Dear Nina: Conversations About Friendship
Nina Badzin
Dear Nina: Conversations About Friendship is a top 1% podcast that dives into the complicated feelings behind adult friendship—why it’s harder than we expect and how to navigate it with clarity, honesty, and intention.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? How do you handle a one-sided friendship? 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, navigating friendship after divorce, 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. And yes, we talk about what happens when your kids used to be good friends and now can't stand each other. (It's a whole thing.)Nina has been writing about adult 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, The Guardian, Time Magazine, The Skimm, and more. Each episode draws from real listener letters (hence "Dear Nina"), relatable dilemmas, and thoughtful guests.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.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Sep 20, 2021 • 17min
#8 - When Friends Ask Questions You Don't Want to Answer (with my mom!)
The podcast explores the role of privacy in close friendships and the line between intimacy and privacy. They discuss the challenges of sharing personal information on social media and address how withholding certain personal information is considered dishonesty. They delve into the unspoken rules of not asking certain personal questions and share strategies for avoiding questions you don't want to answer. The importance of privacy and setting boundaries in friendships is emphasized, along with the need to maintain confidentialities in a marriage.
Sep 14, 2021 • 5min
Mini-Episode: The Friendship Apology Prayer We All Need
Sometimes we're waiting for apologies from friends and sometimes we owe apologies. Inspired by the Al Chet prayer we say in synagogue on Yom Kippur, I’m offering a version related only to friendship. And like we do for Yom Kippur, I’m using “we” not “I” because I’d like to think I’m not alone in my friendship transgressions. I know not everyone reading this follows the Jewish calendar, but it’s always a good time for a fresh start. ALL THE DEAR NINA LINKS + CONTACT INFO📢 This week’s fabulous sponsor + how to purchase ad space on Dear Nina📱 Subscribe to my newsletter “Conversations About Friendship” on Substack❤️ Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, the Dear Nina Facebook group📪 Ask an anonymous friendship question🔎 Want to work with me or need another link? That’s probably here.Our sponsor this week is Esther Goldenberg, author of THE SONG OF THE BLUE BIRD, sold everywhere you love to buy books.
Special thank you, as always, to my assistant producer, Rebekah Jacobs!
Sep 6, 2021 • 37min
#7 - True Forgiveness After a Difficult Friendship Breakup with Rebecca Kotok
Exploring forgiveness and rebuilding friendships after a breakup. Host and a close friend share personal story of reconciliation. Discussing formation of deep friendship in college, reflecting on their past and drifting apart. Reflecting on the impact of long-distance friendship and the therapeutic nature of their conversations. Rebuilding friendship after breakup, expressing regret for actions and hurt over friend's absence at wedding.
Aug 30, 2021 • 6min
#6 - When to Unfriend, Mute, Hide, Unfollow, or Block Friends on Social Media
Unfollowing a friend on social media is not always the answer. This quick episode will help you decide between unfollowing, muting, hiding, unfriending, or blocking. A friend's posts are bugging you on social media? Unfriending is not always the answer. ALL THE DEAR NINA LINKS + CONTACT INFO📢 This week’s fabulous sponsor + how to purchase ad space on Dear Nina📱 Subscribe to my newsletter “Conversations About Friendship” on Substack❤️ Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, the Dear Nina Facebook group📪 Ask an anonymous friendship question🔎 Want to work with me or need another link? That’s probably here.Our sponsor this week is Esther Goldenberg, author of THE SONG OF THE BLUE BIRD, sold everywhere you love to buy books.
Special thank you, as always, to my assistant producer, Rebekah Jacobs!
Aug 22, 2021 • 20min
#5 - The Friend Who Ignores Your Social Media Posts with Rudri Patel
How much engagement can expect friends to have on your social media posts? Have you ever had a friend who presses "like" and comments on all of your mutual friends’ posts but ignores yours? You’d like to rise above it all, but you can’t help feeling hurt? Or, are you the person who scrolls through friends' posts, but can't bring yourself to "like" them? My guest, Rudri Patel, and I give advice to a letter writer who is frustrated by her close friend's social media shunning. And remember to stick around for the Better Friendship Goal of the week at the end of the episode.ALL THE DEAR NINA LINKS + CONTACT INFO📢 This week’s fabulous sponsor + how to purchase ad space on Dear Nina📱 Subscribe to my newsletter “Conversations About Friendship” on Substack❤️ Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, the Dear Nina Facebook group📪 Ask an anonymous friendship question🔎 Want to work with me or need another link? That’s probably here.Our sponsor this week is Esther Goldenberg, author of THE SONG OF THE BLUE BIRD, sold everywhere you love to buy books.
Special thank you, as always, to my assistant producer, Rebekah Jacobs!
Aug 9, 2021 • 27min
#4 - Revealing Too Much Too Soon With New Friends with Christie Tate
Christie Tate, author of Group: How One Therapist And A Circle of Strangers Saved My Life, joined me to answer an anonymous question about mental health and how much to reveal to a new friend. Christie and I discussed if you have what some might consider "extra baggage," whether this is something you should tell a new friend right away. If not, when is the right time to share personal details that might scare away a new friend if told too soon?ALL THE DEAR NINA LINKS + CONTACT INFO📢 This week’s fabulous sponsor + how to purchase ad space on Dear Nina📱 Subscribe to my newsletter “Conversations About Friendship” on Substack❤️ Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, the Dear Nina Facebook group📪 Ask an anonymous friendship question🔎 Want to work with me or need another link? That’s probably here.Our sponsor this week is Esther Goldenberg, author of THE SONG OF THE BLUE BIRD, sold everywhere you love to buy books.
Special thank you, as always, to my assistant producer, Rebekah Jacobs!
Jul 27, 2021 • 23min
#3 - The Friend Who Never Initiates Contact with Pam Moore
Are you the friend who calls or texts first and reaches out for plans, or do you let your friends reach out first? In this episode my guest, Pam Moore, and I answer a letter from someone who is tired of making all the effort to get in touch or instigate plans. And as it turns out, some of the most popular internet searches leading to my website is the phrase, "My friend never initiates contact," "My friend never texts first," "My friend never makes plans first," "Why do I always have to initiate plans first?" So obviously there are plenty of people out there feeling insecure about being the ones who initiate contact first and it makes them question whether the friendship is real or one worth continuing to pursue if it’s a newer friend. Pam and I spoke about what it's like when you're the friend who always initiates contact, or when you’re the friend who lets other people reach out first.Pam Moore is an occupational therapist-turned-intuitive eating coach and health and fitness journalist. As an intuitive eating coach, her mission is to help women detach their self-worth from their weight and to move their bodies because it feels good — not as a punishment. The author of There's No Room for Fear in a Burley Trailer, Pam's writing has also been published in The Washington Post, Runner's World, SELF, The Guardian, Time, Outside, AARP, and Forbes, among others.ALL THE DEAR NINA LINKS + CONTACT INFO📢 This week’s fabulous sponsor + how to purchase ad space on Dear Nina📱 Subscribe to my newsletter “Conversations About Friendship” on Substack❤️ Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, the Dear Nina Facebook group📪 Ask an anonymous friendship question🔎 Want to work with me or need another link? That’s probably here.Our sponsor this week is Esther Goldenberg, author of THE SONG OF THE BLUE BIRD, sold everywhere you love to buy books.
Special thank you, as always, to my assistant producer, Rebekah Jacobs!
Jul 26, 2021 • 16min
#1 - The Friend Who Will Only Text (with my mom!)
If you have a friend who will only text, do you accept that fact if you’re more of a phone talker? What if you're the one who prefers to text, but your good friend insists on phone chats? Can a friendship last when the modes of communication are not agreed upon? My guest today is my mom, Kathy Sackheim, whose wise words I've quoted in my column for many years. ALL THE DEAR NINA LINKS + CONTACT INFO📢 This week’s fabulous sponsor + how to purchase ad space on Dear Nina📱 Subscribe to my newsletter “Conversations About Friendship” on Substack❤️ Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, the Dear Nina Facebook group📪 Ask an anonymous friendship question🔎 Want to work with me or need another link? That’s probably here.Our sponsor this week is Esther Goldenberg, author of THE SONG OF THE BLUE BIRD, sold everywhere you love to buy books.
Special thank you, as always, to my assistant producer, Rebekah Jacobs!
Jul 26, 2021 • 16min
#2 - The Friend Whose Kid Is Being Mean To Your Kid with Taryn Kessel
Episode #2: How do you manage adult friendships when the kids are fighting or are no longer friends. Can adult friendships survive after the kids’ friendships have ended? Even after your close friend's kid/tween/teen was nasty to your kid? We say yes, but it can be an artful dance of not getting on somebody else's emotional roller coaster. And don’t forget to listen to the end of the show for the Better Friendship Goal of the week.FIND THE SHOW NOTES HERELet's connect over all things friendship! My Substack newsletter about friendship & moreDear Nina website with show notes and a guide to pitching yourself as a guestInstagram , TikTok, Twitter, Youtube, ThreadsJOIN the Dear Nina Facebook group Ask an anonymous questionOur sponsor this week is Esther Goldenberg, author of THE SONG OF THE BLUE BIRD, sold everywhere you love to buy books.
Special thank you, as always, to my assistant producer, Rebekah Jacobs!
Jul 14, 2021 • 3min
Welcome to Dear Nina: Conversations About Friendship
Dear Nina, Conversations About Friendship is a podcast for people who love discussing the ups and downs of friendship. I'm Nina Badzin, a writer who has been writing about friendship since 2014, when two editors of a friendship focused website offered me an advice column.I'm not a therapist. I'm not a social worker. I'm someone with a passion for friendship who offers a practical and compassionate take to anyone who asks for my advice. I will never be snarky about it, but I will be direct.You'd think after answering anonymous friendship questions online for a decade that I'd be sick of the topic. I'm not. In fact, I'm more interested than ever about why some friendships work and some don't. And I love having guests on episodes to discuss the friendship problems that regularly come through my inbox.On Dear Nina I discuss topics like whether texting is enough to sustain a friendship; what to do if your friend is always selling you something; setting boundaries with friends who ask for a lot of favors; the frustrating reality of being the friend who always initiates contact first; why it's so hard to make plans with friends; how to not resent your friend whose kid left your kid out of the homecoming group, helping a friend who's in a health crisis; friendship triangles; hurt feelings; how to make friends at any age, friendships in your twenties, thirties, forties, (which is my age) fifties, sixties, and way beyond. Because making friends, keeping friends, and managing the awkward end of a friendship is a timeless and ageless issue.In addition to weekly episodes, join my always growing group in Facebook called Dear Nina: The Group, where we discuss friendship dilemmas and lighter things like what we're reading and watching. I'm on Instagram and TikTok at @dearninafriendship and on Substack at DearNina.friendship.com where I still answer anonymous questions. I hope to see you around every week for fantastic guests or short and sweet solo episodes that will help you be a better friend and have stronger friendships. Why? I say it at the end of every episode: When our friendships are going well, we're happier all around. ALL THE DEAR NINA LINKS + CONTACT INFO📢 This week’s fabulous sponsor + how to purchase ad space on Dear Nina📱 Subscribe to my newsletter “Conversations About Friendship” on Substack❤️ Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, the Dear Nina Facebook group📪 Ask an anonymous friendship question🔎 Want to work with me or need another link? That’s probably here.Our sponsor this week is Esther Goldenberg, author of THE SONG OF THE BLUE BIRD, sold everywhere you love to buy books.
Special thank you, as always, to my assistant producer, Rebekah Jacobs!
