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

The Power of Vulnerability in Small Doses: Embracing Small Intimacies


Listen Later

Sometimes to feel closer to our friends there’s this pressure to share our most vulnerable feelings or unearth some deep, dark secret. 

But what if I told you there are more ways to feel connected to our friends that are actually simpler, easier, and more common? That in fact, there are DOZENS of ways we’re trying to open up to each other, but because they’re not “big” shares, they’re often overlooked?

I believe we are all missing out on small moments of connection with our friends, and in this episode, I’ll describe this concept that I’ve mentioned many times but never dug into: small intimacies. 

My hope with this episode is to offer ways to shift the friendship culture and pay more attention to those small bids of connection, because as I’ve said before, friendship doesn’t have to be “all or nothing.” Sometimes those small intimacies are more than enough.

In this episode you’ll hear about:

  • Definitions of vulnerability and rejection and the roles they play in whether or not we allow small intimacies
  • Examples of small intimacies that are overlooked in friendship, from inviting somebody into your house to telling the truth when somebody asks how you are
  • Topics that are vulnerable or considered big shares for some people but not for others, which can be both “positive” and “negative” shares
  • The cycle of overthinking what we share to our friends and how we can open ourselves up to small intacies
  • The Roots of Connection framework which I talk about more in Episode 12


Resources & Links:

Learn more about my roots framework! And be sure to listen to Episode 12 if you haven’t already.

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