This podcast episode of NPR's Life Kit addresses listener questions about navigating friendship challenges. The hosts, along with friendship experts Danielle Bayard Jackson and Marisa G. Franco, offer advice on handling conflict, setting boundaries, and maintaining friendships through life changes (e.g., marriage, parenthood). Specific strategies include focusing on desired outcomes rather than complaints, offering alternative solutions to disagreements, and communicating needs directly and vulnerably. Listeners gain practical tools for improving communication and resolving conflicts within their friendships, fostering stronger and more authentic connections. For example, one solution suggested for dealing with a friend's excessive texting is to directly express a preference for in-person interactions while affirming the value of the friendship.
