Friendship, Bec Sparrow says, is a bumper bar on your life. It doesn’t stop the hard things from happening – it cushions the impact when they do.

Bec is one of Australia’s most trusted voices on teen and tween life – author of seven books, co-host of ABC’s Parental as Anything with Maggie Dent, co-founder of Birds of a Feather (Australia’s largest online book club for women), and a woman who has spent more than twenty years studying the science and art of friendship. She is also, by her own admission, a deeply introverted person who has had to consciously learn every single skill she teaches.

This conversation goes to a lot of tender places about Bec’s own personal journey, as well as exploring the craft of building friendships. The real, practical, inconvenient work of it. We discuss why  18 to 25 year olds are now the loneliest demographic in Australia and why Bec started her JOT (Join One Thing) campaign and what happened when she, terrified, sat in her car outside an 80s dance class and made herself walk in anyway.

We explore:

• The sense of calling she has carried since her teenage years, and what it actually feels like to be doing the work you’re here to do
• The pilot light – what Bec says to every parent who is deep in the season of small children and losing themselves
• Why Bec models friendship differently now, including the concept of “deep casual hosting” and having people over even when your house is a mess.
• The power of apologising and owning your impact when friendships get messy
• Why your kids need friends inside school AND outside school – and why having both matters so much when things go sideways
• JOT: Join One Thing – Bec’s campaign to combat loneliness, and why she believes there are friendships waiting for all of us if we’re willing to walk in the door

About Bec Sparrow:

Rebecca (Bec) Sparrow is one of Australia’s most trusted voices on teen and tween life. She’s the author of seven books spanning fiction and non-fiction, including the bestselling novel The Girl Most Likely and the teen guide Find Your Tribe. Her most recent book, Out of the Box: A one-stop guide to navigating neurodivergence, was co-authored with journalist Madonna King and published by UQP in 2024. She co-hosts the ABC podcast Parental as Anything: Teens with Maggie Dent, and co-founded Birds of a Feather Book Club – billed as Australia’s largest online book club for women – with Jane Sullivan. Bec lives in Brisbane with her husband Brad (an obstetrician), their three kids and two labradoodles.

Connect with Bec:

• Website: rebeccasparrow.com – including a free friendship resources offer: if you’re struggling and can’t afford her paid resources, email hello@rebeccasparrow.com and mention this podcast. She will send you what you need.
• Instagram: @rebeccasparrow72
• Facebook: Rebecca Sparrow Writer
• Book club: birdsofafeather.com.au
• Book: Out of the Box (UQP, 2024) with Madonna King
• Podcast: Parental as Anything: Teens (ABC)