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)

Friend Forward is a society podcast hosted by Unknown Host, with 272 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80. PitchCentric scores this show on Booking Probability, Listen Score, and live audience signals refreshed every 24 hours.

Unknown Host hosts Friend Forward, a society show with 272 episodes published.

Our AI reads these to draft pitches. Use them as grounding for a pitch that cites a real guest and a specific topic.

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  Episode #20

  The art of the "platonic wingwoman": Helping your friends make friends (Solo episode)

  Aug 14, 202615 minS7

  Platonic wingwomen are the backbone of society. Some people are reluctant to introduce their friends to one another, but society thrives on it. While it can be nerve-wracking to mix friend groups (we've covered this in a previous episode-- see below), it's a skill we should all have. In this episode, Danielle shares 4 steps to becoming a charismatic and effective wingwoman for your friends. BUT WAIT… THERE'S MORE. Members of Office Hours get supplementary material with every episode to deepen their friendships. Join anytime (and get your first two weeks free) at: https://friend-forward.captivate.fm/office-hours . TOPICS IN THIS EPISODE: The difference between healthy and unhealthy striving, and which one your ambition is actually fueling Why thinking of ambition as a ladder is keeping you stuck The ambition paradox that leaves working mothers depleted no matter how hard they try What most women get wrong about the village (and the connections they're discounting) Why your friendships outside of motherhood might matter more than the ones inside it How to bridge the gap with child-free friends when everyone feels underwater NYC EVENT 8/27: Danielle Bayard Jackson and Dr. Anne Welsh with be talking about Ambitious Motherhood (and friendship!) at 5pm at the Veronica Beard on Madison Avenue. Want to attend? Email hello@betterfemalefriendships.com to RSVP. --------------------------------------------- NYC FRIENDS: UPCOMING EVENT Danielle Bayard Jackson will be in conversation with Dr. Anne Welsh about the intersection of ambition, motherhood, and friendship at the Veronica Beard shop on Madison Avenue on Thursday, August 26 at 5pm. Email Sam at hello@betterfemalefriendships.com to RSVP. EPISODE RESOURCES & REFERENCES: Is "friendship poaching" a real thing? Check out one of our previous episodes on this topic: https://www.betterfemalefriendships.com/friend-forward-feature Interested in the science of social networks? We love Marissa King's book, Social Chemistry ️ GET FEATURED ON THE PODCAST Have a friendship question, hot take, or personal story you want featured? Send a voice note via Instagram DMs @friendforward or email a voice note or video to hello@betterfemalefriendships.com. WORK WITH DANIELLE BAYARD JACKSON: Join Office Hours for bonus content and community → https://www.betterfemalefriendships.com/officehours Join the Friendship Elevated Fall 2026 Waitlist → https://friend-forward.captivate.fm/friendship-elevated-waitlist Check out more connection resources → https://friend-forward.captivate.fm/resources Become a certified relational health coach → https://friend-forward.captivate.fm/relational-health-institute FOLLOW DANIELLE BAYARD JACKSON: Get the book "Fighting for our Friendships" → https://friend-forward.captivate.fm/book Follow on Instagram → https://friend-forward.captivate.fm/instagram Follow on TikTok → https://friend-forward.captivate.fm/tiktok Learn more about Danielle → https://friend-forward.captivate.fm/website ️ BOOK DANIELLE TO SPEAK Looking for a speaker on women's cooperation, communication, and conflict? Send your inquiry to info@tellpublicrelations.com .

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  Episode #19

  How is the "ambition paradox" impacting your friendships? -- A conversation with Dr. Anne Welsh, author or Ambitious Mother

  Aug 6, 202622 minS7

  How motherhood changes your closest friendships, with Dr. Anne Welsh You're crushing it at work, you're showing up for your kids, and you're trying… really trying… to also be a good friend. But the pursuit of excelling in all three keeps leaving you depleted and falling short across the board. And that picture of the village you keep seeing everywhere? The tight-knit crew of women who are all magically available and deeply connected? It might be setting you up to discount the support you already have. In this episode, Danielle sits down with clinical psychologist and executive coach Dr. Anne Welsh, author of the forthcoming book Ambitious Mother , to talk about what happens when ambition, motherhood, and friendship all compete for the same woman's energy. They dig into the difference between healthy and unhealthy striving, why ambition works better as a web than a ladder, what most women get wrong about the village, and how to maintain friendships with child-free women when everyone feels underwater. Dr. Anne also shares what she sees ambitious women ignoring that costs them the most: their own wants. BUT WAIT… THERE'S MORE. Members of Office Hours get supplementary material with every episode to deepen their friendships. Join anytime (and get your first two weeks free) at: https://friend-forward.captivate.fm/office-hours . TOPICS IN THIS EPISODE: The difference between healthy and unhealthy striving, and which one your ambition is actually fueling Why thinking of ambition as a ladder is keeping you stuck The ambition paradox that leaves working mothers depleted no matter how hard they try What most women get wrong about the village (and the connections they're discounting) Why your friendships outside of motherhood might matter more than the ones inside it How to bridge the gap with child-free friends when everyone feels underwater ABOUT DR. ANNE WELSH Dr. Anne Welsh is a clinical psychologist, executive coach, and mother of four. She's the author of Ambitious Mother: From Surviving to Thriving in Your Career and at Home , and her work centers on helping ambitious women shift from overwhelm and perfectionism to healthy striving, without giving up what they actually want. CONNECT WITH DR. ANNE: Book, Ambitious Mother : https://www.drannewelsh.com/ambitious-mother-book Website: https://www.drannewelsh.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drannewelsh/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drannewelsh/ EPISODE RESOURCES & REFERENCES: Dr. Anne Welsh, Ambitious Mother: From Surviving to Thriving in Your Career and at Home : https://www.drannewelsh.com/ambitious-mother-book ️ GET FEATURED ON THE PODCAST Have a friendship question, hot take, or personal story you want featured? Send a voice note via Instagram DMs @friendforward or email a voice note or video to hello@betterfemalefriendships.com. WORK WITH DANIELLE BAYARD JACKSON: Join Office Hours for bonus content and community → https://friend-forward.captivate.fm/office-hours Join the Friendship Elevated Fall 2026 Waitlist → https://friend-forward.captivate.fm/friendship-elevated-waitlist Check out more connection resources → https://friend-forward.captivate.fm/resources Become a certified relational health coach → https://friend-forward.captivate.fm/relational-health-institute FOLLOW DANIELLE BAYARD JACKSON: Get the book "Fighting for our Friendships" → https://friend-forward.captivate.fm/book Follow on Instagram → https://friend-forward.captivate.fm/instagram Follow on TikTok → https://friend-forward.captivate.fm/tiktok Learn more about Danielle → https://friend-forward.captivate.fm/website ️ BOOK DANIELLE TO SPEAK Looking for a speaker on women's cooperation, communication, and conflict? Send your inquiry to info@tellpublicrelations.com . CHAPTERS: 00:00 — The pull of trying to be everything at once 03:49 — Introducing Dr. Anne Welsh and Ambitious Mother 05:35 — Healthy striving vs. unhealthy striving 07:44 — Ambition as a web, not a ladder 10:54 — The ambition paradox and spreading yourself thin 13:22 — What we get wrong about the village and the value of weak ties 16:14 — Why friendships outside motherhood still matter 20:21 — Honesty, vulnerability, and reconnecting with your wants

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  Episode #18

  Should your friends like all your posts on social media? With JoJo Venant

  Jun 25, 202631 minS7

  You noticed she didn't share your last post. She liked her post but not yours. She hasn't watched your stories in weeks, but she's clearly online. And now you're spiraling, trying to figure out what that says about your friendship. Sound familiar? In this episode, Danielle sits down with licensed mental health counselor JoJo Venant to unpack the very real strain social media puts on women's friendships: from birthday shout-out expectations to the "friends should support your business" discourse. Together, they explore how influencers with healthy pre-fame friendships navigate digital boundaries differently, why we've gone from reading the room to reading the feed, and what happens when we personalize every like, share, and story view. JoJo also walks through how to actually have the conversation with a friend when social media expectations don't match. 🎧 BUT WAIT… THERE'S MORE. Members of Office Hours get supplementary material with every episode to deepen their friendships. Join anytime (and get your first two weeks free) at: https://friend-forward.captivate.fm/office-hours . TOPICS IN THIS EPISODE: The one thing that determines whether an influencer's friendships survive her platform growth What the birthday shout-out expectation is actually telling you about yourself We used to read the room; now we're reading the feed, and it's breaking something The word Danielle almost didn't say out loud in this conversation The myth that's quietly killing more friendships than any unshared post What happens when JoJo asks her clients to role-play the friend they're upset with ABOUT JOJO VENANT JoJo Venant is a licensed mental health counselor and the founder of The Clarity Hour, a counseling practice based in Orlando, Florida. With over a decade of experience specializing in healthy relationships, self-esteem, and life transitions, she's known for her grounded, relational approach to helping women navigate connection and conflict. She has served as an adjunct professor at Palm Beach Atlantic University and contributed as an expert voice to the Mental Health Television Network. CONNECT WITH JOJO: Website: https://theclarityhour.net Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theclarityhour Links: https://solo.to/joannvenant 🎙️ GET FEATURED ON THE PODCAST Have a friendship question, hot take, or personal story you want featured? Send a voice note via Instagram DMs @friendforward or email a voice note or video to hello@betterfemalefriendships.com. WORK WITH DANIELLE BAYARD JACKSON: Join Office Hours for bonus content and community → https://friend-forward.captivate.fm/office-hours Join the Friendship Elevated Fall 2026 Waitlist → https://friend-forward.captivate.fm/friendship-elevated-waitlist Check out more connection resources → https://friend-forward.captivate.fm/resources Become a certified relational health coach → https://friend-forward.captivate.fm/relational-health-institute FOLLOW DANIELLE BAYARD JACKSON: Get the book "Fighting for our Friendships" → https://friend-forward.captivate.fm/book Follow on Instagram → https://friend-forward.captivate.fm/instagram Follow on TikTok → https://friend-forward.captivate.fm/tiktok Learn more about Danielle → https://friend-forward.captivate.fm/website 🗣️ BOOK DANIELLE TO SPEAK Looking for a speaker on women's cooperation, communication, and conflict? Send your inquiry to info@tellpublicrelations.com .

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  Episode #17

  Set these friendship goals before the summer ends

  Jun 12, 202628 minS7

  There's a psychological concept known as "the fresh start effect", and it can be helpful as you set your friendship goals for the summer. You've been wanting better friendships for a while now, but you're not quite sure where to start. We'll walk you through an exercise that includes more than 8 examples of connection goals you can set this season. 🎧 BUT WAIT… THERE'S MORE. This week's Office Hours bonus content includes an EXTRA episode that focuses on what to do when you feel resentful toward a friend. It drops in Office Hours on June 16. Members of Office Hours get supplementary material like this with every episode to deepen their friendships. Join anytime at: https://friend-forward.captivate.fm/office-hours . TOPICS IN THIS EPISODE: What is the "fresh start" effect? The 5 domains of relational health How to set a goal for the domain that reflects your most pressing friendship issue/ desire 📚 EPISODE RESOURCES & REFERENCES: At the beginning of the episode, Danielle mentions her girls' trip to Savannah and her stay at the Marriott Savannah Riverfront . 🎙️ GET FEATURED ON THE PODCAST Have a friendship question, hot take, or personal story you want featured? Send a voice note via Instagram DMs @friendforward or email a voice note or video to hello@betterfemalefriendships.com. WORK WITH DANIELLE BAYARD JACKSON: Join Office Hours for bonus content and community → https://friend-forward.captivate.fm/office-hours Join the Friendship Elevated Fall 2026 Waitlist → https://friend-forward.captivate.fm/friendship-elevated-waitlist Check out more connection resources → https://friend-forward.captivate.fm/resources Become a certified relational health coach → https://friend-forward.captivate.fm/relational-health-institute FOLLOW DANIELLE BAYARD JACKSON: Get the book "Fighting for our Friendships" → https://friend-forward.captivate.fm/book Follow on Instagram → https://friend-forward.captivate.fm/instagram Follow on TikTok → https://friend-forward.captivate.fm/tiktok Learn more about Danielle → https://friend-forward.captivate.fm/website 🗣️ BOOK DANIELLE TO SPEAK Looking for a speaker on women's cooperation, communication, and conflict? Send your inquiry to info@tellpublicrelations.com .

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  Episode #16

  Why your friends' dating advice might be hurting you, with Yue Xu & Julie Krafchick

  Jun 4, 202626 minS7

  <p>As much as we'd like to think our romantic relationships exist apart from our friendships, the research says otherwise. Your friends' opinions can determine whether a couple stays together, influence the values they hold in the relationship, and even shape the kinds of arguments they have. And that influence starts long before a woman is partnered; it starts while she's still dating.</p><p>In this episode, Danielle sits down with Yue Xu and Julie Krafchick, co-hosts of the Dateable podcast and authors of How to Be Dateable, to explore how your friends can be your greatest asset on...

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