Today we discuss our perspectives on friendship, exploring what it means to be a friend and what happens when what we give in a relationship feels out of balance. As we share our own personal  experiences, we’ll talk about ways that each of us can show up as the best version of ourselves for the friends in our lives. 

How are you doing with our  #MOVE365 initiative?  Comment below and then share your efforts and successes on social media and tag us @respectcircles in your post.  We’ll share your posts in our stories and may even give away some prizes as we kick off the year with #MOVE365! 

And as we’ve been doing the last few months, we’re excited to share our latest nominees for our new Models of Respect segment, highlighting people in the world that are living and demonstrating our Respect Circles values. If you have someone in mind that you’d like to nominate and have featured on a future episode, please let us know! 

Don’t forget to follow us on Instagram and Facebook, and we’d really appreciate you leaving a review on your favorite podcast platform to let us know what you’re enjoying about this show. You can also go to https://www.respectcircles.com/voicemail/ to leave us a message and you can also reach us by email, respectcircles@gmail.com to give us your thoughts. 

In this episode you’ll hear:

• The importance of meeting your friends where they are and the role this plays in friendship [3:34]
  
  
• What happens when what you are giving out in a friendship is not reciprocated [3:56]
  
  
• A major realization that Stephanie has made about friendship and what she can, and can’t, control in the relationship [7:07]
  
  
• A recent experience AJ had with one of his close friends and the lesson he got about putting yourself in your friends’ shoes [11:30]
  
  
• Reflections about friendship that he had following a horrific event that recently happened in Colorado [16:58]
  
  
• How you can find ways to learn about other cultures and things that are important to the friends in your life [21:13]
  
  
• Questions that you can begin asking yourself right now to determine how you are showing up as a friend to others [23:55]
  
  
• Highlighting this week’s Models of Respect [24:53]

Links & Resources: 

Gunman kills 5 at LGBTQ nightclub in Colorado Springs before patrons confront and stop him, police say

Ana Navarro Takes Her Dad to a Drag Brunch on New Year’s Day

Sports league provides opportunity for kids with special needs (Ashley White - Hanover, Virginia)

Mel Robbins on Instagram