If you’ve ever felt like making friends as an adult feels impossible, or you’ve looked around and thought, "Where did all my friends go?" – you are not alone.

Or maybe you have friends, and you want deeper connections, but you don’t know how to create it without forcing it.

Friendship is hard right now. Which is why today, Mel is sitting down with Harvard-trained social scientist and bestselling author, Kasley Killam, who has spent the last 15 years researching friendship, connection, and loneliness.

Have you ever wondered why the friendships that once felt close now feel distant?

Why you genuinely want to see people more, but somehow always end up canceling?

Or why making new friends as an adult feels so forced and exhausting when it never used to?

There's a reason for all of that. And today, Kasley is giving you the answer.

She is also raising the stakes on friendship and explaining why social health is the missing key to living a longer, healthier, and happier life.

Kasley has conducted positive psychology research at the University of Pennsylvania and launched an award-winning initiative at Stanford that promotes empathy and kindness. And in this conversation, she’s here to clear up the confusion, cut through the excuses, and give you the tools that make connection feel doable again.

You’ll also learn the 4 friendship styles - and identify which one you are - so you’ll finally understand why friendship drains you, why it feels easy for some people, and what you specifically need to create the relationships you want.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

-Why adult friendship feels so hard (and how to make it easier)

-Why social health is a missing pillar of well-being

-The Excuse vs. Need framework for connection

-The Swap Strategy to feel less lonely, fast

-The 5-3-1 Rule for stronger friendships

-How to deepen the relationships you already have

-Exactly how to make new friends as an adult

-Why connection is essential - not optional

No matter your age or stage of life, it’s not too late.

If you’ve felt lonely, disconnected, or like building real friendship is impossible, this conversation will show you exactly what to do next, with steps that are simple, specific, and realistic.

For more resources related to today’s episode, click here for the podcast episode page.

If you liked the episode, check out this one next: What Makes a Good Life? Lessons From the Longest Study on Happiness

Connect with Mel:

• Order Mel’s new product, Pure Genius Protein
• Get Mel’s newsletter, packed with tools, coaching, and inspiration.
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Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Today's episode is going to completely change the way you think about every conversation you've been too afraid to have.

Ever wonder why your relationships feel surface level, even after years?

Why you feel lonely, even when you're surrounded by people?

Why you say “I’m fine,” even when you’re not?

Why some people earn trust instantly, while you struggle to be taken seriously?

Harvard Business School’s Dr. Leslie K. John, a behavioral scientist who has spent decades studying honesty, trust, privacy, regret, and decision-making, is here to teach you the answer – and it's not what you think.

In today’s episode, you will learn the surprising science of honesty, vulnerability, and human connection.

Her research has found why the things you don't say are quietly hurting your health, your relationships, and your career – and exactly what to do about it.

For years, the advice has been: don't overshare, at work or with friends. Keep things private. But decades of Harvard research say that advice is backwards.

Dr. John's findings are shocking, and reveal that the real problem, the one deepening loneliness and costing you the career and connections you want, is undersharing.

In this episode, you’ll learn that 89% of people would choose to work with, trust, and hire someone who reveals something difficult, even something unflattering, over someone who stays quiet.

That keeping secrets doesn't just feel heavy. Research shows it lowers cognitive performance, IQ, and is linked to measurable declines in physical health.

That one of the most common deathbed regrets is “I wish I had shared my feelings more.”

That you can use The Disclosure Matrix, which is the exact decision-making tool Dr. John teaches at Harvard Business School, so you always know when to speak up and when to stay quiet.

And, you’ll learn the 2-sentence framework that makes any hard conversation easier to start.

If you've ever held something back because you didn't want to make things awkward, said "I'm fine" when you weren't, or wished your relationships felt deeper and more honest, this episode will change the way you communicate forever.

For more resources related to today’s episode, click here for the podcast episode page. Get Dr. John's book Revealing here.

If you liked the episode, check out this one next: Stanford Luck Researcher: How to Manifest the Life You Want

Connect with Mel:

• Get Pure Genius Protein
• Get Mel’s newsletter, packed with tools, coaching, and inspiration.
• Get Mel’s #1 bestselling book, The Let Them Theory
• Watch the episodes on YouTube
• Follow Mel on Instagram
• The Mel Robbins Podcast Instagram
• Mel's TikTok
• Subscribe to SiriusXM Podcasts+ to listen to new episodes ad-free
• Disclaimer

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

You have more control over your life and future than you think – and it’s sitting on your plate.

If you want to lose weight, feel energized, crush cravings, clear brain fog, calm inflammation, slow aging naturally, enjoy your life, and finally stop feeling confused about what to eat, this episode will change your relationship with food forever.

Today, Stanford epigenetics scientist and nutrition researcher Dr. Lucia Aronica joins Mel for a research-backed, hope-filled conversation about how to eat to live longer, stay young, and feel better than ever.

She says food isn’t just fuel – it’s information. Every bite sends signals to your body that shape your energy, your metabolism, your focus, and how fast you age.

Dr. Aronica says that means you are never stuck – not because of your family history, not because of the current state of your health, and not because you’ve resigned yourself to “this is just how it is now.”

Every meal is a chance to send a different signal to your genes. And when you start doing that consistently, you become a different person at the cellular level.

In this episode, Dr. Aronica will reveal her Stanford framework for eating your way to younger genes, including the everyday foods that deliver the biggest payoff and the sneaky mistakes that can strip those foods of their benefits if you’re not careful.

You’ll also learn:

-The #1 reason losing weight feels hard and why Dr. Aronica says you’ll never need a diet again

-Why inflammation ages you faster than time, and what to do about it

-The egg myth keeping you from a stronger brain and healthier aging

-The anti-aging kitchen hacks that will change the way you see tomatoes, broccoli, garlic, and other foods

-The surprising truth about dark chocolate

-How to make eating healthy easy and fun

-How to help someone you love make positive changes

Dr. Aronica says you’re in charge of your health story.

Once you learn the framework that sets you up for success, you’ll be able to make your life a masterpiece, one bite at a time.

For more resources related to today’s episode, click here for the podcast episode page.

If you liked the episode, check out this one next: #1 Body Image Expert: How to Repair Your Relationship With Your Body & Food.

Connect with Mel:

• Order Mel’s new product, Pure Genius Protein
• Get Mel’s newsletter, packed with tools, coaching, and inspiration.
• Get Mel’s #1 bestselling book, The Let Them Theory
• Watch the episodes on YouTube
• Follow Mel on Instagram
• The Mel Robbins Podcast Instagram
• Mel's TikTok
• Subscribe to SiriusXM Podcasts+ to listen to new episodes ad-free
• Disclaimer

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.