Why does adult friendship feel so much harder than it used to — even when nothing is “wrong”? In this episode, Chrissi and her sister Sarah unpack why loneliness, disconnection, and friendship confusion are so common in midlife, especially for women navigating busy schedules, shifting priorities, and changing seasons of life. They explore how modern life quietly reshaped the way we connect — and why feeling lonely isn’t a personal failure. If you’ve ever wondered why friendship feels emotional, awkward, or exhausting in adulthood, this conversation will help you feel seen, validated, and less alone.

(0:00) ❄️ A cold-weather catch-up and why everyday conversation still matters
(5:00) 🧠 Texting tone, all-caps conflict, and how adult relationships misread intention
(9:00) 🤝 Why adult friendship feels heavier — and why so many women quietly struggle
(12:00) 📉 The loneliness statistics that reveal a major cultural shift
(16:00) ☕ The loss of “third spaces” and how modern life fractured community
(20:00) 🧸 Parenting stages, aging kids, and the disappearance of built-in friendships
(24:00) 🎧 Feeling isolated in public — even when we’re surrounded by people
(28:00) ❤️ The Harvard study that reframes happiness, health, and relationships
(31:00) 🌱 “Medium friends” — why they matter, where they fit, and why they’re confusing
(35:00) 🧭 Wanting to show up without overstepping — and why silence can hurt more
(40:00) 🔄 Friendship bandwidth, emotional energy, and shrinking circles in midlife
(45:00) 🛒 Reimagining friendship through errand friends, shared activities, and low-pressure connection
(48:00) ✨ Final reflections on effort, vulnerability, and what adult friendship really needs

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📱 Check out @foundat40podcast on Instagram for extras, outtakes, and mild oversharing

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Keywords: adult friendship, loneliness in adulthood, making friends in midlife, female friendship in midlife, why adult friendship is hard, feeling lonely even with friends, modern loneliness epidemic, friendship after 40, losing friends as an adult, third spaces and community, rebuilding friendships in adulthood, emotional labor in friendships, friendship circles and bandwidth, medium friends vs close friends, connection and belonging in midlife