24. Cultivating Deep Friendships & Connection As A Bosswoman & Bossmama with Dr. Neeta Bhushan

Hello, Brave Table fam, and welcome back. This week I’m riding solo to talk about something so many of you have asked me about: friendships. How to build them, nurture them, and, when it’s time, how to let them go to pursue ones that are aligned with your next evolution. 

What you’ll get out of this episode….

- How to a create community aligned with your goals and shared experiences

- Why it’s so important to prioritize friendships and sisterhood, even when life gets busy

- Evolving your friendships to reflect the season you’re in 

- The value of finding friends who you can learn from and transform together

- Discovering what lights you up and gets you curious so you can find others who share your passions 

- Moving from friendships focused on status & the superficial to something deeper

- If you want to go deep and your friends don’t, why you need to upgrade your tribe, and how to do it 

- How to do a ‘friend inventory’: determining what you need out of your friendships and what you have to offer

- Ways to put yourself out there to meet new people and find your tribe 

- Accepting when friendships end and letting go with grace 

When you’re a bosswoman or a bossmama, or just focused on your children or career, sometimes friendships take a back seat. And, if you’re the introvert in the room, I can totally see how friendships get pushed to the side so you can cozy up on the couch and read books instead.

But they are our LIFE FORCE. They are what keep us going! And the further we get on this journey of life, the harder it can become to meet—and keep—strong friendships with people who are as committed to growth, self-development, and emotional wellbeing as you are. 

When I was still running my dentistry practice, many of my friendships were pretty surface-level. They usually revolved around the latest gossip, and mutual victimized complaining (yanno, the kind: “You had that happen to you? Well, I had it way worse!) Yep, and I know I’m not alone. As women, we love to sulk and share how bad our lives are to find shared connections and belong! 

It wasn’t until I sold my business and started on my research journey around the globe, meeting friends from different walks of life—from different retreats/events/places—and landing in places like Kuala Lumpur & Bali that I found my friendships 100% radically shifted. Finally, I was meeting humans with the same life missions, depth, and spiritual journeys in an incredible community of expats and change-makers who matched the path I was on. 

Through this shared experience, I noticed how much deeper I was able to connect with others than I had been in the past—and how much more quickly, too. But it required putting myself out there, seeking experiences where I knew I would find like-minded and like-hearted individuals, and accepting that it was time to evolve out of some old friendships that were no longer serving me. 

And now, as a mama, what I need out of friendships has changed again. So lately, I’ve been doing what I called a friend inventory, and as you listen, I invite you to do the same. What do you need out of a friendship right now? What aspects of your friendships are no longer serving you? How can you create shared experiences with others, and how will you put yourself out there to have those experiences?

Our friendships need to grow with us, not hold us back. If you find yourself in a new season with how you relate to your friends, this episode will guide you through how to nurture the relationships you value or recognize that you need to upgrade your tribe.

If you loved this episode, make sure you also check out…

- More about women supporting other women and finding your people with Miki Agrawal.

- Becoming more of yourself so you can attract the right people into your life with Vasavi Kumar.

- Pursuing your life purpose and finding your people at the Dharma Coaching Institute.

Thank you so much for being here, and see you next time!