#51: How to keep and make new mom friends with Danielle Bayard Jackson of Friend Forward

In this first episode of Season 3, I have the pleasure of speaking with Danielle Bayard Jackson, publicist and friendship coach. She is also the founder of Friend Forward, a membership for women aimed at creating better female friendships. Maintaining my friendships has always been a struggle for me, particularly since becoming a mom, and I find I often overthink everything to do with these relationships. And after speaking to a lot of other moms, I found this was super common! So to kick off our self-care week here at MLE in honour of Mother’s Day coming up, I decided to chat with Danielle all about the changes that happen to friendships when you become a mom, how to cope with those changes, and most importantly, I think, how to reframe friendships in our mind to realize that they are actually a necessity, not just a bonus. This was a huge one for me personally, I find that I tend to push, not only self-care, but time with my friends aside in favour of getting more checkmarks on my to-do list. Learning the research behind why friendships are actually crucial for us really helps me to prioritize them and stop looking at them as a “nice to have, if I have time”. Please head over to whichever platform you listen on and subscribe to the podcast so you never miss an episode! And remember to go to Apple Podcasts in order to leave a rating and review - this is so important to ensure that this podcast can continue, and can reach more parents like yourself. ADDITIONAL RESOURCES: If you are looking to join a community of parents that are going through the same journey as you, as far as feeding goes anyway, make sure you take advantage of the Little Eaters Club! It’s the new membership community at My Little Eater™. You’ll have access to our wonderful, non-judgmental community, get support, and get all the answers you need to your feeding questions. There’s a huge, and ever-growing, library of resources, monthly recipes, monthly coaching calls, teachings from guest experts, and more! If you’re interested, join now.  LITTLE EATERS CLUB: https://mylittleeater.com/little-eaters-club/  If you’re looking for more information on how to join Friend Forward, or want some tips from Danielle herself, you can find that information here: https://www.betterfemalefriendships.com/ INSTAGRAM: @friendforward MORE ON MOM FRIENDS: https://mylittleeater.com/mom-friends MEET DANIELLE: Danielle Bayard Jackson is a certified friendship coach and national speaker dedicated to teaching women how to create and maintain meaningful female friendships. A former high school teacher, Danielle founded Friend Forward, and now uses her skills as an educator to coach women through ways to navigate common friendship conflicts. Her book, Give it a Rest: The Case for Tough Love Friendship, outlines her framework for creating platonic intimacy through difficult conversations, and it has been shared in several women’s media outlets. Danielle shares her insight weekly on The Friend Forward Podcast, answering women’s most pressing questions about navigating conflict in female friendships. Danielle is a member of the American Sociological Association, and she studies the latest research in the areas of social science to create practical ways for women to better understand each other when operating in positions of leadership, friendship, and mentorship. SKIP TO... Welcome Danielle! (1:23) How to make time for friends as a mom (5:41) Tips on maintaining friendships with women who aren’t moms (12:00) Advice for if you “overthink” friendships (17:16) Changes in friendships after entering motherhood (25:10)