Friendship Development

The first survival guide for bridesmaids to protect their sanity and their wallets—and a call to reimagine the role.

You'd love to have a "ride or die" posse like you see on social media, but instead you have a host of really good...acquaintances. After all, trying to find a soul friend in the midst of dirty dishes, deadlines, and, oh, a crazy busy life can be overwhelming. But what if developing great friendships was actually easier than we thought? And what if finding a "soul friend" wasn't necessarily our highest goal? In The Life Council, Laura Tremaine tells us what we've been hoping was true all along: making, keeping, and even releasing friends doesn't need to be as hard as we make it.

Everyone including yourself deserves to have a fulfilling and loving relationship with a significant other. If you have constantly found yourself falling for a good friend but never having the courage to state your intentions, this book is for you. It's time to take control and responsibility for where you are in your personal relationships. Jim and Pam from The Office was not just a once in a million example of a great man successfully getting out of the friend zone. Take an hour, read this book, and take your situation into your own hands.

Wish conversations felt easier—and actually led to real friendships? You’re not alone. In a world of nonstop scrolling and shallow small talk, feeling awkward or invisible in social settings has become the norm. But connection is a skill—and you can learn it. The Art of Talking to People is a practical, encouraging guide to rebuilding your confidence, enjoying conversations again, and forming meaningful friendships—without fake smiles, memorized scripts, or trying to be someone you’re not.

Who Needs Friends charts McCarthy’s journey for nearly ten thousand miles, following him on often-unexpected travels through Appalachia, the Mississippi Delta, the Chihuahuan Desert, and the Rocky Mountains with one driving purpose: to see his friends.

Over the course of four years, the traveling love rally called Together Live brought together diverse storytellers for epic evenings of laughter, music, and hard-won wisdom to huge audiences across the country. Well-known womxn (and the occasional man) from all walks of life shared their most vulnerable truths in a radical act of love, paving the way for healing in the face of adversity.

Every parent hopes their child will develop healthy and happy friendships. However, most parents don't know what to do that will encourage their child to be a friend and attract friends. The author offers clear-cut friendship-making guidelines for parents and their children. Some of the book's recommendations include: don't over-schedule a child's time; guide children to participate in "friend-attracting" activities; seek out friends in the neighborhood.

Learn how to set and maintain boundaries: Overcome fear of saying no, and improve self-esteem so you can stop being taken advantage of and start building meaningful friendships. “You have to be able to set boundaries, otherwise the rest of the world is telling you who you are and what you should be doing.”

In a world where women can unfriend each other with the swipe of a finger, how do we find friendships that we can trust to last? Maybe by first becoming those kinds of lasting friends ourselves. As the community manager at the website incourage.me since 2010, Lisa-Jo Baker has had the chance to engage hundreds of conversations with women about friendship. She's learned that no one can make us quite as unsure about ourselves as another woman. And nothing can wound as deeply as unkind words from a friend.

Listening helps us be there for others, to support them in tough times and to strengthen our relationships with partners, family, friends and colleagues. From opening up a conversation with someone who might be struggling, to how to use gentle encouragement to help others share their stories, How to Listen demonstrates the power of listening without judgement and draws on the extensive experience of Samaritans in offering practical advice to apply to your own life.

Do you find yourself constantly interrupting or failing to fully engage in conversations, leading to missed opportunities for connection and growth? Do you struggle with communication breakdowns in your personal or professional life, leading to frustration, stress, and misunderstandings? Listening is the most used communication skill, as you devote 55% of your time to listening during conversations.

Seventy-three-year-old sportscaster Bob Walsh didn't bother to ask his three adult sons if they would like to join him on a Thanksgiving week fly fishing trip to western New York before he booked and paid for it. It had been five years since all four men had been together, and they didn't have another five years to wait. As prized steelhead trout returned to the river to spawn where they were born, the Walshes retraced their roots, reeling in fish and each other; settling old beefs, reconnecting as friends, and bonding as men.

The consequences of loneliness and isolation extend far beyond mere feelings of emptiness or discomfort. Studies have consistently shown that chronic loneliness poses significant risks to both mental and physical health. It is associated with a higher likelihood of developing depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideation. Moreover, prolonged isolation can lead to a weakened immune system, increased inflammation, and a greater risk of cardiovascular disease. The impact of loneliness on overall well-being cannot be overstated.

Although Paul Auster and J. M. Coetzee had been reading each other’s books for years, the two writers did not meet until February 2008. Not long after, Auster received a letter from Coetzee, suggesting they begin exchanging letters on a regular basis and, “God willing, strike sparks off each other.” Here and Now is the result of that proposal: the epistolary dialogue between two great writers who became great friends. Over three years their letters touched on nearly every subject, from sports to fatherhood, film festivals to incest, philosophy to politics....

This 3-in-1 guide gives you 120+ tools, scripts, and self-reflection exercises to help you heal attachment wounds, stop manipulative habits, and build meaningful relationships that feel safe, clear, and real. Plus, you’ll get a FREE 12-in-1 “Toxic Recovery” Bonus Bundle packed with even more healing tools to support your journey.

From the Scotiabank Giller Prize finalist, a gripping exploration of class, race, friendship, sexuality, what an author owes her subject and what it means to be a good person—all wrapped up in a riveting Canadian true crime story.

Blending psychology, personal stories, and real-world insight, this audiobook offers a practical guide to navigating the ups and downs of modern friendships. Whether you're strengthening existing bonds or creating new ones, you’ll find the tools to foster trust, resolve conflict, and grow meaningful relationships.

Eva Hagberg Fisher spent her lonely youth looking everywhere for connection: drugs, alcohol, therapists, boyfriends, girlfriends. Sometimes she found it, but always temporarily. Then, at age 30, an undiscovered mass in her brain ruptured. So did her life. A brain surgery marked only the beginning of a long journey, and when her illness hit a critical stage, it forced her to finally admit the long suppressed truth: she was vulnerable, she needed help, and she longed to grow. She needed true friendship for the first time.

Despite modern technology and the ample ways we have to keep in touch, we risk neglecting our relationships with the people who have the most profound effect on our well-being: our friends. Weaving together personal stories, interviews with experts, and social research, Friendship First empowers you to nurture relationships with friends both new and old.

A speaker, teacher, and compelling storyteller, Lisa Whelchel writes from her heart and her head, sharing her story and helping women understand how to cope with the strengths and weaknesses of friendship, and basing all her advice on the foundation of our ultimate relationship with the Savior.