If you think about some of the most common advice our kids get when they are trying to make friends, it's usually things like: *Just go up and introduce yourself *Ask them what they are talking about *Don't talk to strangers   None of these strategies help people make friends. They actually make things more awkward and cause people who try them to be LESS likely to make connections with others.   In the last 8 months, I've been to 2 countries, 11 states, and Puerto Rico. And I've made amazing connections with other humans in EVERY one of those places!    How??   In this week's episode, I'm sharing how I make friends everywhere I go.    It sure as heck isn't by being afraid to talk to strangers, or by going up to someone and saying, "Hi, I'm Steph!", or by randomly interrupting a conversation to ask people what they are talking about.    Here's a clip from the episode:   It's important to be okay with knowing that, sometimes when we have a really great interaction with somebody or really great experience with somebody, that may be all there is to it. We may not ever talk to them again or see them again. And so part of talking to strangers is being okay with that. Part of talking to strangers is being okay with the fact that this may be the last time you ever talk to them again. I actually think that's a good thing. I think it takes a lot of the anxiety out of it. Because even if you try to start a conversation with a stranger and it's super awkward and doesn't go well, you're never gonna see them again. It's okay. I think that actually makes it easier than trying to start a conversation with someone that you actually will see again: somebody at work, somebody at school, somebody at, you know, one of your hobbies, I think it actually makes it easier. It's almost like strangers are for practice!