Dear Nina: Conversations About Friendship

May 19 2024 61
Dear Nina: Conversations About Friendship Podcast artwork

DEAR NINA features honest conversations about the ups and downs of friendship.
Why didn't your friend text you back? Why didn't your friend include you in her birthday dinner? It's because she's mad at you. Kidding, she's probably not. But maybe she is? See what I mean! Friendship is tricky, even for grownups.


I'm your host, Nina Badzin. Since 2014 I've been fostering discussions about the nitty gritty of adult friendships with sensitivity and practicality in my advice column. The podcast has been referenced in The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, The Guardian, The Chicago Tribune, The Minneapolis Star Tribune, and elsewhere. 


Instagram and Tiktok: @dearninafriendship
All links: linktr.ee/ninabadzin

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Disclosing My Invisible Disability Increased the Intimacy In My Friendships: Estelle Erasmus

May 19 2024 25 mins  
Send us a Text Message.Episode #97: Invisible disabilities can turn into a source of shame and unknowingly get in the way of friendships. What is an invisible disability? It's any condition that is not obvious, perhaps even to the closest of friends. Some examples are depression, anxiety, other mental health diagnoses, as well as physical conditions such as chronic pain, fatigue, a

Mixtapes, Mahjong, and Other Sensory Friendship Experiences: Gretchen Rubin

May 10 2024 47 mins  
Send us a Text Message.Episode #96: I have been a Gretchen Rubin fan since 2009 when I read The Happiness Project the week it came out. Who could resist that cover and concept? And I cannot believe this, but I got to discuss my favorite topic, friendship, with Gretchen Rubin on Dear Nina. In celebration of Gretchen's paperback release of Life in Five Senses: How Exploring the Sense

Overtalking, Undertalking, and Lessons on Friendship in the Art of Storytelling: Micaela Blei

Apr 29 2024 30 mins  
Send us a Text Message.Episode #95: Oversharing, overtalking, undertalking, undersharing, small talk, deep talks, mismatches in vulnerability, and the art of listening---these are the tricky friendship topics we are dealing with today. I'm joined by Micaela Blei, a GrandSLAM-winning storyteller and former founding Director of Education at The Moth.Topics we covered:There is no righ

5 Friendship Issues to Consider Addressing With a Therapist: Roxanne Francis

Apr 17 2024 24 mins  
Send us a Text Message.Episode #94: Everyone runs into bumps in their friendships. Trust me, I have a decade's worth of writing material from readers and listeners to prove that point. But when are friendship issues getting to the point where addressing them with a therapist is highly recommended? I'm joined by award-winning psychotherapist, Roxanne Francis, who responded brilliant

Small Friendship Slights and Changing Your Instagram Handle

Apr 10 2024 8 mins  
Send us a Text Message.Episode #93: A quick conversation about the subtle hurts that can make friendship difficult. It's the small slights I cover on Dear Nina in general, not the giant betrayals.Why? The big "stuff" is much more black and white, and we don't need much conversation around whether to stay friends.Today I also have a big instagram tip if you're looking to change your

The Courage to Trust Friends After You’ve Been Hurt

Apr 02 2024 14 mins  
Send us a Text Message.Episode #92: For anyone who has been hurt by a friend--or a group of friends--recently or in the past, this 14-minute episode is for you. It's a solo episode that came from my reaction to a TikTok video I saw by a woman who was left out of a group trip years ago and has decided she will never trust anyone with her friendship again. Other titles I considered:

Why Big Friend Groups Often Fail; And Helping Kids Manage Conflict with Friends: Dr. Lisa Damour

Mar 25 2024 27 mins  
Send us a Text Message.Episode #91: Dr. Lisa Damour's latest book, The Emotional Lives of Teenagers , is out in paperback. On this episode we revisit the best nuggets of my previous conversation with Dr. Lisa, focusing on teen and tween friend groups and all of the anxiety that goes along with parenting a teen who is dealing with not being in a group. We cover teens not liking thei

The Friends You Want Around During a Crisis: Kelly Lang

Mar 17 2024 28 mins  
Send us a Text Message.Episode #90: Many of us say we would be there for our friends in an emergency, but that's often theory until it's tested. Not everyone can rise to the occasion. And crisis is a time when the friends you want around you and the ones you may need to leave behind (even for just a while) becomes very clear. Kelly Lang, co-author with her husband, Mike, of The Mir

Negative Friendship Patterns; Breaking an Unhealthy Cycle: Christie Tate

Mar 09 2024 35 mins  
Send us a Text Message.Episode #89: Do you ever feel like you or someone you know is just not “good at” friendship? It's never too late to address negative patterns in our friendships or any relationship. Today's guest, author Christie Tate, author of B.F.F.: A Memoir of Friendship Lost and Found, set out to break decades of unhealthy cycles in her friendships. Do you think you

Differences of Opinion With Friends and The Potential of Friendship Between Cousins: Emily Locker

Feb 28 2024 30 mins  
Send us a Text Message.Episode #88: Managing differences of opinion with friends can get tricky. An obvious area is politics, but smaller differences also get between friends, like parenting decisions. Examples: parents who give their kids a phone and social media years before the other friend; public vs. private school; where you live; how you vacation---those are not as divisive