The Friendship Tour | How to Make Friends, Adult Friendships, Healthy Relationships, Friendship Tips and Advice

53 | You Don't Just Need Friends - You Need Community (Here's Why)

This week on The Friendship Tour, Cecelia Curtis shares why community matters more than we sometimes realize—and how a simple Friday night at the football field reminded her of that truth.
We’re talking about the difference between friendship and community, and the three big reasons why having a village around you makes life a little easier, a little lighter, and a whole lot more joyful.
If you’ve ever felt stretched too thin, emotionally drained, or just wished someone else could pick up your kids or drop off dinner—you’re not alone. This episode is your gentle reminder that you don’t have to do it all by yourself.
Because the truth is: you need community. And it needs you, too.
After the episode, join the growing online community women like you - women who are passionate about friendship and community. Join us in the Women, Friendship, and Community Facebook group.Want more episodes like this one? Listen to the episodes below! Or, find another that speaks to you.
BONUS - Virtual Book Club Invitation46 | What Are Deep Friendships, and How Are They Formed? - featuring Lisa Jones Clinton41 | What is Community? It Might Be More Than You Think6 | Childhood Neighbors Make the Best Friends! - featuring Nadeen Gayle*BE A GOOD FRIEND!*

BONUS - Virtual Book Club Invitation

Hi Friends!
Let's read a book together! Why? So we can connect with other amazing women. And, because I personally want to read more and scroll less. I'm just being honest.
If you want to join me for a virtual book club, please send a message to ccurtis@thefriendshiptourpodcast.com. Don't wait too long, though! I want to make sure the groups are small enough for women to engage with one another, so we only have room for a small group of women.
Registration will remain open until Wednesday, April 16th or until all spots have been filled, whichever comes first.
A few more details...
1. We're reading Here One Moment by Liane Moriarty.
2. The group will meet once or twice between now and the end of May.
3. I'll ask all ladies to keep their cameras on for the Book Club since we want to get to know one another.
 
I look forward to reading with you soon!
 

52 | Real Talk - New Friends Can Be Exhausting...and AMAZING! - featuring Kina Thornton Frazier

Women often talk about wanting more friends and/or deeper friendships, but you know what we don’t often talk about? How exhausting it can be to make new friends! The whole process is a bit like dating - you meet someone you think is cool, but is the feeling mutual? How do you exchange contact information? And, once you DO exchange phone numbers and follow one another on all the socials, what’s next? How often should you text? How much is too much? How frequently should you hang out? How much is too much? You want to show interest, but not come on too strongly. AAAGGGHHH! There’s so much to think about.
In this episode, my lifelong friend, Kina Thornton-Frazier, and I discuss all the little ways in which new friendships can be a bit tiring AND all the ways new friendships can be absolutely AMAZING and oh so worth the effort.
After the episode, be sure to leave a 5-star review and share the podcast with a friend.
Then, explore more episodes about lifelong friendship!
1 | What is a True Friend? - featuring Lauren Gray
3 | Do You Want Lifelong Friends? Learn to Forgive and Ask for Forgiveness - featuring Dr. L’Tanya Morrow-Cain
6 | Childhood Neighbors Make the Best Friends - featuring Nadeen Gayle
7 | We Were on a Break! How Two Friends Grew Apart, Then Back Together (part 1) - featuring Wendy Alleyne
8 | We were on a Break! How Two Friends Grew Apart, Then Back Together (part 2) - featuring Wendy Alleyne

51 | Here's One Thing That Could Be Ruining Your Friendships Before They Even Get Started

You want friends. You NEED friends. But you keep thinking about all the previous friendships that didn’t work out. Or, perhaps a bad relationship has shaken your confidence in yourself and in forming new relationships. Maybe you grew up in a toxic or unhealthy family and never really learned how to form healthy relationships. You might even be playing the same old unhealthy scenarios in your mind over and over and over again. Sounds like you might have baggage. And that baggage could be holding you back from establishing and maintaining healthy friendships.
 
If you want to hear more about how baggage might be ruining your friendships before they even get started, check out this full episode.
 
If you feel like baggage really, truly is the problem, and you need help dealing with it, please contact a qualified therapist or counselor in your area.
 
If you want to connect with an amazing group of women on a regular basis, join the Women, Friendship, and Community Facebook group.
 
Want to hear more episodes like this one? Check out the list below.
 
44 | Does Your Friend Need Mental Health Support? Here are 6 Ways You Can Help - featuring Dr. Kandece Skinner
 
32 | Feeling Left Out? You're Not Alone - featuring Lauren Gray
 
29 | Boundaries - What They Are, Why We Need Them, and How We Establish Them - featuring Ashley Cook

50 | Iron Sharpens Iron - How Our Friends Can Help Us Succeed in Life - featuring Michelle Dallas

“Birds of a feather flock together.” “Show me your friends, and I’ll show you your future.” We’ve all heard sayings that encourage us to be mindful of the company we keep - and for good reason! Our relationships, whether familial, romantic, or platonic, have the ability to influence our success, or lack thereof, in life.
 
Join Michelle Dallas and me for a conversation about iron sharpening iron. Listen in as we discuss pushing, encouraging, and motivating one another to be the best versions of ourselves. Sometimes, the push and encouragement is through spoken words. Other times, it’s not a push or a nudge at all - it’s just a matter of being awesome and letting that awesomeness rub off.
 
In the best of circumstances, our friends push us to be better, while still respecting all the things that make us unique as individuals.
 
After the episode, let’s keep the conversation going in the Women, Friendship, and Community Facebook group. I’d love to hear about a friend who encourages YOU to succeed in life.
 
Want to hear more from Michelle and other amazing women? Check out the episodes below.
 
31 | What Do You Do When a Friend Moves Away (other than cry, of course)? - featuring Michelle Dallas
 
43 | STOP KEEPING SCORE! Aim for Tranformational, Not Transactional Friendships - featuring Stewanna Dasari
 
37 | GIRL! You Trippin’! How a Friend’s Honesty Helped My Marriage - featuring Alicia MatthewsFinal thoughts...
1. If you love The Friendship Tour, please leave a review and share with a friend.
2. *BE A GOOD FRIEND!*

49 | 5 Warning Signs You Shouldn't Ignore When Making New Friends

Have you ever met someone who seemed nice, engaged with her a few times, then something happened that made you think, “NOPE! This friendship isn’t for me.” Perhaps that happened to you. You met, hung out, then nada - you never heard from her again. What happened???
 
We all have our relationship warning signs or red flags - the things that make us think the relationship just won’t work out. And other people have them, too. And, that’s okay! Those little warning signs are how we protect ourselves from relationships that just aren’t right for us - for whatever reason.
 
When you see the warning signs, what do you do? Do you try to power through and build a friendship anyway (not advised) or do you move on to someone who might be a better fit for you?
 
Everyone is different, and everyone has their own relationship warning signs. In this episode, I share five of the warning signs I just can’t ignore when making new friends. You may have a different list, but it IS important to give some thought to which behaviors and habits you will and will not tolerate in a relationship. Then, if you’re serious about making and keeping friends, consider if there’s anything YOU’RE doing that might be a turnoff to others.
 
Next Steps:
Listen to the episode.
If you like the episode, share it with a friend or on social media.
Leave a comment about the episode in the Women, Community, and Facebook group. Talking about friendship is a lot more fun when I get to hear YOUR thoughts, too.
 
Do you like this episode? Here are two more you might enjoy.
 
29 | Boundaries - What They Are, Why We Need Them, and How We Establish Them - featuring Ashley Cook
 
18 | CHEMISTRY! When it Comes to Relationships, You Either Have it or You Don’t - featuring Dr. Bryan Curtis

48 | 4 Ideas to Help Introverts Make Friends

I keep seeing the same joke about introverts on social media…”How do introverts make friends? They wait for extroverts to find them, like them, and adopt them.” Funny, but not funny.
 
If you’re an introvert who struggles with making friends, this episode is for you. In this episode, you’ll hear 4 ideas for making friends as an introvert. The first idea is the biggest one - change your mindset. Being an introvert is not a disadvantage or a problem. It’s just who you are. It’s what makes you YOU! So, embrace it!
 
If you want to hear the other 3 tips for making friends as an introvert, check out the full episode.
 
After the episode, share your thoughts in the Women, Friendship, and Community Facebook group.
 
Want More Episodes About Making New Friends? Check out any one of my episodes with a guest! We almost always share how we met and a favorite friendship moment. Don’t feel like scrolling through the episode list? No problem. See the list below for a few episodes about making friends.
 
34 | 5 Tips for Making New Friends
45 | 5 MORE Tips for Making Friends
30 | How to Start and Nurture a New Friend as an Adult - featuring Jenai Eustache11 | How to Make New Friends - Airport Edition - featuring Kinnari Patel*BE A GOOD FRIEND*

47 | If You Love Them, Tell Them

This episode is so simple. If you love them, tell them. Maybe they really need to hear it today. Maybe you really need to say it today. You may not get another chance. You might 1,000 more chances. Say it in ways big and small, and make sure they hear it. I love you. Tell them.

46 | What Are Deep Friendships, and How Are They Formed? - featuring Lisa Clinton

When life gets tough, who has your back? When you have good news to share, who do you call? When you need help with your kids or you're struggling with your health, who’s there for YOU? If you’re not sure how to answer these questions, this episode is for you.Many women, even those who appear to have multiple friends, find themselves coming up short when it comes to deep friendships - the kind of friendships that help you grow, feel supported, and feel less alone in life.In this episode, Lisa Clinton and I discuss what deep friendships are and how they’re formed. Tune in to hear Lisa recall where she met her lifelong friends, the simple way she broke the ice with a potential friend, her thoughts on where to meet positive, like-minded women, and her thoughts about how deep friendships are established.Next Steps:
Listen to the episode.
Leave a 5-star review in Apple Podcasts.
Share the podcast with a friend.
Want to Stay Connected? Join the Women, Friendship, and Community Facebook group! It’s a lot of fun!Want to hear more episodes like this one? See the related episodes below.1 | What is a True Friend? - featuring Lauren Jones Gray
2 | Authenticity: The Key to Deeper Friendships, Personal Freedom, and Peace - featuring Alexandria Fichera
9 | Faith-Building Friends - featuring Theresa Johnson

45 | 5 MORE Tips for Making New Friends

What do you do when you meet someone interesting, cool, or fun - someone who you’d like to be friends with? What are the next steps?
In episode 34, I shared 5 tips for making new friends. Here in episode 45, I’m sharing 5 MORE tips for making new friends. Why? Because friendship is so important! And, despite many of us having hundreds or thousands of social media friends or followers, many of us are still longing for deeper, more meaningful connections in real life.
This episode was adapted from an article I wrote for Just Between Us Magazine several years ago. You can find the full article here: https://justbetweenus.org/christian-relationship-advice/real-friendships/10-tips-for-making-new-friends/.
Want more episodes about making new friends?
11 | Making New Friends-Airport Edition - featuring Kinnari Patel 
30 | How to Start and Nurture a New Friendship as an Adult - featuring Jenai Eustache 
34 | 5 Tips for Making New Friends
Let's keep the conversation going! Join the Women, Friendship, and Community group on Facebook! We'll talk about the The Friendship Tour podcast episodes and all things friendship!
 
*BE A GOOD FRIEND!*