Friendless
James Avramenko
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About This Podcast
Friendless is a podcast about the strange, tender, often painful work of staying connected. Host James Avramenko talks to writers, thinkers, activists, and everyday people about loneliness, platonic love, community, mental health, and what it actually takes to build a life with people in it. No easy answers, no toxic positivity, no pretending the hard parts aren't hard. Just honest, sometimes uncomfortable, often moving conversations from somewhere in the void. But always fun and safety.
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Recent Episodes
S8E44 on belonging, grief, and identity (with special guest Eddy Boudel Tan) Live at the Book Warehouse
What happens when you've spent your whole life fitting a mold — and you finally decide you've had enough?This week, James sits down with Eddy Boudel Tan, Vancouver-born author of The Tiger and the…
S8E43 so you're no longer mentally ill...(DBT mini-season finale!)
In this final episode of the DBT micro-season, James walks back through the terrain — mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotion regulation, and interpersonal effectiveness — not to reteach, but to…
S8E42 Celebrating Independent Bookstore Day (with special guests Cathy Jesson & MLA Christine Boyle)
It's Independent Bookstore Day, and to celebrate, Friendless is doing a double feature — two short conversations recorded at the Bookshelf, both circling the same question: what do bookstores…
S8E41 balancing boundaries: the GIVE and FAST approach (DBT mini-season part 8)
There's a version of kindness that isn't actually kindness. It's saying yes when you mean no, showing up depleted and resentful, and building relationships on a quiet lie — the lie that you're fine,…
S8E40 Stop Hinting, Start Asking: The Dear Man Skill for Assertive Communication (DBT mini-season part 7)
Most of us were never taught how to ask for what we need — we were taught how to be nice, how to be agreeable, and how to silently hope the other person would just figure it out. And when they…
S8E39 A False Sense of Safety: Iona Whishaw on Trust, Community, and the Lies We Tell Ourselves (Live at the Book Warehouse)
What does it take to truly belong somewhere — and what happens when you didn't know that's what you needed?This week on Friendless, James sits down with Iona Whishaw — bestselling author of the Lane…
S8E38 when your emotions are lying to you (and what to do instead) DBT mini-season pt.6
Your feelings are real. But what if acting on them is making things worse?In this episode of Friendless, host James Avramenko continues the DBT series with three tools for navigating emotions…
S8E37 What Is Forgivable? A Conversation With Robyn Harding (Live from the Book Warehouse)
This week on a very special episode of Friendless recorded live at the Book Warehouse on Main Street, host James Avramenko interviews thriller author Robin Harding about her novel Strangers in the…
S8E36 Naming What You Actually Feel (or 'Fine' Doesn't Cut It) (DBT mini-season part 5)
This week on a very special episode of Friendless, we ask what if the goal of emotional maturity isn't to stop feeling things but to stop fighting them? In Part 5 of Friendless's deep dive into DBT…
S8E35 Radical Acceptance Bro! (Distress Tolerance pt. 2)
Distress Tolerance Pt. 2: Self-Soothing & Radical AcceptanceThis week on a very special episode of Friendless, we're continuing our exploration of Distress Tolerance skills as the DBT mini-season…
S8E34 Don't Make It Worse: Distress Tolerance Tools (DBT mini-season part 3)
This week on a very special episode of Friendless, we're leaving the mindfulness skills behind and stepping into DBT's toolkit for emotional emergencies: the moments when you're at an eight or nine…
S8E33 Mutual Survival: On Community, Grief, and Resistance (with special guest Garth Mullins) LIVE at the Book Warehouse
This week on a very special episode of Friendless, your pal and host of the show James Avramenko sits down with journalist, activist, podcaster, and author Garth Mullins — live at Book Warehouse on…
S8E32 The Guardrails: Mindfulness HOW Skills (DBT mini-season ep. 2)
In this very special episode of Friendless, we're continuing the DBT micro-season diving into the how skills of mindfulness: non-judgmentally, one-mindfully, and effectively. If those sound like…
S8E31 Finding the Off-Ramp From Runaway Thoughts (DBT Micro-Season — Mindfulness Part 1)
in this very special episode of Friendless, we're kicking off the DBT micro-season with Mindfulness Part 1, and no — this is not the sit-cross-legged-and-think-about-nothing version. This is…
S8E30 WTF is DBT? (Mini-Season Intro)
In this very special episode of Friendless, your host James Avramenko finally launches the long-promised DBT mini-season. This introductory episode explores why Dialectical Behavior Therapy isn't…
S8E29 Sometimes Things Work Out (LIVE at the Book Warehouse with Special Guest Susin Nielsen!)
This week on a very special episode of Friendless, host James Avramenko welcomes acclaimed author Susin Nielsen for a live recording at Book Warehouse Vancouver.Susin's latest novel "Snap" tells the…
S8E28 Practicing Resilience and Gratitude (with special guest Dr. Greg Hammer)
This week on a very special episode of Friendless, I sit down with Dr. Greg Hammer—pediatric intensive care physician, recently retired Stanford professor, and author of A Mindful Teen—to talk about…
S8E27 Sobriety and the Art of Queer Friendships (with special guest Will Pacheco)
In this very special episode of Friendless, host James Avramenko delves into the complexities of friendship, sobriety, and mental health with his dear friend William Raphael Pacheco. Join them as…
S8E26 The Art of Writing and Belonging (with special guest Genki Ferguson)
In this very special episode of 'Friendless,' recorded live at the Book Warehouse on Main Street, host welcomes guest Genki Ferguson, an author based in Vancouver. Genki shares insights on his…
S8E25 2026? I Hardly 2025-er! (Year End Retrospective Special!)
In this very special episode of Friendless, join host James Avramenko in a look back on the year that was 2025. He reflects on the highs and lows of the past year. James opens up about his medical…
Frequently Asked Questions
Friendless has published 182 episodes since October 2020, covering topics in Health & Fitness, Mental Health.
Friendless is currently declining with new episodes weekly. Average episode length is 58m.
Sign up on Grep.FM to access contact details for Friendless, including email and social media links.
