Who is on the other end of the call after you receive hard news?
Who is in your corner challenging and championing your future?
Who is your ride or die that never fails to leave you with unforgettable memories?
Whether a name comes to mind or not, these days we are all finding ourselves acclimating to the continually changing landscape of friendships.
For many of us the pandemic ushered in the reckoning of friendships as the distance challenged the foundations of our relationships. And for others, in the absence of genuine personal connection, we gave in to stronger scroll habits as we looked to get what we used to from real life friends through those we follow online. In other words…
“In a world that promises connection, we have only become more disconnected and as a result have slowly lost the ability and opportunity to flex our social muscles.”
If I am honest, I find myself longing for my younger days, because it felt like building and sustaining relationships was so much easier. Opportunities to meet others met us right where we were and little effort was required to fan the flame of those friendships.
But, if you are anything like me, what I truly long for is not just presence but depth.
Making friends and doing the work of being a good friend is difficult, but it is essential. In fact, I might even dare to say your life depends on it and so that is why I am thrilled to be joined by my friend, Laura Tremaine, as today’s guest on The Mary Marantz Show.
Mary’s new book, slow growth equals strong Roots is HERE! Click HERE to Order your copy today!
Laura is an author, avid reader, and the enthusiastic creator and host of the 10 Things To Tell You podcast – a show born out of her realization that sharing herself online and in person pulled her out of a long season of loneliness.
Her passion for helping others build deeper and more meaningful connections resulted in her first book, Share Your Stuff, and most recently, The Life Council: 10 Friends Every Woman Needs. In her newest book, Laura will inspire and equip you to be a better friend, make new friends, and appreciate how different types of friendships can bring a richness to your life like never before.
For Laura, adulthood brought many unanticipated challenges when it came to building friendships…
“Adulthood was my friendship rude awakening. I wasn’t automatically included in anything. It was supposed to be friendship freedom, but really it was friendship famine.” – Laura Tremaine
Despite her best efforts, when she thought her world would expand, she found it actually getting smaller. Between loneliness, seasonal changes, overwhelm, past hurt and even her location, she encountered countless hurdles in the way of her connecting with others.
What I find so encouraging about Laura’s story though is that rather than turning those hurdles into an excuse, she decided to be proactive about what wasn’t working.
As she says, “It’s not easy because we can’t control anyone else so we are creating the friendships and the relationships that we want.”
There is no one size fits all approach to friendship but what Laura offers us is an incredible example of what it looks like to intentionally discover and invest in the friendships around us.
So, join Laura and I, as we share our own trials and tribulations of friendship and dive deeper into what she believes are some essential characteristics of the life counsel advisory board of friends.
In this episode of The Mary Marantz Show, you’ll hear:
- Practical ways to build connection into your schedule
- How to start over again with an old friend
- The principal of holding space to grieve and to hope
- When to walk away and how to process friendship trauma
Just like Laura, you may wish you had learned these guiding insights a long time ago but don’t take for granted the opportunity right in front of you.
May this episode be your reminder:
It is never too late to start over again, to step out from under our shame and to start prioritizing the relationships right in front of us. Whether it is reconnecting with an old friend or moving from stranger to acquaintance, take a deep breath and step. Because remember…
“A lot can come from those awkward five seconds, and we promise, no matter the outcome, it Will be worth it!”
I can’t wait for you to take a listen!
And if you are looking to give up comparing, performing, and achieving for your worth, I think you’ll LOVE my new book Slow Growth Equals Strong Roots! Available now everywhere books are sold! And while you’re at it, take our Achiever Quiz to see which of the 5 Achiever Types you are….
More From This Episode:
Connect with Laura on Instagram and be sure to pick up her new book, “The Life Council: 10 Friends Every Woman Needs” wherever books are sold.
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