How To Build Meaningful Relationships Beyond Just “Catching Up” with Alex Friedman

Friendship IRL

As adults, we often tell our friends we want to “catch up.”

People catch up over the phone. They catch up over dinner. But the thing about catching up is you’re telling someone about things that ALREADY happened to you. You’re updating them on your recent past instead of being in the present.

That’s why I’m such a big proponent of DOING things with people – running errands, hiking, paddleboarding, going on a trip, etc. Whenever you’re doing something together, you’re creating memories right now.

Today’s episode is Part 2 of my conversation with Connection Feast founder Alex Friedman. (If you haven’t checked out Part 1, do it now!) Alex and I love talking about friendship, and in this episode, we cover it all, from building friendships slowly to making the time you spend with your friends MEANINGFUL.
In this episode you’ll hear about:

• A great formula for reaching out to people (hint – if you want to hang out with somebody, be specific!)
• Small intimacies, and how it’s sometimes easier for friendship to build on these instead of big intimacies (plus the dangers of sharing too early or too much at once)
• How to “create the container” for friendships to build, and then just allowing the connection to happen
• Relieving the pressure of “catching up” by instead DOING something together
• The impact of specificity when making new friends; for example, “I’m looking for friends who are really into yoga” (or meditation, running, hiking, etc.)
• Friendships vs. relationships, and how both build slowly over time

Resources & Links

Follow Alex on Instagram. Be sure to check out her events if you’re local to Seattle; in this episode, she teased that her next feast is in January!

Like what you hear? Visit my website, leave me a voicemail, and follow me on Instagram!

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!