend School podcast with Matt & Paige! It's time to discover your confidence and deepen your connection with others.
What happens when a marriage doesn’t just break, but absolutely shatters?
In this powerful conversation, we sit down with our dear friends James and Deb Mavis to hear one of the most stunning stories of honesty, damage, healing, failure, and hope that we’ve ever encountered.
Married young, James and Deb’s relationship was volatile from day one...emotionally, physically, spiritually. Toxicity, trauma, violence, secrecy, crushing expectations...they lived it all.
And after nearly a decade of pain, abuse, and denial, they divorced.
But that wasn’t the end of the story.
In this episode, they tell the raw, candid story of what broke them, the surprising road of healing and recovery they each took, and how—years later—they found their way not just back to each other, but into a marriage truly rebuilt from the ground up.
***A gentle warning: this episode includes references to abuse, trauma, and deeply sensitive relational struggles. If you’ve got kids in the car or nearby, we recommend saving this one for a private listen.
Vulnerability doesn't get more real than this. We’re so grateful and excited for you to hear this one.
TALK IT OVER:
- What part of James and Deb’s story resonated most deeply with you—and why?
- What would a “hard reset” look like in your own relationships? Are there any unhealthy patterns you’re tolerating?
- Do you have safe, trusted people—either friends or mentors—you can be totally honest with? If not, what might one small step look like to begin building that?
- Where have you seen God bring resurrection out of ruin or pain in your life?
- What does “real friendship” look like to you in crisis seasons?
Connect with Matt & Paige:
Follow The Friend School on Instagram & Facebook
Join the Movement
FREE download: "The True You" devotional
FREE List of Better Questions
***"THE TRUE YOU" Now available on Amazon!!!***
One last thing...we'd LOVE your help investing in more and more grace-based friendships. Check out the link below!
1 hr 6 min - Your Friend Can’t Read Your Mind (And That’s Okay) | Episode 021
Welcome to The Friend School podcast with Matt & Paige! It's time to discover your confidence and deepen your connection with others.
Do you believe a true friend should “just know” how you’re feeling or what you need, without you ever having to say it?
You’re not alone… but it’s a trap. In this mythbusters edition of the Friends School, we’re challenging the subtle (but relationship-wrecking) belief that closeness means mind-reading. Join us as we unpack the silent expectations that quietly damage our friendships, and how the gospel invites us into a better (and freer) way: one filled with honesty, grace, and deep, real connection.
From real-life examples to powerful truths rooted in grace and psychology, you’ll walk away with language, clarity, and courage to speak up and build the kind of friendships you were made for.
TALK IT OVER:
- What stood out to you most from the episode?
- Was there a scenario shared that you really resonated with? Have you done something similar before?
- How do you handle it when a friend lets you down? Do you typically speak up or stay silent?
- What’s one “need” you’ve been hesitant to voice in friendship? Why do you think that is?
- How can you begin using the “I feel / I need” framework in your closest relationships?
Connect with Matt & Paige:
Follow The Friend School on Instagram & Facebook
Join the Movement
FREE download: "The True You" devotional
FREE List of Better Questions
***"THE TRUE YOU" Now available on Amazon!!!***
One last thing...we'd LOVE your help investing in more and more grace-based friendships. Check out the link below!
37 min - The Myth of Being Everyone’s Best Friend | Episode 020
Welcome to The Friend School podcast with Matt & Paige! It's time to discover your confidence and deepen your connections with others.
In this episode of The Friend School, we dive into a freeing truth: you’re not meant to be everyone’s person. From people-pleasing and social media pressure to the spiritual tug-of-war between being kind and being burnt out, we unpack what’s under the surface and how to walk in freedom, dignity, and deeper connection.
Because when you say yes to everyone, you often say no to the deep, meaningful friendships your heart really craves.
Let's do this. Class is now in session!
TALK IT OVER:
- When was the last time you felt pressure to say “yes” to something you didn’t have the margin for? How did it go?
- Is there a friendship in your life right now that feels one-sided? What would it look like to bless and release…without bitterness?
- Think about the people in your life that you feel safe with. What makes those friendships different? How can you intentionally invest in them?
- Which scenario from the podcast did you relate to the most? Why do you think that is?
- What would it look like to accept your relational limitations without guilt?
Connect with Matt & Paige:
Follow The Friend School on Instagram & Facebook
Join the Movement
FREE download: "The True You" devotional
FREE List of Better Questions
***"THE TRUE YOU" Now available on Amazon!!!***
One last thing...we'd LOVE your help investing in more and more grace-based friendships. Check out the link below!
33 min - From Friend-Finder to Friend-Maker | Episode 019
Welcome to The Friend School podcast with Matt & Paige! It's time to discover your confidence and deepen your connections with others.
In this first episode of season 2, we're kicking off our "Friendship Myth Busters" series by tackling a big one: the belief that friendship is easy, automatic, and effortless.
Spoiler alert: it’s not.
But here’s the good news: it’s absolutely possible!
Jump in as we talk about why adult friendships often feel harder, what we can learn from childhood (and why it doesn’t always help), and practical ways to move from loneliness to meaningful connection.
Let’s ditch the myths and build friendships that last.
TALK IT OVER:
- Have you ever felt let down because a friendship didn’t “just happen”? What unrealistic expectations might have been at play in that experience?
- Which is harder for you: making time or going first? Why do you think that is?
- What would change if you started seeing friendship as something to build, not find?
- Who could you text this week to take one small step toward stronger connection?
- What lies or mindsets around friendship do you need to unlearn?
- Has someone ever been persistently intentional with you in friendship? What did that mean to you?
Connect with Matt & Paige:
Follow The Friend School on Instagram & Facebook
Join the Movement
FREE download: "The True You" devotional
FREE List of Better Questions
***"THE TRUE YOU" Now available on Amazon!!!***
One last thing...we'd LOVE your help investing in more and more grace-based friendships. Check out the link below!
27 min - The Wait Is Over: The Friend School Is Back!
Hey Friend! Guess who's back?!?
It's Matt + Paige and we're excited to be jumping into Season 2 of The Friend School!
After a little hiatus, we can't wait to get back to tackling the growing loneliness and disconnection that abounds. It's everywhere. Even in spaces where hugs and high-fives abound (yep, even in the church), real, life-giving friendships can feel just out of reach.
But not anymore. The Friend School is here to change that.
This season, we're confident you’ll laugh, you’ll think, and you’ll definitely nod along as we help bridge the surprisingly wide gap between knowing your identity in Christ and actually being the kind of friend we’re all created to be.
Whether you're craving deeper connections, rediscovering your confidence in Christ, or just need some regular grace-based friendship reminders, this season is your space to grow.
No cheesy self-help fluff. No quick fixes. Just raw conversations, Biblical truth, and community with purpose.
Hit follow, tell a friend, and get ready: Season 2 of The Friend School is almost here!
Connect with Matt & Paige:
Follow The Friend School on Instagram & Facebook
Join the Movement
FREE download: "The True You" devotional
FREE List of Better Questions
***"THE TRUE YOU" Now available on Amazon!!!***
2 min - Friendship Therapy w/ Dr. Matt Jarvinen | Episode 018
Welcome to The Friend School podcast with Matt & Paige! It's time to discover your confidence and deepen your connections with others.
Today, we’re hanging out with our good friend, Dr. Matt Jarvinen, to dive deeper into the barriers that often get in the way of connection in friendship. We’ll also explore practical ways to show up emotionally for the people in our lives. As a clinical psychologist, Matt offers an incredibly valuable perspective, packed with wisdom and actionable insights. Enjoy the conversation!
Learn more about Dr. J
Learn more about EmotionFit
Connect with Matt & Paige:
Follow The Friend School on Instagram & Facebook
Join the Movement
FREE download: "The True You" devotional
FREE List of Better Questions
***"THE TRUE YOU" Now available on Amazon!!!***
One last thing...we'd LOVE your help investing in more and more grace-based friendships. Check out the link below!
57 min - Avoiding the Holiday Hangover | Episode 017
Welcome to The Friend School podcast with Matt & Paige! It's time to discover your confidence and deepen your connections with others.
Holidays like Thanksgiving & Christmas are ripe for relational connection, but they often come with a side of stress, expectation hangovers, social overload, FOMO, and pressure to make everything special! Between trying to make things perfect and piling on “just one more” thing, it’s easy to lose sight of what really matters. In this episode, we wander to and fro, exploring ways to think additional vs intentional, ditch the burnout, savor the moments, and actually enjoy the season. Because the best gift you can give (and get) this year? Presence, purpose, and a little less pressure.
Connect with Matt & Paige:
Follow The Friend School on Instagram & Facebook
Join the Movement
FREE download: "The True You" devotional
FREE List of Better Questions
***"THE TRUE YOU" Now available on Amazon!!!***
One last thing...we'd LOVE your help investing in more and more grace-based friendships. Check out the link below!
38 min
About The Friend School
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Discover your confidence. Deepen your connection.