True friendship is a cornerstone of human social life, providing not only companionship but also emotional support, understanding, and joy. The bonds we form with true friends are often some of the most significant and enduring of our lives. Our Experts in this area of the site help to define what is a true friend, and why these Relationships are so critical. A true friend stands by your side, not only during your best moments but importantly, during your trials and tribulations. Unlike acquaintances who might enjoy your company in only good times, true friends see beyond the surface, recognizing and appreciating your full self, flaws and all. This depth of connection distinguishes true friendship from more superficial relationships.
Trust is the foundation of any genuine friendship. True friends trust each other with their secrets, fears, and dreams, knowing their confessions remain safe and their vulnerabilities respected. Support and loyalty are hallmarks of true friendship as well as shared values and common interests. True friends face life’s challenges together. Whether dealing with personal loss, professional setbacks, or everyday stresses, knowing you have someone to lean on can make all the difference. As us Baby Boomers are Aging, we have lost many friends, but with our wealth of life experiences to share, it is never too late to find new friends to provide emotional support, laughter and a safe space to be ourselves.
Douglas B. Jones Author: Medicare for the Lazy Man, Simplest & Easiest Guide Ever!; Medicare Enrollment Guide (Download free from my site); Medicare Drug Plans, A Simple D-I-Y Guide!;
I want to tell you about my friend Larry.
Larry
is pretty well known in the podcast world as a content creator, a
consultant, and a subject matter expert for journalists. I’ve seen
lots of times where he’s appeared on local and national TV shows,
talking about podcasting as well as AI – he’…
I want to tell you about my friend Larry.
Larry
is pretty well known in the podcast world as a content creator, a
consultant, and a subject matter expert for journalists. I’ve seen
lots of times wh…
I want to tell you about my friend Larry.
Larry
is pretty well known in the podcast world as a content creator, a
consultant, and a subject matter expert for journalists. I’ve seen
lots of times where he’s appeared on local and national TV shows,
talking about podcasting as well as AI – he’s been on the
forefront of how to use AI for personal and business productivity.
And he’s been a sought-after keynote speaker at lots of
organizations where he talks about these things.
A
few years ago, Larry and I were in Los Angeles during a podcasting
conference. One evening during that week t…
Trauma is healed by releasing it. Letting it go. The practice is to let go, let go, let go.
This is what I mean by unconditioning yourself. It takes true awareness and daily application. You are regularly, habitually extricating yourself from your focus on what was wrong in the past by choosing t…
Trauma is healed by releasing it. Letting it go. The practice is to let go, let go, let go.
This is what I mean by unconditioning yourself. It takes true awareness and daily application. You are re…
Trauma is healed by releasing it. Letting it go. The practice is to let go, let go, let go.
This is what I mean by unconditioning yourself. It takes true awareness and daily application. You are regularly, habitually extricating yourself from your focus on what was wrong in the past by choosing to focus on something beneficial…or something other than this trauma.
No justification, no empathetic pain. No conscious recollection of painful memories of past events. This isn’t suppression or denial. You won’t forget. It’s not dealing with the shock of beach ball thoughts that pop up u…
He wasn't a doctor, but he talked his way past the barricades on 9/11 anyway — and spent the next 24 hours saving strangers' eyes.Author, Neil Adams, joins Brigitte Cutshall to talk about his book "From the Pile", written to honor his late best friend Michael Dorian — a veterinary technician who…
He wasn't a doctor, but he talked his way past the barricades on 9/11 anyway — and spent the next 24 hours saving strangers' eyes.Author, Neil Adams, joins Brigitte Cutshall to talk about his book "…
He wasn't a doctor, but he talked his way past the barricades on 9/11 anyway — and spent the next 24 hours saving strangers' eyes.Author, Neil Adams, joins Brigitte Cutshall to talk about his book "From the Pile", written to honor his late best friend Michael Dorian — a veterinary technician who posed as medical personnel to help injured firefighters at Ground Zero on 9/11.Neil shares how Michael's selfless act ultimately cost him his health, the years-long fight to prove he was there, and the surprising twists (a lost news tape, a local Emmy, a Spike Lee documentary "Epicenters") that fol…
What happens when high-performance success meets complete spiritual surrender? In this profound episode, we explore how a true Bridge Builder navigates the delicate intersection of professional achievement and personal brokenness. We are joined by Shilo Creed, a seven-time award-winning and best-sel…
What happens when high-performance success meets complete spiritual surrender? In this profound episode, we explore how a true Bridge Builder navigates the delicate intersection of professional achiev…
What happens when high-performance success meets complete spiritual surrender? In this profound episode, we explore how a true Bridge Builder navigates the delicate intersection of professional achievement and personal brokenness. We are joined by Shilo Creed, a seven-time award-winning and best-selling author, whose riveting journey from a life-threatening heart condition to a radical spiritual awakening provides an essential masterclass for any leader facing a personal crisis.Shilo opens up about the exact moment her health trial turned her faith upside down, forcing her to discover what it …
What if the greatest obstacle to aging well isn't physical decline, but the way we perceive ourselves and the world around us? In this episode, Dr. Jeff Armstrong welcomes Pratiqk Jaani, founder of the Dhrasti Method and author of Dhrasti!The Perception, for a conversation about perception, conditio…
What if the greatest obstacle to aging well isn't physical decline, but the way we perceive ourselves and the world around us? In this episode, Dr. Jeff Armstrong welcomes Pratiqk Jaani, founder of th…
What if the greatest obstacle to aging well isn't physical decline, but the way we perceive ourselves and the world around us? In this episode, Dr. Jeff Armstrong welcomes Pratiqk Jaani, founder of the Dhrasti Method and author of Dhrasti!The Perception, for a conversation about perception, conditioning, consciousness, and the pursuit of lasting wholeness. Drawing from his own journey through professional success, personal dissatisfaction, and a life-changing health crisis, Pratiqk explains how cultivating the "observer self" can help us move beyond emotional reactivity and live with greater j…
So,
you have decided to try making new friends. That is the first step.
But
now you are stuck in the space between "Hi, nice to meet you" and
"Want to grab coffee?" It is an awkward space. It is the space where
you wonder if you are being too pushy or too distant. The space where you
second-guess e…
So,
you have decided to try making new friends. That is the first step.
But
now you are stuck in the space between "Hi, nice to meet you" and
"Want to grab coffee?" It is an awkward space. It is the …
So,
you have decided to try making new friends. That is the first step.
But
now you are stuck in the space between "Hi, nice to meet you" and
"Want to grab coffee?" It is an awkward space. It is the space where
you wonder if you are being too pushy or too distant. The space where you
second-guess every text.
Let
me tell you something: everyone feels that way.
One
of the biggest barriers to making friends is the fear of not fitting in or
being rejected. Life changes, retirement, health issues, the loss of a spouse, can
impact self-esteem. You may feel less confident about reaching out.
But
…
Send us Fan MailI can't believe it's been nearly 25 years. 7,000 people step off diverted planes into a town they’ve never heard of, carrying fear, exhaustion, and the sickening uncertainty of 9/11. Gander, Newfoundland a place of moose, cold weather, and a quiet airport suddenly become…
Send us Fan MailI can't believe it's been nearly 25 years. 7,000 people step off diverted planes into a town they’ve never heard of, carrying fear, exhaustion, and the sickening uncertain…
Send us Fan MailI can't believe it's been nearly 25 years. 7,000 people step off diverted planes into a town they’ve never heard of, carrying fear, exhaustion, and the sickening uncertainty of 9/11. Gander, Newfoundland a place of moose, cold weather, and a quiet airport suddenly becomes the safest spot in the world, not because it has more resources, but because it chooses to treat strangers like neighbors.We walk through how 38 flights end up on this tiny corner of North America, what it feels like to sit on a plane for hours without answers, and why the mix of passengers matter…
When a friend in her late 80s called and said, “I’m ready to leave,” I understood she wasn’t talking about a place. She had been my graduate advisor, colleague, confidant, and family friend for more than 50 years. Although retired for nearly a decade, she was still regarded as an eminent aut…
When a friend in her late 80s called and said, “I’m ready to leave,” I understood she wasn’t talking about a place. She had been my graduate advisor, colleague, confidant, and family friend fo…
When a friend in her late 80s called and said, “I’m ready to leave,” I understood she wasn’t talking about a place. She had been my graduate advisor, colleague, confidant, and family friend for more than 50 years. Although retired for nearly a decade, she was still regarded as an eminent authority in her field. […]
By Nurse Taylor, RN — Former Geriatric Nurse & Chief Customer Happiness Officer at Joe & Bella
If you've ever snapped at an aging parent and immediately felt crushing guilt, you're not alone — and you're not a bad caregiver. You're a human one.
I want to start with something nobody says out loud…
By Nurse Taylor, RN — Former Geriatric Nurse & Chief Customer Happiness Officer at Joe & Bella
If you've ever snapped at an aging parent and immediately felt crushing guilt, you're not alone — and…
By Nurse Taylor, RN — Former Geriatric Nurse & Chief Customer Happiness Officer at Joe & Bella
If you've ever snapped at an aging parent and immediately felt crushing guilt, you're not alone — and you're not a bad caregiver. You're a human one.
I want to start with something nobody says out loud, but almost every family caregiver has felt: "I just lost it."
Maybe it was the third time you explained something they couldn't remember. Maybe it was the moment they refused help they clearly needed. Maybe it was something small — a repeated question, a misplaced item, a slow walk through a par…
Welcome back to the willGather Podcast. I'm Nicole Will, and if you've been wondering where I've been, thank you for your patience. Over the past year, life has stretched me in ways I never expected. I've experienced incredible joy, heartbreaking loss, new opportunities, and powerful reminders of wh…
Welcome back to the willGather Podcast. I'm Nicole Will, and if you've been wondering where I've been, thank you for your patience. Over the past year, life has stretched me in ways I never expected. …
Welcome back to the willGather Podcast. I'm Nicole Will, and if you've been wondering where I've been, thank you for your patience. Over the past year, life has stretched me in ways I never expected. I've experienced incredible joy, heartbreaking loss, new opportunities, and powerful reminders of what really matters. Through it all, I found myself returning to the same themes that have always shaped this podcast: caregiving, connection, community, and the people who walk beside us through life's hardest and most beautiful moments. This episode is a little different. It's just you and me. I'm s…
Edward Brazee
Scott Johnson
July 24, 2026
Paula Tozer 
Brigitte Cutshall 
Rev. Dr. B. Keith Haney 
Jeff Armstrong 
Royce Shook 
Mike Rathbun 
Stan Goldberg 
Ben Graham 
Nicole Will