Mixtapes are for REAL FRIENDS. Here’s how to share your musical affection with your friends who’d love a blast of nostalgia.

Friendship in a warming world: Building cities and communities to survive a changing climate

Appetizer friends, entree friends, and dessert friends — and why you need all three in a balanced life. 

6 steps to breaking the rules with stunning success…and finding belonging in a room you weren't even invited into

One downside of racking up frequent flyer miles is that it can leave your friendships back home stranded — and making new friends at home can be even harder. Here's how to upgrade your at-home friendships from anywhere on the planet.

This is how you’re going to root out friendship perfectionism, and replace it with relaxing, compassionate, realistic, durable friendship instead.

Eat, Meet, Repeat: Stress-free group dining apps

Making sense of things when you’ve reached out to a friend while you’re going through a crisis—and instead of stepping up, they mysteriously vanish.

At the beginning of 2024, Holly chose to make connection a priority — and six months later, she’s surfing a tidal wave of it. Find out how…

How to be a good friend and a good host when you’re stuck in the middle of confusing bestie drama

Protect your space by embracing your inner Sven — and what you can say after the “no”

We need friends who are similar to us to help us feel less alone. And we need friends who are different from us to make the world feel more safe.

(3 min read) Your guide to making sure your travel plans this summer include making friends along the way — and a recipe for finding retreats where all your future friends are hanging out

(3 min read) Tips for honoring the depth of an existing conversation or friend group, and how to smoothly and quickly become a part of it.

(4 min read) What happened when I (a friendship author) and a virtual 'AI friend' meet in real time and answer the same Q&A question.

(3 min read) Ideas for compromising with a friend who keeps wanting to bring their kid — and tips for setting a boundary when kids aren’t welcome.

Yearning for organic friendship? Here’s what “organic friendship” really means, and how to actually achieve it.

You’ve heard about "third places" — the spots for connecting with people outside of home and work. Here are 27+ other places you deserve, too.

Third Places: What they are, the surprising reasons why you don’t have one, and what to do about it.

Answers to “how have you been”, replies to “how are you”, and tips for giving answers that create the kind of conversation you actually want to be in

This crucial element impacts whether or not that cafe or pub will feel like a Third Place to you.

A behind-the-scenes sneak peek at my visit to Culdesac, America’s first car-free neighborhood built from scratch.

A behind-the-scenes look at a recent connection experience I led as part of orientation for first year college students in a remarkable university program

Is friendship as hard as we think it is? My answer may surprise you.

Need advice for creating chosen family? Take it from the experts, your friendly neighborhood queer and trans folks. Trust us, we’ve been doing this for a long time.

Today’s reader wants to know how to make friends as an expat living in a new country where they barely speak the language. Read for tips about how to make friends in a new country.

All the books in this roundup will give you fresh perspectives to approach your friendships during adulthood, while also helping you boost your skills at making and keeping friends.

If you struggle with friendship because it feels like so much hard work, this mini-podcast is for you (max 3 minutes listening time). Read or listen now

While cultivating friendships with other people is important, the #1 friend you need in your crew is YOU.

If you’re having trouble believing that you’re worthy of friendship, or if you find it hard to believe that the kinds of friendships you want are possible to create, practice saying these friendship affirmations daily.

(4 min read) If we want to live close to friends, why TF aren't we friending the people who already live closest to us?

(5 min read) The only way to respectfully e-introduce two busy people while strengthening your relationships with them at the same time.

Today’s reader wants to travel with friends but is feeling overwhelmed by the planning steps, especially when people flake after they said they were in. Read for tips on successfully planning a vacation with friends or friend groups.

Today we're tackling a subscriber’s question about how to handle those friendships that fall somewhere in the middle — they’re not fit for your inner circle but also not worth cutting out of your life completely. What do you do with these people? Read or listen now to find out.

Friendship and burnout: How friends can help each other cope with burnout • What to do if your friend gets laid off • Scripts for connecting with a work friend • How to be a good friend to yourself when your career trajectory isn't easy to explain to yourself or others • Closing dedication to my dearly departed friend and mentor Hugh Weber

An homage to bookish people and places. Plus, tips for starting a book club, and alternatives to book clubs

Yeah, you read that right. Learn how you can receive literal free money to make friends in your local community.

How to step back and end a friendship that’s fizzling or unhealthy without ghosting or acting like a jerk

(3 min read) Friend dates are one of the most fun ways to keep your friendships strong. But if your mind goes blank when it's time to think of things to do with your friends, you're in luck! Today, we're digging into Friend Date Ideas — mostly free stuff to do with your friends to bring more fun, excitement, comfort, and closeness to your relationship.

(3 min read) Sometimes you’ll need to turn down someone’s request for friendship — or you’ll have your attempts at friendship declined by someone you wanted to be friends with. Learn how to gracefully turn down a friendship request, and how to not spiral into shame and self-denigration if someone says no to your invitations.

When our community is grieving from hate-based violence, this is how we need you to show up for your LGBTQIA+ friends.

What are the pros and cons of coliving and intentional communities? If you’re considering joining the coliving movement, check out this interview with Naima von Ritter Figueres, co-founder and Head of Community and Wellbeing for Conscious Coliving.

Want a new friend? Don’t start from scratch! You already have online acquaintances that would make great IRL friends. This fun and power-packed guide will show you how to turn your online followers into real friends—this week.

(6 min read) Does gift-giving stress you out and leave your mind a total blank? Not sure what to do with an awkward or crappy gift that you’ve been given? This guide will give you ideas for awesome, thoughtful, and creative gifts, plus tips for what to do if someone gives you a bad gift.

(4 min read) Need to escape from an awkward conversation, or prevent it from happening at all? Read about one woman’s awkward neighbor situation and the advice she gets from our guest expert, Justine Ang Fonte of the popular @_good.byes_ Instagram account.

(3 min read) What cyclamen flowers can teach you about handling — and reviving — a friendship that’s entered a quiet period.

(3 min read) A story about how you can show creative kindness and gentle generosity when a friend is going through a difficult time. This simple story shows that you don’t need to do big flashy things to show your friends that you care.

(3 min read) Do you have a friend who doesn’t respond to your texts and calls? Are you wondering if you should keep trying or give up? If you feel like your friend is ignoring you, read this.

(5 min read) Friends who feel together heal together. If you’re dealing with burnout and loneliness, check out these resources for reclaiming balance while strengthening your bonds.

(2 min read) Instead of scrolling social media, pick up your phone and call these numbers. They’re all phone-call-based projects about connection, self-reflection, and finding joy. I guarantee it will make your day better.

(2 min read) Must read for remote and hybrid employees: This post is for you if you’re trying to figure out how to handle ups and downs in your level of closeness with your colleagues.

My wonderland of gear for all things artsy and craftsy in the world of snail mail letter-writing. Use this post as a gift guide for the creative friends in your life, or for yourself when you deserve a treat (you always deserve a treat).

(3 min read) Today we’re answering your questions about making friends with an introvert, rejection, and how to handle a friend who doesn’t reach out.

(2 min read) Did you get excited about your new friendship only to watch it fizzle out and fade away? If you want to prevent that from happening, start using this tip that all successful salons know.

(3 min read) Whether you’re into books, podcasts, movies, or art, here are ten resources to inspire your friendship journey, support you on tough days, and spark conversations about growing strong friendships.

(4 min read) If your friendships faded during the pandemic and socializing feels awkward AF right now, resist the urge to prune away your friends. Try this instead.

(5 min read) If you want to check in with your friends and find out how they’re feeling but you want better questions than just straight up saying “How are you feeling?” then this post is for you.

(4 min read) Five tips for growing strong friendships, inspired by lessons from the plant world.

(5 min read) Millions of people daydream about living in a blissful intentional community surrounded by like-minded people — especially if it was on a beautiful tropical island. So when I had it, why did I walk away?

(4 min read) Your boxes are unpacked, you figured out where to order a pizza close to your new apartment, and you need some friends! Here are the three most important things to do if you’re new in town and want to make new friends.