The Courage Crisis: Why Making Friends as an Adult Is So Hard

Was it always this hard to make friends?In school, connection felt effortless. Then we graduated - and suddenly it wasn't as straightforward as it used to be.Adele Bloch says our increasing sense of isolation can't simply be labeled as a loneliness crisis. Instead she calls it: a courage crisis.Adele is a community builder, coach, and founder of Dining with Strangers and The Board Walks SF - a weekly Saturday morning walk series she hosted for over 100 consecutive weeks in San Francisco, bringing strangers together for deep, meaningful conversation.After years of hosting 300+ events and coaching people through social and relationship blocks, Adele has developed a practical, warm framework for rebuilding connection as an adult - starting with one simple question: what type of connection are you actually missing?In this conversation:"Ambient social connection" - what it is and why we've lost itWhy we're in a courage crisis, not just a loneliness crisisThe phone as social crutch - and how to get through "five seconds of courage"The four friendship buckets: do stuff friends, comfort friends, deep talk friends, ambient connectionConnection as a muscle: it's not something you have or don't haveThis Week's Analog Assignment: Think about Adele's four friendship buckets. Which one are you missing most? This week, take one step toward filling it. Go to one event. Text someone you've been meaning to see. Say hello to your barista/neighbor/the person you lock eyes with on the subway and actually mean it. Just one rep.Connect with Adele:Website: adelebloch.comInstagram: @adeleblochjourneyTwitter/X: @adele_blochThe Board Walks: theboardwalks.com