Friendship IRL: Real Talk About Friendship, Community, and What It Actually Takes
Tired of hearing “just put yourself out there” when it comes to friendship or community? Same.
Friendship IRL is the podcast that skips the fluff and gets real about what it takes to build meaningful adult friendships and lasting support systems. Whether you're struggling to make new friends, maintain old ones, or just want people in your life who really show up, you're in the right place.
Each week, host Alex Alexander brings you honest conversations and tangible strategies to help you connect—for real. You’ll hear stories from everyday people (plus the occasional expert), learn what’s working in modern friendships—and what definitely isn’t—and walk away with ideas, scripts, and action steps you can actually use.
Think of it like a coffee date with your wisest, most encouraging friend—the one who tells the truth and hands you the playbook.
🎧 New episodes drop every Thursday. 💬 Want to share your friendship win or struggle? Leave Alex a voice message at AlexAlex.chat.
Follow along on Instagram or TikTok @itsalexalexander and join the movement to rethink how we build connection, community, and friendships in real life.
- Update frequency
- every 7 days
- Average duration
- 47 minutes
- Episodes
- 145
- Years Active
- 2022 - 2025
How to Not Feel Neglected in Conversations with Friends (and Why Sometimes TMI is a Good Thing)
It happens to all of us: you leave an interaction and realize the conversation was all about the other person. They didn’t ask a thing about you.
Today’s episode is about feeling ignored in conversat…
[REPLAY] The Enormous Impact of Small Intimacies
Sometimes to feel closer to our friends there’s this pressure to share our most vulnerable feelings or unearth some deep, dark secret.
But what if I told you there are more ways to feel connected to …
[REPLAY] You Say You Want a Village … But do you?
Your village is out there, waiting for you. It might even be knocking on your door, and you haven’t realized.
People often think they need to make enormous shifts to find community; they need to move…
[REPLAY] An Extensive Look at the Wheel of Connection
This whole podcast was only a dream a couple years ago, and here we are now with 100 episodes. Thank you for being here, for listening, and for sharing these conversations with your friends.
In this e…
[REPLAY] Digging Into the 3 Kinds of Friendship Roots
About three years ago, many of my friends moved away within a six month period.
While I was excited for these friends, I also grieved; my friends are my main support system, my family. How would I kee…
[REPLAY] What Is A Friend? And the 4 Types of Friends We All Have
[REPLAY] FOUNDATIONAL FRIENDSHIP IRL EPISODE
This month, I’m replaying four episodes that I consider FOUNDATIONAL to understanding all other Friendship IRL episodes. These are the episodes that break …
[REPLAY] Navigating Friendship Through Life Transitions: The Friends Who Stay
When big life changes happen, our closest people When life changes—pregnancy, a move, illness—our identity and relationships shift too. In this episode, we explore how life transitions affect friends…
Reframing the Idea of “Quality” in Friendship
Quality over quantity – you’ve probably heard this phrase when it comes to friendship, right?
So many of us strive for a few “quality” all-encompassing friendships, thinking that’s better than having …
The Surprising Benefits of a Friendship Pause
Picture this: you're staring at a text thread with your friend, and you realize you've had the same argument three times the past month. You love this person … but right now, you kind of can't stand …
Social Engineering Your Way Into Friendship, From Picnics to the Six Points of Connection, with Charlotte Massey
Have you ever moved somewhere new and felt like you were on the outside looking in?
This was Charlotte Massey when she moved to Seattle in the midst of the pandemic, when making friends was borderline…
All About Fringe Friends
Have you ever felt like you were the “extra invite?” The “filler friend?” The friend who gets invited to the big events but never the intimate gatherings?
There are lots of reasons people find themsel…
Being a Social Artist and Why Friendship Deserves Its Own Soundtrack With Leila Six
There are songs about romantic heartbreak, but where are the songs about losing a friend who meant EVERYTHING to you? That’s what Leila Six and I want to know.
Today’s guest, Leila Six, is a singer-so…
Navigating the Great Friendship Shift with Ericka Parker
A few years ago, five sets of my friends moved away within a six-month period. These people were my emergency contacts, the people I did Sunday dinners with. I was devastated.
This isn’t a unique expe…
The Spectrum of Digital Connection, From “Likes” to Deep Conversations
The other day I was telling a friend about my goal to be better about responding to text messages in a more timely manner. My friend agreed: this was something I needed to work on! And this was fair.…
Making Friends Online with Minded Society Co-Founders Marcela and Claudia
In the past few episodes, I’ve talked about keeping in touch with friends through the digital space. This episode goes a step further: how do you MAKE friends online?
Today’s guests are Claudia and Ma…
Are Online Friends REAL Friends? (Hint: YES!)
Are online friends REAL friends?
I’m not talking about parasocial relationships, which are one-sided relationships; I’m talking about people you’ve had conversations with, people who know things abou…
Using Parasocial Relationships as a Bridge For Real Community Instead of a Replacement For It
The term ‘parasocial relationship’ was coined in the 1950s by American sociologists Donald Horton and Richard Wohl to describe how people connected with TV personalities at the time.
Today, parasocia…
Using Data to Manage the Friendship Mental Load With Mark Houghton
When was the last time you just called a friend because you wanted to talk?
We carry these super computers in our pockets, but sometimes, using them to stay in touch feels more complicated than ever. …
How Deep Friendship Can Impact Radical Change with Priya Vulchi
Sometimes friendship can be a powerful force for social and political change.
This is according to today’s guest, Priya Vulchi, author of the newly-released (and AMAZING!) Good Friends: Bonds That Cha…
Super Psyched: The 4 Types of Connection We All Need with Dr. Adam Dorsay
Have you ever stopped to think about what connection actually IS? How do you define the multi-faceted thing that we talk about all the time on this podcast?
That’s what our guest, Dr. Adam Dorsay, is…