The Friendship Practice
Friendship guides
Practical guides for the five situations that make adult friendship genuinely hard: expat life, remote work, new parenthood, life after 30, and starting over in a new city. Written by Carole Stromboni.
Are you an expat?
Making friends in a country that isn't yours yet.
How to make friends as an expat
Making friends as an expat is a real challenge: no existing network, different cultural scripts, a ticking clock. Here is what actually works abroad.
How to meet people in a new city
Meeting people in a new city runs on repetition, not luck. Here is how to create the repeated contact that turns early acquaintances into real friendships.
How to reconnect with old friends
The story you tell yourself before you send the message is always harder than the message itself. Here is how to reconnect without guilt or a long explanation.
Working from home?
Remote work removed the social structure. Here's how to replace it.
How to Make Friends When You Work From Home
Remote work removes the easiest structure for repeated contact in adult life. Here is how to build a real social life when home is also your office.
How to keep work friendships after going remote
When you go remote, you lose the hallway moments that kept work friendships alive. Here is how to replace that structure before the friendships quietly fade.
How to follow up after meeting someone
Afraid to text someone you just met in case you seem too eager? Research shows people like us more than we think. Here is how to follow up without the stress.
Are you a new parent?
Friendship changes after a baby. Here's how to navigate it.
How to make friends as a new parent
New parenthood is isolating, and polite coffee dates aren't the answer. Here is how to find other parents who get it and build real connections fast.
How to Stay Friends With Someone Who Just Had a Baby
When your friend has a baby, their free time drops to zero overnight. If you want to keep the bond, you have to change the rules. Here is how.
How to keep friends as an adult
Adult friendships don't end in fights. They end in drift. Here is how to maintain them through consistent small acts, not grand gestures or perfect timing.
Just turned 30?
The social structures of your 20s are gone. These ones actually work.
How to make friends after 30
After 30, friendship doesn't stop being possible. It stops being automatic. Here is how to build it deliberately without pretending adult life works like college.
How to make friends as an adult
Making friends as an adult isn't about charm. It's about repeated, relaxed time with the same people, and the quality of attention you bring to it. Here's how.
Why making friends as an adult is hard
Adulthood didn't kill your social skills. It destroyed your infrastructure. Here is why adult friendship requires deliberate design, not just more willpower.
New to a city?
Starting a social life in a place where you know almost no one.
How to meet people in a new city
Meeting people in a new city runs on repetition, not luck. Here is how to create the repeated contact that turns early acquaintances into real friendships.
How to turn acquaintances into friends
How do you cross from someone you know to someone you trust? It takes more than hello. Here is what actually moves an acquaintance into a real friend.
How to make friends as an adult
Making friends as an adult isn't about charm. It's about repeated, relaxed time with the same people, and the quality of attention you bring to it. Here's how.
Building connection
How to follow up after meeting someone
Afraid to text someone you just met in case you seem too eager? Research shows people like us more than we think. Here is how to follow up without the stress.
How to turn acquaintances into friends
How do you cross from someone you know to someone you trust? It takes more than hello. Here is what actually moves an acquaintance into a real friend.
How to know if someone wants to be your friend
Reading the signals of mutual interest is one of the hardest parts of adult friendship. A practical guide to recognizing when a connection has real potential.
How to be a better friend
Being a better friend is less about grand gestures and more about reliable small ones: following up, showing up, and being easy to reach when it matters.
How men can rebuild friendships without making it awkward
You don't need a deep conversation or a vulnerability retreat. You need a recurring activity, one invitation, and a follow-up. Here's how to rebuild.
How to introduce friends to each other
A good introduction is about preparation, not spontaneity. Here is who to ask first, what to say, and when to step back and let the friendship form on its own.
Keeping friendships alive
How to keep friends as an adult
Adult friendships don't end in fights. They end in drift. Here is how to maintain them through consistent small acts, not grand gestures or perfect timing.
Why do friendships fade?
Friendships rarely end in a big fight. They drift away when nobody makes the next plan. Here is why it happens and how to catch it before it is too late.
How to reconnect with old friends
The story you tell yourself before you send the message is always harder than the message itself. Here is how to reconnect without guilt or a long explanation.
What to Do When a Friendship Feels One-Sided
Are you the only one making plans, sending texts, and checking in? Here is how to spot a one-sided friendship and decide what to do about it.
When a friendship ends
Friendship breakups can hurt as much as romantic ones, but nobody talks about them. Here is how to navigate the grief, accept the closure, and heal.
How to make new friends after a friendship ends
Losing a close friend leaves a real void. Clearing out a broken connection makes room for something healthier. Here is how to rebuild with confidence.
Understanding friendship
Why making friends as an adult is hard
Adulthood didn't kill your social skills. It destroyed your infrastructure. Here is why adult friendship requires deliberate design, not just more willpower.
Why male friendships fade after 30
Male friendships don't end in a fight. They fade through distance, cancelled plans, and the slow disappearance of shared contexts. Here's what the research shows.
What is friendship coaching?
Friendship coaching isn't therapy. It is a step-by-step strategy for your social life, like a personal trainer for your friendships.
Friendship quotes: eight counter-intuitive observations from a friendship coach
Eight observations on adult friendship by Carole Stromboni, friendship coach: on following up, loneliness, repetition, and what actually builds closeness.
Next step
Practice friendship on better foundations.
If you want more than general advice, start with the free 7-day Friendship Challenge. It helps you look clearly at your friendship life before trying to fix it.