Best Pvs Podcasts (2025)

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#158 - You Need an Older or Younger Friend: August Friendship Challenge (with Liz Alterman) 23:07

23h ago23:07

23:07

The August Friendship Challenge on Dear Nina: Conversations About Friendship is all about mixed-age friendships, and I’m grateful to dive into the topic with author Liz Alterman. Her latest novel, Claire Casey’s Had Enough, includes a beautiful friendship between a 46-year-old and a 78-year-old woman, which gave me the perfect reason to talk about …

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#157: When a Community Shows Up: Childhood Cancer, Friendship, and Lifelong Ripple Effects (with Amy Blumenfeld) 23:26

8d ago23:26

23:26

Amy Blumenfeld was in 8th grade when she was diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma. While the medical story is remarkable on its own (including Amy becoming the first adolescent with Hodgkin lymphoma to have an autologous bone marrow transplant at Memorial Sloan Kettering in NYC), what stayed with her deeply was how her community showed up for her family…

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#156 - Four Years In: The 4 Biggest Lessons I’ve Learned About Friendship (and 4 About Podcasting Too) 18:40

15d ago18:40

18:40

It’s the four-year anniversary of Dear Nina: Conversations About Friendship! Whether you’ve been with me from the column that began in 2014, started with the first episode in 2021, stumbled in at episode 86, or you're new around here at #156—thank you. Thank you for caring about friendship on a deep level and for helping this podcast grow into some…

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#155 - Thriving Solo: Making Friends and Creating Community After a Big Move (with Lisa Giordano) 28:39

22d ago28:39

28:39

After 31 years on the East Coast, Lisa Giordano decided (less than a year ago) to make a big move to Austin, Texas, with zero local contacts and a personal challenge to build a community and social life from scratch. In this upbeat conversation, Lisa tells us what really works (and what does not) when you’re starting over single in a brand-new city…

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#154 - Discretion vs. Gossip: How to Handle a Friend Who Overshares Your News (Letter Spotlight with Rebekah Jacobs) 28:31

28d ago28:31

28:31

Ever feel that low-level hum of annoyance when a friend casually drops your (good or bad) personal news into the conversation? I have my fantastic "Dear Nina" assistant producer, Rebekah Jacobs, with me this week to crack open a listener's anonymous letter about DISCRETION. Discretion is that gray zone between gossip and harmless chatter. Rebekah a…

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#153 - July Friendship Challenge: 3 Focused Questions for a Mid-Year Reflection 15:38

1M ago15:38

15:38

Ready to see where your friendships stand halfway through 2025? In this solo episode, I (very quickly!) round up the first six monthly challenges. Then I hand you three laser-focused questions to help you reflect, assess, tweak, and strengthen your connections for the rest of the year. Answer the 3 Questions This Week! Block 15 minutes. Jot down ho…

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#152 - When Your Child’s Friendship Issues Reopens Unresolved Wounds: Beth Segaloff 29:49

1M ago29:49

29:49

Facing Unfinished Friendship Business When Your Child Hits Social Snags Your child’s social life can stir up every unresolved playground scar you’re still carrying. Licensed clinical social worker and EMDR therapist Beth Segaloff joins "Dear Nina" to talk about separating our past (and present) friendship baggage from our kids’ current experiences.…

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#151 - Myths Around Adult Friendships: with therapist Jazzmyn Proctor 22:46

2M ago22:46

22:46

What does it mean to have a close friendship in adulthood? How important is history in a friendship? What does (realistic) quality time with a friend look like when you're no longer in school? Therapist and podcast host, Jazzmyn Proctor, joins me to bust some of the most common myths she sees in her work with clients. This conversation offers a gro…

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#150 - Join or Die: Pickleball, Potlucks, Democracy, and Your Health: Rebecca and Pete Davis 33:19

2M ago33:19

33:19

In this milestone 150th episode of Dear Nina, we’re diving deep into friendship and community with siblings and co-directors Rebecca Davis and Pete Davis, the team behind the Netflix documentary Join or Die: A film about why you should join a club and why the fate of America depends on it. Inspired by the groundbreaking work of political scientist …

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#149 - June Friendship Challenge: Ask a Friend For a Favor 11:58

2M ago11:58

11:58

Welcome to the Dear Nina Friendship Challenge for June: Ask a friend for a favor. Why? Asking a friend for a favor demonstrates trust and intimacy. It helps your friend feel closer to you merely because you asked, and this will strengthen the friendship. Unfortunately, people really struggle asking for help, even for the smallest of favors. This mo…

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#148 - Tricky Friendship Etiquette for the Modern Age with Daniel Post Senning 44:34

2M ago44:34

44:34

I sat down with fifth-generation etiquette expert Daniel Post Senning of The Emily Post Institute to explore how classic (and modern!) manners can strengthen and even rescue our adult friendships. We discussed using etiquette for group chat issues, RSVP blunders, office friendship confusion, misuse of AI, bringing up kids' cringe posts, cocktail pa…

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#147 - Share Good News With Friends and How to Receive Friends' Good News 7:43

3M ago7:43

7:43

In this short solo episode, I consider why some people hesitate to tell friends about positive events like a promotion, a published piece, or a personal milestone or achievement. Likely due to cultural conditioning, we worry it will come off as bragging. I think it's a missed opportunity to feel closer to friends when all good news is kept under wr…

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#146 - Tolerate Uncertainty & Stop the Overthinking Spiral in Your Friendships with Dr. Jackie Henry 28:08

3M ago28:08

28:08

If you’ve ever reread a text 10 times, filled in every silence with worst-case scenarios, or found yourself leaving too many hangouts with friends regretting what you said, this conversation is for you. Psychologist Dr. Jackie Henry and I discuss tools to stop overthinking your every friendship move and learn to tolerate uncertainty in your relatio…

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#145 - Rules For Supporting Your Single Friends with Meghan Keane 29:26

3M ago29:26

29:26

Meghan Keane, author of Party of One: Be Your Own Best Life Partner, says one of the top complaints single people have about their married friends is that they feel like a problem to be solved. Another is that their dating lives are the sole focus of a married friend’s attention. Meghan joins me to unpack “singlism,” the subtle (and not-so-subtle) …

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#144 - The Secret Power of Changing the Venue in Your Friendship: May Challenge 12:36

3M ago12:36

12:36

Whether you’re hoping to upgrade a casual acquaintance, breathe life into a longstanding friendship, or accommodate a friend whose season of life recently shifted, a venue swap can work magic without big declarations or heavy planning. Welcome to the Dear Nina Friendship Challenge for May: Pick a newer friend or an old friend you'd like to feel clo…

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#143 - The Law of Rejection in Friendships with Harlan Cohen 41:36

4M ago41:36

41:36

In this powerful episode of Dear Nina, I am joined by bestselling author Harlan Cohen to explore the truth about rejection, risk, and the myths we carry into adulthood about what friendship “should” look like. We dive into the Law of Rejection—a concept that can radically shift how you approach your relationships. Whether you're 18 or 88, accepting…

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#142 - Friendship, Phones, and The Problem of Distraction: Katherine Martinko 28:29

4M ago28:29

28:29

What happens to our friendships when our phones are always within reach for us to "quickly check something" or "quickly answer a text?" It’s time to be honest about how available we are to everyone else while spending time with friends and how these distractions are harming our friendships. (I include myself in "we!") Is anyone else experiencing sm…

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S2 Ep2: This episode goes in depth with Mariachi Divas de Cindy Shea founder and director Cindy Shea. 58:24

4M ago58:24

58:24

By MARIACHI USA The Podcast

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S2 Ep1: Season 2 of MARIACHI USA the Podcast Episode 1 features a conversation with Francisco Jara Jara who owns Pancho Villas Restuarant and PV's Prime Grill and Tequila. He is also the founder of Mariachi ... 27:19

4M ago27:19

27:19

By MARIACHI USA The Podcast

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#141 - The White Lotus Friendship Trio: Lessons for Your Real-Life Friendships: Rebekah Jacobs 40:11

4M ago40:11

40:11

It's a very special episode of Dear Nina: Conversations About Friendship dedicated to the much-discussed and debated friendship triangle in White Lotus Season 3 created by Mike White. The friendship trio of Jaclyn, Kate, and Laurie has captivated TV viewers for the last two months. Similarly, Rebekah Jacobs (Dear Nina's assistant producer) and I ha…

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#140 - Celebrating Friends' Birthdays and Your Own Birthday: April Challenge 14:43

4M ago14:43

14:43

The Dear Nina Friendship Challenge for April is about the sometimes tricky topic of friends' birthdays. The challenge itself is simple and the easiest so far in 2025. I'm encouraging listeners to actively seek out friends' birthdays so you don't have to rely on social media to know the date. Of course the next step is to acknowledge friends on thei…

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#139 - How to Start a Podcast: An introduction 32:30

4M ago32:30

32:30

Welcome to Dear Nina: Conversations About Friendship. I'm your host, Nina Badzin. I've been writing about friendship for over 10 years and podcasting about it for almost four. This episode on how to start a podcast might not be for you. So, send it to your friend who has been thinking about starting a podcast! I break down the process, explaining e…

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#138 - The Neighborhood Village and How Community is Different From Friendship: Seth D. Kaplan 34:27

4M ago34:27

34:27

Your neighborhood community might be the most overlooked place for social connection. However, it’s essential to understand the difference between community relationships and friendships. They are not the same! I’m joined by Seth D. Kaplan, author of FRAGILE NEIGHBORHOODS: Repairing American Society One Zip Code at a Time, to discuss the importance…

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#137 - Find Your Walking Friends (encore with Leslie Hooton) 23:19

5M ago23:19

23:19

Many of us enjoy walking with friends for the mental and physical benefits (or could consider starting with the Dear Nina 2025 friendship challenge). However, the power of walking with friends is EXTRA inspiring in today’s episode. Leslie Hooton had to learn to walk multiple times throughout her life because of a stroke she had when she was born an…

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#136 - Your Three to Five Closest Friends (Letter Spotlight) with Rebekah Jacobs 27:59

5M ago27:59

27:59

What if you have lots of friends, but nobody feels like your special confidante or the person who would have your back no matter what? The newest letter spotlight episode comes from a listener who signed off as "Too Many Fish in the Sea." She feels lucky to have cultivated a wide community and plenty of friends, but she doesn't feel like she has su…

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#135 - March Challenge: Hyperlocal Friendship 19:02

5M ago19:02

19:02

There are local friends and there are “HYPERLOCAL” friends. This month in the Dear Nina community, we’re focusing on hyperlocal friendships—developing new ones and maintaining the ones you already have in your life. I introduce the March friendship challenge in this episode, which of course you can start any day of ANY MONTH. The challenge this mon…

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#134 - Fandom and the Potential for Friendship: with SC Perot 37:47

5M ago37:47

37:47

MAKING FRIENDS IN A FANDOM COMMUNITY Fandom, especially very enthusiastic fandom, can provide community, belonging, and friendship. In episode #134 of Dear Nina: Conversations About Friendship, I'm joined by Vanderbilt professor, lawyer, author, and joy enthusiast, SC Perot, who shares her story of rediscovering joy after a devastating divorce, hig…

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#133 - Talking to Friends About Your Sex Life: with Dr. Arielle Buch-Frohlich 26:29

6M ago26:29

26:29

Talking to Friends About Sex at Any Age It's not uncommon to discuss our sex lives with friends during the adolescent and college years. But as we age, it becomes less comfortable. Trust and privacy (of our partner) can be significant barriers to discussing intimate details as well as a fear that friends will judge our issues, desires, and choices.…

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#132 - The 4 Types of Connection: with Dr. Adam Dorsay 33:28

6M ago33:28

33:28

While friendship is an essential type of connection at every age and the one area of personal growth I discuss most often on Dear Nina, today’s guest, psychologist Dr. Adam Dorsay, expands the conversation to the four types of connections we need to lead fulfilling lives. Those four areas are: connection to ourselves, to others, to the world, and t…

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#131 - February Challenge: Start a Friendship Ritual with Rachel Steinman and Rachel Winter 34:26

6M ago34:26

34:26

It's time for the next Dear Nina Friendship Monthly Challenge! The January challenge was to see a friend in person, which meant reaching out to make a plan. The February challenge is to start a ritual/tradition with friends to strengthen new relationships or maintain existing ones. For accountability, report back in the Dear Nina Facebook Group, on…

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#130 - The Sober Curious Lifestyle and the Impact on Your Friendships: with Hallie Sawyer 28:28

6M ago28:28

28:28

Do you know someone who has adopted a "sober curious" lifestyle? Perhaps it's a pivot you've been considering for yourself? The term is usually credited to Ruby Warrington, author of Sober Curious: The Blissful Sleep, Greater Focus, Limitless Presence, and Deep Connection Awaiting Us All on the Other Side of Alcohol. “Sober curious” means you're cu…

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#129 - Do you know how your friends like to be comforted in hard times? 11:11

7M ago11:11

11:11

It's the middle of January 2025. Right now you might have friends in Southern California who have evacuated from their homes. You might know someone whose house, entire neighborhood, community, and school are gone. And there's often a time in life when you know someone in a health, personal, or other kind of crisis, even if it's not a situation as …

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#128 - Your Friends Won't Always Say the Right Thing When You're Struggling, Forgive Them: with Steve Phillips 34:55

7M ago34:55

34:55

You've had a tremendous loss in your personal life and your friends don't know what to say or do: Do you tell them what you need, or do you assume they should know? Here's the more important question---Do any of us know what to say and do in every situation? Probably not. And the truth is, not everybody wants the same thing when they're grieving or…

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#127 - January Challenge: See a Friend in Person this Month 10:52

7M ago10:52

10:52

It's the monthly friendship challenge! And it doesn't matter which month you begin. Every social wellness challenge in 2025 WILL improve your friendships because it puts you in charge of your social life. The January 2025 challenge is to see a friend in person this month. Go for a walk, meet for a meal, see Wicked. It doesn't matter what you do as …

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#126 - Is It Time For a Friendship Cleanse? (encore with Anna Goldfarb) 34:49

7M ago34:49

34:49

Welcome to the top episode on Dear Nina in 2024—the 14-day friendship cleanse, brainchild Anna Goldfarb whose book, Modern Friendship: How to Nurture Our Most Valued Connections, is a must read for anyone looking to improve their friendships. Don't feel put off by the word, "cleanse." This discussion is about reconsidering how you're approaching fr…

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#125 - The 10% Rule in Friendship and The Negativity Bias with Ann Imig 35:31

8M ago35:31

35:31

Why does the inner judge in our brains automatically default to negativity? We assume the worst and let our insecurities lead the way. How does this inner judge interfere with our friendships? And what can we do to create curiosity instead of negativity? Ann Imig, creator and author of LISTEN TO YOUR MOTHER, and life coach at Listen Life Coaching, …

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#124 - Friends who criticize you; Friends who ignore the group chat then change the plans; Feeling excluded when friends hit it off 17:25

8M ago17:25

17:25

I love answering listeners' anonymous friendship dilemmas. It's a letter spotlight episode with three short anonymous letters from listeners with various friendship issues. I did my best to give practical, helpful advice. The subjects are: A listener whose friend makes little digs at her friend whenever they shop together. A listener whose friend a…

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#123 - Male-Female Friendships & Liking Your Friends' Social Media Posts with Aaron Karo and Matt Ritter 29:39

8M ago29:39

29:39

I'm thrilled to welcome friendship experts and comedians Matt Ritter and Aaron Karo of Man of the Year podcast! In honor of these male "chief friendship officers," (their term, which I love!) I'm finally tackling the often-requested topic of platonic relationships. Matt is married and Karo is single so that provided a slightly different point of vi…

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#122 - Grieving the End of a Friendship (encore with Diamonde Williamson) 26:10

8M ago26:10

26:10

Friendship breakups are an ageless, universal issue. In my 10 years of writing about friendship and receiving many anonymous letters, I've seen that it makes little difference in the grief process if there was a direct conversation with the friend, a fade out, or an abrupt ghosting. No matter the circumstances, we must take time to heal when a frie…

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#121 - Rules For Making Plans With Friends (Letter Spotlight) 16:42

9M ago16:42

16:42

Are there rules for making plans with friends? Who should be the one to suggest the day, time, and place? If you reach out for plans, should you also throw out some dates that might work? OR, do you wait for the other person to "prove" their interest by offering some dates on the calendar? The short answer: there are no rules. The longer answer (on…

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#120 - Six Ways to be More Generous in Your Friendships with Emma Nadler 29:50

9M ago29:50

29:50

Being generous in our friendships makes us better friends and keeps solid friends in our lives. We're not talking about money here! To quote this week's guest, relationship-based therapist and author, Emma Nadler, "When we act more generously we feel better. So there's a lot in it for you, too." We discussed Emma's top five ways to be a more genero…

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#119 - Reviving Friendships That Drifted Apart (even decades later) with Kay Paschal 26:47

9M ago26:47

26:47

What if your next good friend is an old friend who drifted away from your life for reasons of circumstance and not personality or hurt feelings? If you're in a stage of life where you're lonely, you've moved, or you simply want to shake up your social life, your next solid friendship might be waiting for you in "the past." Yes, reviving old friends…

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#118 - Navigating Friendship Struggles Through Social Prescribing with Julia Hotz 32:19

9M ago32:19

32:19

"Social" prescriptions from your doctor? Yes! What if for the sake of our mental and physical health doctors wrote prescriptions for cycling groups, fishing clubs, or volunteer positions on a farm? Those are real scenarios in Julia Hotz's THE CONNECTION CURE: The Prescriptive Power of Movement, Nature, Art, Service and Belonging, "the first book ex…

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#117 - Hobbies and Friendship: Preparing Early For The Empty Nest and Retirement (with the Modern Mahjong team) 28:35

10M ago28:35

28:35

"Many friends are entering the empty nest phase of their lives and some are really dreading it. Celebrities like Brooke Shields share on social media how they aren't ready. Planning ahead by embracing new hobbies and friendships can help change the focus during this major life shift." Those words are from guests Dara Collins and Donna Kassman, quee…

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#116 - Lose Track of Who Makes the Plans and 7 Other Friendship Tips from Dr. Ruth with Allison Gilbert 32:49

10M ago32:49

32:49

What a thrill to interview author and journalist Allison Gilbert, who met with Dr. Ruth Westheimer, of blessed memory, every week for a year during what would be the last year of Dr. Ruth's life. Together they worked on Dr. Ruth's final book, The Joy of Connections: 100 Ways to Beat Loneliness and Live a Happier and More Meaningful Life. Dr. Ruth w…

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#115 - Use the Freshmen Energy Trick to Make New Friends as an Adult 9:19

10M ago9:19

9:19

Today's "Quick Friendship Tip" is about how to capture the attitude and spirit of that special "freshman energy" apparent on any college campus in the first three weeks of school when making new friends as an adult. There is something real happening in that freshman year, specifically the first three weeks, that is magical for friend making. I saw …

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#114 - The Impact of Fears and Desires on our Friendships: Intro to the Enneagram with Christina S. Wilcox 39:30

10M ago39:30

39:30

Do you know your Enneagram (personality) type and how your core fears and desires impact your friendships? I understood very little about anything Enneagram related before my interview with Christina S. Wilcox, author of Take Care of Your Friends: An Enneagram Guide to Interpersonal Relationships. I still have a lot to learn! Consider this episode …

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#113 - Unintentionally Hurting a Friend: (encore with my mom) 24:36

10M ago24:36

24:36

So, you've unintentionally hurt your friend's feelings. Or, your friend hurt your feelings, likely not on purpose. My wise mom joins me in this replay episode about forgiveness---asking for forgiveness and wanting apologies from others. We also discussed grudges, forgiving but not forgetting, personal stories of our own pettiness and others' pettin…

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#112 - Navigating Friendships During the College Admissions Process with Kate Proger 30:03

11M ago30:03

30:03

This week's friendship topic is the frenzy of college admissions and how it affects friendships between teens and how it potentially affects friendships between those teens' parents, too. Most importantly, we discuss how to approach the college admissions world with a level head! Meet Kate Proger: Kate Proger, is a college planning consultant and a…

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#111 - The Friend Who Never Asks About You: Letter Spotlight 12:05

11M ago12:05

12:05

It's another letter spotlight episode! This week's anonymous letter is from a woman with two friends who never ask about her. She's fed up doing all the listening and none of the talking. She wants to know how to handle this friendship dynamic and whether other Dear Nina listeners deal with this same issue. Let us know in our facebook group, Dear N…

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