#86 - Every New Friendship Takes an Act of Courage with Amy Weatherly and Jess Johnston

Making friends and deepening existing friendships starts with some basic truths."Every friendship starts with an act of bravery. And every friendship goes to the next level because of someone's act of bravery. ""Do not wait for the other person to make the first move. It's always your turn."These are just two of many wise and thoughtful quotes about making friends and deepening friendships from today's guests, Amy Weatherly and Jess Johnston. Amy, Jess, and I---three friendship enthusiasts---shared times we've been brave in making friends and deepening those friendships as well as times we've struggled.We covered:Some of our own personal stories of the brave act of making friends, including how Amy and Jess met online and formed a real friendshipThe fear of rejectionThe fear of being awkwardLetting go of assumptions you've made about what everyone is thinkingThe fear of leaving others outFinding a pickleball game! Focusing on the people who say yes and don't fixate on the people who are not interestedNot giving up all of your power to make friendships happenIntentionality and vulnerability in deepening friendshipsThe fear of sharing who you really areAsking good questions Allowing kids and teens to experience friendship bumps (not trying to fix everything)MEET AMY AND JESSAmy Weatherly and Jess Johnston are cofounders of the viral page all about friendship, Sister, I Am with You. They coauthored the new book, Here For It and the Wall Street Journal bestseller I'll Be There (But I'll Be Wearing Sweatpants) and have been featured in national news such as Good Morning America to talk about friendship. They are friends first, business partners second, and absolutely adore any time they can spend together in real life (eating queso) and laughing till they ache.Find Amy & Jess on: Facebook, Instagram, and on their Website.ALL THE DEAR NINA LINKS + CONTACT INFO📢 This week’s fabulous sponsor + how to purchase ad space on Dear Nina📱 Subscribe to my newsletter “Conversations About Friendship” on Substack❤️ Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, the Dear Nina Facebook group📪 Ask an anonymous friendship question🔎 Want to work with me or need another link? That’s probably here. Special thank you, as always, to my assistant producer, Rebekah Jacobs!