When Aminatou Sow and Ann Friedman met for the first time, they shared an instant feeling of excitement over the potential for their new friendship. They bonded over both being writers in the early stages of their careers, and they started a podcast on friendship, Call Your Girlfriend. Over the next decade, their relationship evolved and they experienced some difficulties – moments of not feeling understood or seen by each other. While they remained connected through their podcast, they felt far apart emotionally. The unspoken created a chasm between them.
So often friends hit road bumps but struggle to talk to each other about what’s really going on inside their inner worlds. There is a myth that friendships are easy, but like romantic or familial relationships, friendships require brave and honest conversations. Sow and Friedman felt they lacked the tools to have the open communication they needed in order to restore their connection. They decided to work with a therapist to gain a deeper understanding of each other and their dynamic. The end result was a strong, reciprocal friendship they knew would last for years to come – as well as a book about their experience, Big Friendship.