Parenting for Deep Relationships in a Digital World with Joey Odom
Mar 25, 2025
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Joey Odom, co-founder of ReclaimWell, shares insights on nurturing deep relationships amid digital distractions. He emphasizes that kids benefit more from seeing adults model friendship than from achieving perfection in parenting. The conversation explores how technology can hinder or help our connections, urging families to intentionally foster meaningful interactions. Odom highlights the importance of creating a welcoming home for friendships and advocates for the power of unstructured, low-pressure moments that deepen bonds.
Friendship serves as a fundamental spiritual need, pivotal for personal connections and spiritual growth in understanding one's purpose.
Technology has a dual role in friendships, potentially hindering face-to-face interactions while also offering tools for better relationship management.
Parents modeling healthy friendships lays the groundwork for their children to cultivate deep connections and understand the value of relationships.
Deep dives
The Necessity of Friendship
Friendship is portrayed as a fundamental spiritual need that enhances one’s relationship with God and the world. It is emphasized that individuals cannot fully experience God as intended without engaging with others. Personal relationships are essential for spiritual growth, suggesting that true connection and community are vital for understanding one's purpose and identity. Throughout the podcast, it is stated that building connections should be foundational to living a fulfilling life.
The Impact of Technology on Relationships
The role of technology in friendships is critically examined, particularly how devices can hinder meaningful connections. It is explained that while smartphones and other gadgets can be useful, they often create an 'intimacy crisis' by diverting attention away from face-to-face interactions. The discussion includes the invention of a product designed to help people manage their screen time and encourage healthier relationships. This initiative aims to foster environments where individuals can prioritize personal interactions over digital distractions.
Modeling Friendships for Future Generations
Parents are encouraged to exemplify healthy friendships to their children, as kids learn from their parents’ behavior. The importance of creating opportunities for children to witness strong social bonds is highlighted, as it shapes their understanding of friendships. Whether through hosting gatherings or participating in activities with friends, modeling relational engagement serves as a foundation for children to value and cultivate deep connections. This approach not only strengthens family ties but also prepares children to build their own friendships.
The Balance Between Presence and Technology
The conversation steers towards finding a balance between using technology as a tool and ensuring that it does not replace in-person interactions. The metaphor comparing technology to snacks emphasizes that while it can support friendships, reliance on it can lead to a lack of real nourishment in relationships. Strategies for creating 'junk time' with friends are discussed, suggesting that time spent together, regardless of the activity, helps strengthen bonds. The importance of intentionality in friendship is reinforced, highlighting that active engagement is essential for sustaining relationships.
Encouragement and Honesty in Friendships
The podcast culminates in discussing how to effectively communicate encouragement and constructive criticism within friendships. It is noted that rebukes should be framed as acts of love aimed at revealing potential pitfalls, while encouragement should affirm positive behaviors worth continuing. By being open to both giving and receiving feedback, friendships can flourish and individuals can grow. This transparency fosters deeper connections and helps individuals feel truly seen, known, and valued.
What if the most important thing your kids need from you isn’t a perfect home—but a model of deep, committed friendship?
In this episode of the Made for People podcast, I sit down with Joey Odom, co-founder of Aro (now rebranded as ReclaimWell), to talk about the powerful connection between technology, friendship, and parenting. We explore how our devices can either help or hinder our relationships—and how the way we use them is shaping the next generation more than we realize.
We discuss:
✔️ Healthier and less healthy ways technology shows up in our friendships
✔️ How to model friendship in everyday life for your children
✔️ Why the #1 predictor of your child’s future life is your current one
✔️ How to shepherd your children toward a life of deep relationships
✔️ Why friendship isn’t just a good idea—it might actually change the world
Join us for this honest and hope-filled conversation about how to build homes where friendship is normal, screens serve people (not the other way around), and kids develop the habits of deep and lasting friendship.
