"You cannot be more of a friend to others than you are to yourself." What if friendship wasn't meant to be effortless, but to make you more alive? What if every relationship, especially the most challenging ones, was a portal into your own expansion? In this episode of Soul Talk, I sit down with Barnet Bain, award-winning filmmaker, spiritual teacher, and author of How to Be a Friend in an Unfriendly World, to explore the sacred, often overlooked art of friending. Barnet reveals a radical truth: Most of us think we're good friends, until the relationship becomes inconvenient. Until someone changes. Until life asks us to grow. Together we dive into the real work of authentic connection, why unconditional love is often a myth we hide behind, how our unspoken emotional contracts quietly sabotage intimacy, and why true friendship requires a willingness to be changed by one another. Barnet shares tender personal stories, including a powerful moment with his daughter that shattered his self-image and awakened him to the unconscious conditions he had placed on love. Through his wisdom, we explore how friendship becomes a spiritual practice, a living crucible where our wounds, triggers, and projections are not obstacles but invitations. Listen to this episode and learn how to friend yourself, friend your wounds, friend your inner weather, and finally, friend others from a place of truth, not need. Timestamps: <ul> <li class="MsoNormal">(00:02:27) - What inspired Barnet's new book on friendship</li> <li class="MsoNormal">(00:04:22) - A wake-up call: Barnet's daughter confronts him</li> <li class="MsoNormal">(00:08:52) - What is a friend? A new definition</li> <li class="MsoNormal">(00:10:26) - Unspoken "contracts" in friendships</li> <li class="MsoNormal">(00:12:04) - Why true friendship requires being emotional and spiritual peers</li> <li class="MsoNormal">(00:17:28) - The "backpack" we all carry into relationships</li> <li class="MsoNormal">(00:20:28) - Friendship across generational or financial differences</li> <li class="MsoNormal">(00:21:38) - Friendship in a polarized world: Trump/Biden, identity, beliefs</li> <li class="MsoNormal">(00:22:06) - Becoming a friend to your inner world first</li> <li class="MsoNormal">(00:27:38) - Lucid living: becoming aware inside the "dream of life"</li> <li class="MsoNormal">(00:29:25) - How Barnet has sustained a 40-year marriage</li> <li class="MsoNormal">(00:32:35) - Honoring each other & being willing to be changed</li> <li class="MsoNormal">(00:35:22) - Why we lack models for friendship today</li> <li class="MsoNormal">(00:38:16) - How to know when a friendship is over</li> <li class="MsoNormal">(00:41:34) - What to do when you feel lonely or friendless</li> <li class="MsoNormal">(00:47:17) - Fun as medicine & small steps to connection</li> <li class="MsoNormal">(00:49:26) - Tools to deepen existing friendships</li> <li class="MsoNormal">(00:52:43) - The real function of a friend</li> </ul> Some Questions I Ask: <ul style="margin-top: 0cm;" type="disc"> <li class="MsoNormal" style= "mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;">What inspired you to write a book specifically about friendship?</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style= "mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"> What is your definition of a friend?</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style= "mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;">Is unconditional love real, or a myth?</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style= "mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;">Can we truly be friends with someone who is in a different "bandwidth"?</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style= "mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;">How do we maintain friendships in a politically divided and polarized world?</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style= "mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;">What does it look like to "friend yourself"?</li> </ul> In This Episode, You Will Learn: <ul style="margin-top: 0cm;" type="disc"> <li class="MsoNormal" style= "mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;">How to recognize the hidden contracts and expectations you bring into relationships</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style= "mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"> How to practice emotional maturity and presence in friendships</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style= "mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;">How to build friendships based on equality, depth, and spiritual peer-ship</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style= "mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;">How to navigate friendships across political or ideological differences</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style= "mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;">How to cultivate long-term, intimate partnerships that grow with you</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style= "mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;">Simple daily practices to help let go of friendships that have naturally dissolved</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style= "mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;">How to start building connections even if you feel alone or disconnected</li> </ul> LINKS BARNET BAIN'S URL: <a title= "This external link will open in a new window" href= "https://barnetbain.com/" target="_blank" rel= "noopener">https://barnetbain.com</a> Get in Touch: <ul style="margin-top: 0cm;" type="disc"> <li class="MsoNormal" style= "mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;">Email me at <a>kuteblackson@kuteblackson.com</a></li> <li class="MsoNormal" style= "mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;">Visit my website: <a title= "This external link will open in a new window" href= "http://www.kuteblackson.com/" target="_blank" rel= "noopener">www.kuteblackson.com</a></li> </ul> Resources with Kute Blackson: Kute's Life-changing Path to Abundance & Miracles: <a title= "This external link will open in a new window" href= "https://www.8levelsofgratitude.com/" target="_blank" rel= "noopener">https://www.8levelsofgratitude.com</a> Free masterclass: Learn The Manifestation secret to Remove Mental Blocks & Invisible Barriers to Attract The Life of Abundance You Desire. REGISTER NOW: <a title= "This external link will open in a new window" href= "https://www.manifestationmasterclassonline.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">https://www.manifestationmasterclassonline.com</a>

Podurama

Home

Trending

Personal

Your Podcasts

New Episodes

My Files

Favourite Episodes

Tags (Folders)

Recently Played

Bookmarks

Followed Playlists

424: Barnet Bain on How to Be a True Friend in a Disconnected World

SoulTalk with Kute Blackson

AI Chapters

AI Insights

Reviews