What if the single greatest predictor of your health, resilience, and career satisfaction isn’t a biohack, but your friendships? In this energizing conversation, Professor Emeritus and physician-wellbeing pioneer Dr. Dael Waxman joins Lisa, and Dr. Russ to unpack how authentic connection fuels longevity, lowers burnout, and makes work (and life) a whole lot better.

From simple micro-moves—like a 10-second “thinking of you” text—to culture-shaping leadership practices, Dr. Waxman shows how to build trust across power dynamics, sustain relationships in busy seasons, and create workplaces where meaningful connection can actually happen. You’ll leave with practical, human steps you can do today, no extra time required.

Why listen

• Learn the micro-skills that strengthen friendships in seconds (and why they work).

• Navigate friendship across hierarchies without blurring boundaries.

• Connection-positive ideas you can pilot at work (yes, even if you’re “lonely at the top”).

• Reboot your post-pandemic social muscle with low-risk, high-impact actions.

One powerful prompt to try today
Who just popped into your mind? Send them a one-line text: “You came to mind—cheering you on today.” Notice how you feel—and what comes back.

About Our Guest:
Dael Waxman, MD, PCC is a professionally certified coach who works with individuals, groups, and teams to support leadership, life, and professional well-being. He is also a faculty member at the Healthcare Coaching Institute.

Previously, he served as Professor and Vice Chair of Family Medicine at Atrium Health – Wake Forest School of Medicine, where he also created the role of Medical Director of Physician Well-being for Medical Education.

Drawing on decades of experience in medicine and coaching, Dael helps people strengthen relationships, foster resilience, and build more supportive workplace cultures.

Outside of work, he enjoys travel, kayaking, hiking, cooking, and—most recently—learning barista skills.

You can connect with Dael at https://www.linkedin.com/in/dael-waxman-md-pcc-18917322/

©Friendship Institute 2025

Friendship Matters™ is intended to help improve our Friendship IQ. While this generally signals an improvement in our overall wellbeing, this podcast is not intended in any way to offer specific counseling or medical advice. Please seek help from a trained professional.

Are the people closest to you energizing your life, or quietly exhausting it?

Not all friendships fuel us, some quietly deplete our energy, joy, and even our confidence. In this eye-opening episode, Donna, Lisa, and Dr. Russ unpack the different types of “energy-draining” relationships, from constant complainers and drama magnets to takers, critics, and insecure friends who always have a bigger story. Through real-life stories, research, and practical tools, they reveal how to set boundaries, prune unhealthy connections, and reinvest in friendships that energize and enrich your life. You’ll also learn the simple “3E Filter” (energize, exhaust, enrich) to help you evaluate your relationships and free up space for the people who truly light you up.

Listen in to better understand:

• Why setting boundaries isn’t selfish but essential for sustaining healthy, life-giving friendships.
• How to reinvest your time and energy into relationships that truly enrich and support you.

©Friendship Institute 2025

Friendship Matters™ is intended to help improve our Friendship IQ. While this generally signals an improvement in our overall wellbeing, this podcast is not intended in any way to offer specific counseling or medical advice. Please seek help from a trained professional.

Do you know how to navigate shifting relationships with grace, spot red flags, and know when it’s time to hold on or let go? Listen and learn why endings aren’t failures, how to reframe change, and how to keep friendships life-giving at every stage.

Friendships aren’t static, they evolve, shift, and sometimes fade. In this episode, Donna, Lisa, and Dr. Russ dive into the dynamic nature of friendships, exploring why change is natural, how to recognize when a friendship fuels you—or drains you—and what to do when relationships no longer align.

From “reason, season, lifetime” connections to navigating energy vampires and emotional safety, they offer honest stories and practical wisdom on how to adapt, reframe endings, and even rekindle old bonds.

If you’ve ever struggled with drifting apart, knowing when to hold on, or when it’s time to release a friendship with grace, this conversation will help you see change not as failure—but as an essential part of the friendship journey.

©Friendship Institute 2025

Friendship Matters™ is intended to help improve our Friendship IQ. While this generally signals an improvement in our overall wellbeing, this podcast is not intended in any way to offer specific counseling or medical advice. Please seek help from a trained professional.