Most of the weight we carry isn’t from what’s wrong, it’s from what’s unfinished.(2-minute read) Hey , Anyone else remember the day they learned that penultimate does not mean “ultimate”? I’d like to say it happened in my teens. It very well could have been my late twenties. It means second to last. Which matters, because this week isn’t the end of the year. It’s the one right before things harden into: “That’s just how 2025 went.” Every Tuesday night, I make last-minute edits to this...
10 days ago • 2 min read
Sweatpants are the milestone nobody talks about.(3-minute read) Hey Reader, Welcome to The Friendship Habit, where we build better friendships one honest moment at a time. 👥 THE FRIEND Every real friendship has a moment nobody names. It’s the day someone shows up in sweatpants and you know they’re not going anywhere for a while. That’s The Sweatpants Threshold. The moment the performance ends. You don’t get the truth from people when they’re trying. You get it when they’re tired. I’ve worn...
17 days ago • 2 min read
BEING REMEMBERED IS A FORM OF LOVE. (3-minute read) Hey Reader, Welcome to The Friendship Habit — where we build stronger friendships one small move at a time.With one month left in 2025. Let's not wait till January to show up better. 👥 THE FRIEND The quiet power of being “on the fridge” Nobody teaches you how to be remembered. We just assume that if we matter, people will know. But growing up, my parents gave me a master class without realizing it. Our fridge was completely covered: photos,...
24 days ago • 2 min read
"Rituals are just made-up holidays that we repeat on purpose." Hey Reader, Before I get into the newsletter, just a reminder: Last chance to enter The $1500 Wine🍷 Weekend Getaway! Just screenshot your download of my Audible Original The Buddy System and reply here with the pic! I will announce the winner in next week's newsletter. So one of you is getting a very fun surprise next week!Around this time of year, most newsletters start sounding the same. “Be grateful.” “Spend time with loved...
about 1 month ago • 2 min read
“Don’t wait for the holidays to feel connected — bring the connection with you" Hey Reader, Before we dive in, I keep the newsletter free for 20,000+ of you thanks to great sponsors like HubSpot. I downloaded their guide because, frankly, I have no idea how this is all going to shake out, but I'd like to be prepared ;) Okay, onto the good stuff:Whether you powered through the full 7-Day Challenge and have been with me since the beginning or barely made it to Day 2, you’re here, and that’s...
about 1 month ago • 2 min read
"Friendship is really just emotional bartending: remember the order, keep the tab open." Hey Reader, Before we dive in, enter my $1,500 Wine Weekend Giveaway! 🍷Because I don’t just want you reading about friendship, I want you living it. I’m giving away a Wine Country Weekend (Airbnb, food, and experiences) for you and a friend.All you have to do is download my Audible Original The Buddy System, take a quick screenshot, and just reply here with it. That’s it. You’re entered. On to this week’s...
about 2 months ago • 2 min read
Every neighborhood has one night when strangers remember they’re neighbors. Hey Reader,If this newsletter has been hitting home for you, I highly recommend a dive into my Audible Original: The Buddy System. Thanks to many of you, it's now ranked #1 in new releases for Relationships. (Free for Audible subscribers and currently free with a trial.)So Friday night for Halloween, I’m standing in my driveway watching the chaos unfold, trying to stop my son from ruining his teeth on his 3rd Dum-Dum...
about 2 months ago • 3 min read
"Even in a house full of trophies, it’s friendship that makes life feel full." Hey Reader, One of the surreal parts of this new chapter, being “The Friendship Guy” and one of the leading friendship experts in the space, is that I get to do things I never imagined. I love meeting people, I always have. People seem to feel comfortable opening up to me (so keep those personal emails coming). Sometimes I get calls that the me who moved out here to chase my dreams would never believe. The best...
about 2 months ago • 3 min read
Friendship can’t depend solely on motivation, it has to depend on meaning and duty.” Hey Reader, Most people treat friendship like a mood.They wait to feel social.To feel talkative.To feel like showing up. But if you only connect when you’re motivated, you’ll almost never connect. Everyone bails sometimes, even me, your Friendship Guy.I skip dinners when I’m tired.I bail on kids’ birthday parties when I have to cross the 405 (Angelenos understand this).I’ve mysteriously come down with...
2 months ago • 2 min read