Episode 8: How to maintain meaningful friendships

Friendships are one of the most essential pillars of our well-being. They are the people we turn to when life gets hard, who cheer us on, offer a listening ear and remind us of who we are.

But as we grow older and life fills up with new priorities, maintaining close friendships can become hard, or at least require some effort, as opposed to how easy this was during school and university years.

In this episode of How to Adult, host Hala Nasar explores what it takes to build and sustain meaningful friendships throughout adulthood.

She begins with a conversation with Ali Amin, a 23-year-old who reflects on the deliberate effort he puts into nurturing long-distance friendships and why forgiveness plays a vital role in sustaining them.

Next, Hala speaks to Noor Alhuda, a communication and relationship coach who works with people on improving their interpersonal skills. She shares her insights on maintaining healthy friendships in adulthood.

Finally, life coach Mawada Alwazir brings a long-term perspective to the conversation, talking about how the foundations we lay in our 20s and 30s − in the way we approach and prioritise friendships − can shape our social lives for decades to come.

How to Adult is a series helping young people tackle real-life skills they were never formally taught. New episodes appear every Monday across podcast platforms.