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Dear Nina: Conversations About Friendship

Dear Nina: Conversations About Friendship

Written by: Nina Badzin
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Dear Nina: Conversations About Friendship is a top 1% podcast about adult friendship.

Whether you've agonized over a text, wondered why you're always the one reaching out, or found yourself drifting away from an old friend—this show gets it and we're here to discuss it all. Note--these are conversations, not classic interviews. We're serious, but we laugh a lot too!

"Dear Nina" is hosted by longtime friendship advice columnist Nina Badzin, and every episode digs into the messy, meaningful, and sometimes maddening questions adults don't always want to ask out loud. How do you make real friends as an adult? Should you salvage a friendship that's fading or let it be? How do you kindly turn down an acquaintance who wants to be closer, but you're just not feeling the same chemistry? Why don't your friends like your social media posts, but they definitely support other friends there?

We talk about being the single friend in a coupled-up world, the grief of losing a friend to illness or a falling out, and what it means to be included in a friend group but not quite feel like you belong—whether that's happening to you or to your kid.

Nina has been writing about friendship for over a decade, and her advice has been featured in NPR, Real Simple Magazine, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, The Chicago Tribune, Time Magazine, The Skimm, and more.

Every episode leaves room for the fact that there are no perfect answers. There's only real talk here, a lot of warmth, and the reminder that if you're overthinking your friendships, you're probably just someone who cares deeply about the people in your life.

That's a good thing. Social connections MATTER! Let's talk about it.


ALL THE DEAR NINA LINKS + CONTACT INFO


!! Catch up on all Dear Nina episodes on Apple and Spotify

📢 How to promote your service, business, or book on Dear Nina

🎈 Celebrate your friend on the show by dedicating a week of episodes!

📱 Subscribe to my newsletter “Conversations About Friendship” on Substack

❤️ Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, & the Dear Nina Facebook group

📪 Ask an anonymous friendship question

📪 email: dearninapodcast@gmail.com

🔎 Want to work with me on your podcast, your friendships, or need another link? That’s probably here.

© 2024 Dear Nina: Conversations About Friendship Hygiene & Healthy Living Psychology Psychology & Mental Health Relationships Self-Help Social Sciences Success
Episodes
  • #194 - Low-Key, Creative Ways to Spend Time with Friends (Ashlee Gadd and Katie Blackburn)

    #194 - Low-Key, Creative Ways to Spend Time with Friends (Ashlee Gadd and Katie Blackburn)
    May 3 2026
    This episode is a little different—and very fun—because it’s packed with specific, creative ways to spend time with friends that go beyond the usual walk, coffee, or dinner at a restaurant.I’m joined by Ashlee Gadd and Katie Blackburn of the Coffee + Crumbs community and authors of the new book, You're In Good Company: The Gift of Friendship, Motherhood, and Showing Up. Ashlee and Katie came ready with ideas you can steal: low-pressure, fun ways to gather with friends. These are not big, complicated events. But they ARE creative!What I love about this conversation is that it’s both practical and honest. Yes, you’ll walk away with ideas you can use, but we also get into what makes these gatherings work in the first place—shared effort, showing up, and being thoughtful about the kind of connection you’re trying to create.We also get into a harder element of getting together with friends, which is knowing there might be people who feel left out. This is an issue at every age! We discuss balancing "everyone is invited" with wanting smaller, more intimate hangouts where you can actually talk and be vulnerable. There's and time and place for both kinds of plans in our lives. We dicussed:Why specific plans (not vague ones) make friendship hangouts more consistentSimple, low-key gathering ideas you can copy right away (you will have to listen to the episode to get them!)Sharing the responsibility of planning so it doesn’t fall on one personThe difference between quick “micro” check-ins and deeper time togetherHow to think about group size, intimacy, and inclusivity without overthinking it LINKS MENTIONED: Ashlee and Katie's book, You're In Good Company: The Gift of Friendship, Motherhood, and Showing UpCoffee + Crumbs on SubstackEpisode 192: Why Plans With Friends Don't Happen and How to Fix It"Good Intentions Won't Sustain a Friendship"Episode 180: Mean Mom Culture and Relational Aggression with Dr. Noelle SantorelliEpisode 181: Exclusion and the Power to Build New Friendships with Amy Weatherly Meet Ashlee and Katie:Ashlee Gadd is a mother, writer, photographer, and founder of Coffee + Crumbs. She is the editor and contributor of You’re In Good Company and the author of Create Anyway. She has spent the last ten years helping mothers harness their creative talents into powerful storytelling at Coffee + Crumbs—a beautiful online space where motherhood and art intersect. Find Ashlee on Instagram @ashleegadd.Katie Blackburn is a writer, teacher, and a lifelong learner. She's also a single mother to six kids, making her life very loud and surely impossible without the amazing grace of God. Katie is the author of Gluing the Cracks: Reflections on Disability,Motherhood and Hope; The Very Best Baseball Game, and Grace Will Be There: Finding God in the Life We Aren't Ready For (Forthcoming, August 2026). Find Katie on Instagram @katiemblackburn.ALL THE DEAR NINA LINKS + CONTACT INFO!! Catch up on all Dear Nina episodes on Apple and Spotify📢 How to promote your service, business, or book on Dear Nina🎈 Celebrate your friend on the show by dedicating a week of episodes!📱 Subscribe to my newsletter “Conversations About Friendship” on Substack❤️ Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, & the Dear Nina Facebook group📪 Ask an anonymous friendship question📪 email: dearninapodcast@gmail.com🔎 Want to work with me on your podcast, your friendships, or need another link? That’s probably here.Special thank you, as always, to my assistant producer, Rebekah Jacobs!
    Show More Show Less
    29 mins
  • #193 - How to Make Your City Better for Friendship (Aaron Hurst)

    #193 - How to Make Your City Better for Friendship (Aaron Hurst)
    Apr 27 2026
    Is your neighborhood or town welcoming?I spend a lot of time on this show talking about the one-to-one side of friendship—the texts, the plans, the misunderstandings, the dynamics that keep us close or pull us apart. But once in a while, I like to zoom out and look at something bigger: the social health of where we live. Our friendships don’t exist in a vacuum. They’re shaped by our neighborhoods, your cities, and whether connection in these places.My guest, Aaron Hurst, is the founder of the U.S. Chamber of Connection (yes, that’s a real thing—and it probably should have existed a long time ago), and he’s thinking about connection on a national scale. His work focuses on how we rebuild social life in a time when loneliness is rising, trust is declining, and more and more of our interactions are happening through screens.Here’s what I loved most about this conversation: the solutions are surprisingly simple. We’re talking potlucks, block parties, coffee in your driveway, neighborhood-wide walks, even just inviting people over on a Tuesday night. Just small, consistent efforts to bring people together as a volunteer where you live.Is your neighborhood, town, or wider city area welcoming? How so? I'd love to hear! Let's continue the conversation anywhere you see me posting about this episode. (That's usually @dearninafriendship on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube. And in my Facebook group at Dear Nina: The Group.)In this episode, we talk about:Why loneliness is bigger than individual friendships and what’s happening at a societal levelThe idea behind the U.S. Chamber of Connection (and why it exists)Why only some people naturally initiate and what that means for the rest of us“Seattle Freeze,” “Minnesota Nice,” and whether certain cities are harder for friendshipThe two biggest barriers to making connections: not knowing where to start + not wanting to go aloneWhy small efforts (potlucks, block parties, coffee in your driveway) matter more than big plansHow to become an “inviter” in your own neighborhoodThe 1 million volunteer goal—and how you can be part of itWhy giving friendship—not waiting for it—is the shift that changes everythingLINKS MENTIONED: Volunteer for the Chamber of Connection in your area"Why Even Smart People Believe AI Is Really Thinking" Wall Street JournalPrevious episodes covering some of this ground: #138: The Neighborhood Village and How Community is Different From Friendship: Seth D. Kaplan#150: Join or Die: Pickleball, Potlucks, Democracy, and Your Health: Rebecca Davis and Pete DavisMEET AARON HURST:Aaron Hurst is a serial social entrepreneur, an expert in purpose and social connection, and the bestselling author of The Purpose Economy. He is the founder and CEO of the US Chamber of Connection, where he uses behavioral science to build the infrastructure for connection in America. Aaron's work has been featured in the New York Times, Washington Post, Fast Company and Bloomberg, among others. He previously founded the Taproot Foundation and Imperative, and he is a LinkedIn influencer.ALL THE DEAR NINA LINKS + CONTACT INFO!! Catch up on all Dear Nina episodes on Apple and Spotify📢 How to promote your service, business, or book on Dear Nina🎈 Celebrate your friend on the show by dedicating a week of episodes!📱 Subscribe to my newsletter “Conversations About Friendship” on Substack❤️ Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, & the Dear Nina Facebook group📪 Ask an anonymous friendship question📪 email: dearninapodcast@gmail.com🔎 Want to work with me on your podcast, your friendships, or need another link? That’s probably here.Special thank you, as always, to my assistant producer, Rebekah Jacobs!
    Show More Show Less
    31 mins
  • #192 - Why Plans with Friends Don’t Happen—and How to Fix It

    #192 - Why Plans with Friends Don’t Happen—and How to Fix It
    Apr 20 2026
    Navigating friendship when your planning styles don’t matchWhy is it so hard to actually make plans with friends as adults? In this solo episode, I’m digging into one of the most common (and frustrating) dynamics in friendship: when one person likes to plan ahead and the other prefers to keep things spontaneous. I also discuss when both people like to have an actual plan, but one friend is doing most of the work of sending dates. I talk through why this mismatch can stall even strong friendships and what to do about it. From turning vague “we should get together” texts into real plans, to figuring out when it’s your turn to suggest dates, this is a practical, honest look at how to actually see your friends more often.Here’s the part I’ll say plainly: if a plan doesn’t get on the calendar, it usually doesn’t happen. That’s just the reality of adult life. But that doesn’t mean there’s only one “right” way to make plans or that being spontaneous "never" works. But having good intentions to "get together" aren't enough to sustain a friendship.Inside this episode, I discuss:Why spontaneous plans feel great—but don’t happen as often as we wishWhat to do when your friend doesn’t like booking things in advanceHow to meet in the middle without overcomplicating itThe small shift that turns “we should get together” into an actual planWhen it’s your turn to suggest the dates (It can't always fall on the other person. You have to open up your calendar, too!)I also share a couple of real-life examples—one where spontaneity worked, and one where clear scheduling made everything easy—to show how both approaches can work when you’re intentional about it.This isn’t about forcing your style onto someone else. It’s about acknowledging the mismatch and actually talking about it because the “problem” here is a good one: you and your friend theoretically want to spend time together. And if that’s the case, there’s always a way to figure it out.If you’ve ever felt like you’re always the one making the plans, or you’re waiting around for plans that never happen, or you just can’t seem to sync up with a friend you really like—this episode will give you a realistic way forward.LINK MENTIONED: Episode 73 with guest Ruchi Koval: "I'm Just Not Into This Friendship"Episode 121: "Rules For Making Plans with Friends" "This is How to Make Plans With Friends" on Substack, Dec 2024 ALL THE DEAR NINA LINKS + CONTACT INFO!! Catch up on all Dear Nina episodes on Apple and Spotify📢 How to promote your service, business, or book on Dear Nina🎈 Celebrate your friend on the show by dedicating a week of episodes!📱 Subscribe to my newsletter “Conversations About Friendship” on Substack❤️ Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, & the Dear Nina Facebook group📪 Ask an anonymous friendship question📪 email: dearninapodcast@gmail.com🔎 Want to work with me on your podcast, your friendships, or need another link? That’s probably here.Special thank you, as always, to my assistant producer, Rebekah Jacobs!
    Show More Show Less
    14 mins
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