
Friend Forward
This is a podcast for modern women looking to understand the complexities of female friendship. Hosted by Danielle Bayard Jackson --female friendship coach and educator-- Friend Forward provides research, strategies, and tough-love truth to answer your questions about how to navigate relationships with other women. Tune in every week for new insights about how to create and maintain better female friendships. (And in between episodes, follow along on TikTok at @thefriendshipexpert or IG @daniellebayardjackson)
Latest episodes

Apr 25, 2025 • 23min
The Role of Proximity and Perception in Women's Friendships
In this episode of the Friend Forward podcast, host Danielle Bayard Jackson presents three hard truths about:the shrinking nature of our social networksthe importance of physical proximity in forming friendshipsand the subjective nature of friendship qualityBy sharing research findings and personal insights, Jackson encourages listeners to take proactive steps in enhancing their social connections and understanding the dynamics of their relationships.MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:May 11 Live Webinar: "6 Cultural and Environmental Barriers to Friend-Making for Adult Women" Register at betterfemalefriendships.com/webinarAre you the unofficial "coach" of your friend group? Become certified as a women's relational health coach and you can be helping more women (while enjoying a profitable business). Learn more by visiting womensrelationalhealthinstitute.com.Enjoy full episodes and bonus resources as a member of "Office Hours", our private community. Become a member at betterfemalefriendships.com/podcastTHANK YOU TO OUR SPONSOR, TELL PUBLIC RELATIONSIf you've been watching the growth of Danielle Bayard Jackson and the Friend Forward brand (speaking engagements, podcast appearances -ahem, Mel Robbins!-global partnerships, book deals, speaking engagements and more), and you'd like to experience that visibility for your own brand, we can help.Join our 4-week "Visibility Summer School" to spend a FRACTION of the price it would cost to hire a publicist and begin getting the shine that you deserve.Learn more at tellpublicrelations.com.** Follow Danielle on Instagram **

Apr 17, 2025 • 20min
Communal v. Exchange Relationships and the Reasons Some Friends "Keep Score"
Reciprocity is the cornerstone of any healthy female friendship, but what do you do with someone who's so fixated on reciprocity that it turns into scorekeeping? And why do some obsess over everything being perfectly even while others are able to let it go?In this episode, host Danielle Bayard Jackson (relational health educator, female friendship expert, author of Fighting for our Friendships) shares research that explains the different kinds of "giving" in relationships-- and how to manage it all in a healthy way.-----------------------*Join our Friendship Elevated Group Coaching Program for four months of caring, personalized, community-based support as your friendship landscape is completely transformed. Sign-up here.** For full episodes, bonus resources, and more, join "Office Hours", our Patreon community. Betterfemalefriendships.com/podcast (Book club starts soon!)--------------------------Sponsor: TELL Public RelationsIf you are an entrepreneur or brand leader and you want to enjoy the same kind of visibility that Friend Forward has gained over the past five years (book deals, national media appearances, paid speaking engagements), consider learning how to become your own publicist. Join "Visibility Summer School" launching this June. BONUS: Sign-up before 4/25 and you'll get a complimentary PR audit of your social media accounts and website within 48 hours of signing-up.

Apr 14, 2025 • 13min
Where do you turn for friendship advice? Here are 4 questions to evaluate your resources.
In this episode of the Friend Forward podcast, host and women's relational health coach Danielle Bayard Jackson discusses the importance of evaluating the sources of friendship advice that women often turn to. She emphasizes the need for validation of feelings, the importance of being equipped for better friendships, and the impact of resources on emotional well-being. Tune in to hear the four key questions to assess the health of these sources and shares valuable resources for fostering better female friendships.** Full episodes are available exclusively in " Office Hours", our private Patreon channel. See you over there! Betterfemalefriendships.com/podcast----------------------THIS WEEK IS YOUR LAST CHANCE TO JOIN THE FRIENDSHIP ELEVATED GROUP COACHING PROGRAM. [Here]Book Danielle to speak at your event by contacting samantha@tellpublicrelations.com---------------------This episode is sponsored by TELL Public Relations. Want to learn about how the Friend Forward brand grew to international recognition (including book dals, national media, paid speaking engagements, and more)? Your brand can achieve the same visibility. Learn how by visiting tellpublicrelations.com.

Apr 5, 2025 • 25min
How to rewrite the "rules" of friendship-- Interview with Morgan Debaun of Blavity, Inc. and author of "Rewrite Your Rules"
In this episode of the Friend Forward podcast, host Danielle Bard Jackson interviews Morgan Debaun, co-founder and CEO of Blavity and author of "Rewrite Your Rules" about ways to rewrite the rules that govern our friendships. This episode encourages listeners to interrogate their default settings in friendships and to embrace new ways of connecting with others, especially as high-achieving women.Get Morgan's new book here.Join Friendship Elevated Group Coaching for your (last?) chance to work with Danielle.Become a member of "Office Hours" for access to full episodes, bonus content, and supplementary material.Book Danielle to speak at your event (or design women's relational health content, programming, or curriculum for your organization) by contacting info@tellpublicrelations.com---------------------------------------------------------------This episode is sponsored by the new Women's Relational Health Institute.Interested in becoming a women's relational health coach (trained by Danielle Bayard Jackson)? Contact us for details at team@womensrelationalhealthinstitute.com.

Mar 27, 2025 • 14min
"So you want to build a friend group...?" Here are the 4 key ingredients for building a consistent friend group from scratch with Danielle Bayard Jackson
One of the most popular questions we receive on book tour, during workshops, or during panel Q&A's is about having a friend group. While it certainly becomes more challenging to form and maintain in adulthood, it's not impossible!In this episode, host Danielle Bayard Jackson shares 4 things that are the key ingredients of forming a friend group that consistently interacts with each other.FOR THE FULL EPISODE, JOIN US IN "OFFICE HOURS", OUR PATREON COMMUNITY.www.betterfemalefriendships.com/podcast------------Want to book Danielle to speak at your upcoming event? All presentations are customized for the occasion and audience, filled with research and interactive exercises. If you lead a women's group, sorority, school, nonprofit, etc, reach out today. Contact Sam and Samantha@tellpublicrelations.com-------We're about to launch our group coaching program, Friendship Elevated, for its fifth cohort! Sixteen weeks, digital community, self-paced library, bi-weekly coaching calls with Danielle, and a program workbook-- what more could you ask for?Get the details here. www.betterfemalefriendships.com/friendship-elevated... SEATS ARE LIMITED.

Feb 7, 2025 • 20min
"Should we talk about money with friends?" Interview with financial therapist Aja Evans
How do you talk to your friends about money? In this episode of the Friend Forward podcast, friendship expert and host Danielle Bayard Jackson interviews financial therapist Aja Evans whose book "Feel-Good Finance" is a total game-changer.In this episode, we'll cover:-reasons why talking about money in friendships is difficult-research around women's friendship and comfort level with talking about finances-tips from a financial therapist about how to have tough conversation whether you make less or more than your friends.REMEMBER: The FULL 35-MINUTE EPISODE is available exclusive at "Office Hours" (our Patreon). https://www.betterfemalefriendships.c...--------------------------The Women's Connection Summit is happening in 4 weeks in sunny Tampa, Fl! GRAB YOUR TICKET!---------------------------Book host, author, and relational health educator Danielle Bayard Jackson to speak at your event Daniellebayardjackson.com OR grab her book, Fighting for our Friendships: The Science and Art of Conflict and Connection in Women's Relationships-------------------Thank you to our sponsor, WOMEN'S RELATIONAL HEALTH INSTITUTE. Visit womensrelationalhealthinstitute.com

Feb 1, 2025 • 13min
Are you ACTUALLY ready for authentic community? Interview with Cat Lantigua and Danielle Bayard Jackson
We're sharing 5 signs that you may not be ready for authentic community.... yet. After we share these signs, you'll hear an excerpt from our interview with Cat Lantigua, author of the book Build It And They Will Come: A Guide To Architecting Intentional Community.We end the episode with host Danielle Bayard Jackson sharing three ways she dropped the ball with community-building this year (and how she's attempting to recover).Remember, the FULL EPISODE is available EXCLUSIVELY at "Office Hours" (our Patreon channel). Join now.------Our "For the Girls" challenge starts MONDAY, February 3! Free for Patreon members. Join now.-------We're FIVE WEEKS away from the Women's Connection Summit. Grab your ticket NOW before the price goes up.-----This episode is sponsored by the Women's Relational Health Institute, an organization for women leaders who want to build authentic connections for among their female-dominated teams.-----Invite Danielle to speak for your Women's History Month program, summer event, or upcoming staff development. Inquire at daniellebayardjackson.com

Jan 27, 2025 • 8min
Friend Forward Announcements: 4 Things You Should Know About What's Happening BTS
*Announcement Edition*We've got a few things happening behind the scenes that you should know about:Our "For the Girls" challenge kicks off on Monday, February 3 If you're serious about improving the strength and health of your platonic connections with other women, this challenge is for you. Free for members of the "Dean's List" tier of our "Office Hours" community. Join now at Patreon.com/friendforwardGalentine's Day is coming up, and it's the perfect time to round up some of your girls and go through Fighting for our Friendships: The Science and Art of Conflict and Connection in Women's Relationships together. To encourage you to make it happen, we're giving you a free Facilitator's Guide. Download your copy at betterfemalefriendships.com now for a limited time.The Women's Connection Summit is happening in a few WEEKS. Join us in sunny Tampa, Fl for a weekend filled with informative panels, speed-friending, food and drinks, and an opportunity to learn about the science of connection WHILE making new connections in real time. Grab your ticket at womensconnectionsummit.com.If you need a speaker, panelist, or workshop facilitator to explore the science of women's connection and conflict at your Women's History Month event, Danielle Bayard Jackson some availability... so book ASAP. Email Sam at info@tellpublicrelations.com with details and we'll get back to your shortly.

Jan 25, 2025 • 11min
Cynicism is on the rise. Here's how it's ruining your friendships. (Analysis with friendship expert Danielle Bayard Jackson) [Patreon Excerpt]
Research shows that cynicism is on the rise. What does that mean for your ability to create and maintain deep friendships? In this episode of the Friend Forward podcast, we review some key points from the book "Hope for Cynics" by Jamil Zaki and think through the relational consequences of this trend.Remember, the full episode is available exclusively in "Office Hours", our Patreon network.-----*Attend our annual Women's Connection Summit on 3/7-8/2025**Serious about making new friends in the new year? Register for our "Forming Friendships Accelerator!"***Follow Danielle on Instagram

Jan 16, 2025 • 12min
Why are we obsessed with talking about "fake friends" (and how do we find genuine female friendships?) -- Episode excerpt with friendship expert Danielle Bayard Jackson
Why does it seem like women are always talking about "fake friends"? While SOME women really ARE actively betraying their friends and operating with bad intentions, there's actually more to the story.In this episode of the Friend Forward podcast, host, author and relational health educator Danielle Bayard Jackson shares her analysis of the popular phrase.In this EXCERPT of the Friend Forward Podcast, we'll explore:4 theories for why women talk about "fake friends"3 ways to position yourself for genuine female friendshipssigns of a genuine, deep friendshipFULL EPISODES ARE AVAILABLE EXCLUSIVELY IN THE "OFFICE HOURS" COMMUNITY ON PATREON:Join any time at https://www.betterfemalefriendships.c...TAKE OUR NEW COURSE: "FORMING FRIENDSHIPS ACCELERATOR" to learn how to form new connections in 3 weeks (yes, seriously).https://www.betterfemalefriendships.c...COME TO OUR WOMEN'S CONNECTION SUMMIT IN SUNNY TAMPA, FL on MARCH 7-8!https://www.womensconnectionsummit.com/Book Danielle to speak at your event or facilitate a workshop for your team/ school/ business:https://www.betterfemalefriendships.c...
Remember Everything You Learn from Podcasts
Save insights instantly, chat with episodes, and build lasting knowledge - all powered by AI.