Friend Forward cover art

Friend Forward

Friend Forward

By: Danielle Bayard Jackson | Female Friendship Expert & Relational Health Educator
Listen for free

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)113229 Relationships Social Sciences
Episodes
  • When female friendships get complicated in the workplace (and what to do about it), with Brooke Taylor, author of "Healing the Success Wound"

    When female friendships get complicated in the workplace (and what to do about it), with Brooke Taylor, author of "Healing the Success Wound"
    May 28 2026
    How to navigate friendship at work without losing the relationship, with Brooke TaylorShe's your lunch buddy, your Slack confidante, your person at work. But what happens when boundaries get blurry, or you start sensing competition where there used to be camaraderie? Workplace friendships between women are some of the most meaningful connections we form as adults, and some of the most complicated to maintain.In this episode, Danielle sits down with executive career coach and former Google marketing lead Brooke Taylor to tackle three of the most common questions women ask about navigating friendship at work. They dig into why mismatched expectations between "colleagues first" and "friends first" cause so much friction, how the success wound fuels jealousy and comparison with the women closest to you, and what happens when entrepreneur friendships blur the line between support and strategy-sharing.🎧 BUT WAIT… THERE'S MORE.This week's bonus content for Office Hours members includes:a bonus segment of the interview with Brooke sharing 3 ways to raise your self worth (if you're often competing with work friends)a personal video from Danielle sharing her key takeaways from Brooke's book3 scripts to help you address sticky work friend situationsMembers of Office Hours get supplementary material like this 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:How boundary-setting can feel antithetical to the female friendship code of offering unconditional emotional supportHow to respond to competition in the workplace (and why capitalism might be to blame)Why friends who are both "entrepreneurs" might need to clarify boundaries around resource-sharingABOUT BROOKE TAYLORBrooke Taylor is an executive career coach for women, former marketing lead at Google, and the author of Healing the Success Wound. She coined the term "success wound" — the pain that comes from mistaking achievement for self-worth — and has coached over 5,000 women leaders at companies like Google, Goldman Sachs, and McKinsey.CONNECT WITH BROOKE:Book, Healing the Success Wound: https://brooketaylorcoaching.com/successwound/Website: https://brooketaylorcoaching.comInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/brookevtaylor/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brooke-taylor-18751949/📚 EPISODE RESOURCES & REFERENCES:Brooke Taylor, Healing the Success Wound: Align Your Ambition, Find Lasting Career Fulfillment, and End the Cycle of Never Enough: https://brooketaylorcoaching.com/successwound/🎙️ GET FEATURED ON THE PODCASTHave 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-hoursJoin the Friendship Elevated Fall 2026 Waitlist → https://friend-forward.captivate.fm/friendship-elevated-waitlistCheck out more connection resources → https://friend-forward.captivate.fm/resourcesBecome a certified relational health coach → https://friend-forward.captivate.fm/relational-health-instituteFOLLOW DANIELLE BAYARD JACKSON:Get the book "Fighting for our Friendships" → https://friend-forward.captivate.fm/bookFollow on Instagram → https://friend-forward.captivate.fm/instagramFollow on TikTok → https://friend-forward.captivate.fm/tiktokLearn more about Danielle → https://friend-forward.captivate.fm/website🗣️ BOOK DANIELLE TO SPEAKLooking for a speaker on women's cooperation, communication, and conflict? Send your inquiry to info@tellpublicrelations.com.
    Show More Show Less
    19 mins
  • Why “going analog” isn’t enough to make new friends: the rise of curated socializing

    Why “going analog” isn’t enough to make new friends: the rise of curated socializing
    May 21 2026
    You've seen the articles. You've heard the discourse. People are pulling away from the digital sphere and opting for in-person connection instead: ditching dating apps, skipping the DMs, going analog. Google searches for "matchmaker near me" and "dating coach" are higher right now than they've been in the past ten years. But here's the part that isn't getting enough attention: how people are making this shift. And the answer is far more curated than you'd expect.In this solo episode, Danielle breaks down the rise of “connection concierges” — friendship coaches, speed friending events, and supper clubs — and what this trend reveals about what women actually need when they're trying to make friends offline. She also walks through three things to consider before you invest in a curated social experience, including how to get specific about what you're looking for so you don't leave disappointed.🎧 BUT WAIT… THERE'S MORE.This week's Office Hours bonus content picks up right where this episode leaves off: Danielle shares three things gatherers and unofficial social connectors can do to meet this moment. Practical shifts for anyone who hosts dinners, book clubs, or get-togethers and wants to show up better for the people looking for curated connection.Members of Office Hours get supplementary material like this with every episode to deepen their friendships. Join anytime (and get your first 2 weeks free) at: https://friend-forward.captivate.fm/office-hours.TOPICS IN THIS EPISODE:The real reason "going analog" isn't working for most womenWhat friendship coaches, speed friending, and supper clubs have in commonThe Google search data that signals a bigger cultural shift than dating appsWhy "come one, come all" social events set you up to leave disappointedFour ways to curate your search so you actually find your peopleThe question to ask yourself before choosing a coach, an event, or a club📚 EPISODE RESOURCES & REFERENCES:Become a certified relational health coach at the Women’s Relational Health Institute: https://friend-forward.captivate.fm/relational-health-institute🎙️ GET FEATURED ON THE PODCASTHave 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-hoursJoin the Friendship Elevated Fall 2026 Waitlist → https://friend-forward.captivate.fm/friendship-elevated-waitlistCheck out more connection resources → https://friend-forward.captivate.fm/resourcesBecome a certified relational health coach → https://friend-forward.captivate.fm/relational-health-instituteFOLLOW DANIELLE BAYARD JACKSON:Get the book "Fighting for our Friendships" → https://friend-forward.captivate.fm/bookFollow on Instagram → https://friend-forward.captivate.fm/instagramFollow on TikTok → https://friend-forward.captivate.fm/tiktokLearn more about Danielle → https://friend-forward.captivate.fm/website🗣️ BOOK DANIELLE TO SPEAKLooking for a speaker on women's cooperation, communication, and conflict? Send your inquiry to info@tellpublicrelations.com.
    Show More Show Less
    16 mins
  • When his lack of friends becomes your problem: how the male loneliness epidemic affects women’s friendships

    When his lack of friends becomes your problem: how the male loneliness epidemic affects women’s friendships
    May 14 2026
    Everyone's talking about the male loneliness epidemic. But after six years of hosting this show and seven years of coaching women through their friendship issues, Danielle has noticed something that doesn't get nearly enough attention: men's friendship struggles don't stay contained. They spill over: into your energy, your guilt, your decisions about who you spend time with, and how much of yourself you actually have left to give your own friends.When men are disconnected from one another, women bear the burden. In this episode, Danielle walks through three specific ways she's seen this play out, both in the research and across hundreds of coaching sessions. You'll also hear directly from 4 different listeners who submitted voice notes about what they're experiencing. She also shares clips from her conversation with researcher Sherrie Xue, whose study on men avoiding "date-like" activities with their male friends went viral for a reason.🎧 BUT WAIT… THERE'S MORE.This week in Office Hours, Danielle shares 2 additional observations backed by the research.Members of Office Hours get supplementary material like this 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:Where his emotions actually go when he can't bring them to his male friendsSherrie Xue's viral study on why men won't go to a museum with their boysThe guilt that makes you choose friends based on whether your husband can comeWhy some women stay in friendships that drain them… and it's not about the friendshipThe demographic group with the largest gender friendship gap (it's not who you'd guess)Voice notes from listeners living this right now📚 EPISODE RESOURCES & REFERENCES:Previous episode about men’s friendships: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/are-mens-friendships-in-crisis-part-1-examining-the-problem/id1500460079?i=1000617147557Danielle’s viral reel discussing men’s friendships: https://www.instagram.com/reels/DU1CXX6DhHG/Sherrie Y. Xue, Stephanie C. Lin, and Christilene du Plessis, "The Persistence of Homophobia in Men's Friendship Norms" (published in Psychological Science, 2025): https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/09567976251396084Emily C. Fox, "Are White Men Missing Out?: Differences in Friendship Closeness by Gender and Ethnoracial Identity" (published in Sex Roles, 2026): https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11199-025-01638-7"The State of American Friendship: Change, Challenges, and Loss," Survey Center on American Life (May 2021): https://www.americansurveycenter.org/research/the-state-of-american-friendship-change-challenges-and-loss/Liz Plank, For the Love of Men: From Toxic to a More Mindful Masculinity: https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250757203/fortheloveofmen/bell hooks, The Will to Change: Men, Masculinity, and Love: https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/The-Will-to-Change/bell-hooks/9780743456081🎙️ GET FEATURED ON THE PODCASTHave 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-hoursJoin the Friendship Elevated Fall 2026 Waitlist → https://friend-forward.captivate.fm/friendship-elevated-waitlistCheck out more connection resources → https://friend-forward.captivate.fm/resourcesFOLLOW DANIELLE BAYARD JACKSON:Get the book "Fighting for our Friendships" → https://friend-forward.captivate.fm/bookFollow on Instagram → https://friend-forward.captivate.fm/instagramFollow on TikTok → https://friend-forward.captivate.fm/tiktokLearn more about Danielle → https://friend-forward.captivate.fm/website🗣️ BOOK DANIELLE TO SPEAKLooking for a speaker on women's cooperation, communication, and conflict? Send your inquiry to info@tellpublicrelations.com.
    Show More Show Less
    29 mins
adbl_web_anon_alc_button_suppression_c
No reviews yet