E64: The Female Friendship Crisis: How to Nurture Adult Connections That Last with Anna Goldfarb

About this episode

The episode discusses the challenges of maintaining female friendships in adulthood, particularly during motherhood, with insights from friendship journalist Anna Goldfarb.

Today, we sit down with Anna Goldfarb—friendship journalist, author, and voice of wisdom on the quiet complexity of adult relationships. Together, we're unpacking why maintaining female friendships feels harder than ever, especially in motherhood, and what it actually takes to nurture the ones that matter most. Through honest stories and thoughtful research, Anna helps us reframe what healthy adult friendship looks like today. They talk about the grief of friendships that drift, the courage it takes to initiate hard conversations, and why effort (not just history) is what keeps connection alive. If you've ever found yourself missing someone who used to be in your daily life—or wondering how to deepen the friendships you still have—this conversation is a balm and a roadmap. You'll Learn: Why nearly half of adults report shrinking social networks—and what that really means How motherhood reshapes our friendships, sometimes painfully The power of desire: why it matters that you want to show up What to consider before giving feedback in a friendship How to know when it's time to let go—and how to grieve a friendship breakup Why small gestures (a text, a meme, a voice note) are never…

People in this episode

Hosts: Jenn Cohen, Laura Demuth

Guest: Anna Goldfarb

Topics covered

• female friendships
• motherhood
• adult relationships
• social networks
• friendship maintenance

Keywords

• female friendship
• motherhood
• adult relationships
• friendship maintenance
• social networks

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: www.annagoldfarb.com

Books & works: Modern Friendship

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