Today's topic is – yes! a friendship-adjacent topic: how to show up as an individual in your friendship. Every relationship is a two-way street! How you show up as yourself is critical to how you show up in a friendship.
Breck and Sally go deep with Leah Aguirre, a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and practicing psychotherapist, on all things friendship. We hear a little from Lucy, her dog, too!
We talk about what it means to be authentic in a friendship: to Leah it means showing up exactly as who you are, not only your strengths but also with your flaws and quirks. Being confident that those pieces are your whole identity and being true to that. She gives us that friendly reminder that no one is perfect!
Leah shares her own incredible story about being in a sorority in college and losing herself. She sees now that her values were different from her sorority sisters, and she felt she wasn't always able to show up as herself. After college, she had to find herself again. And those friendships from college didn't last or sustain because they weren't based on her authentic self.
To get grounded and find her authentic self, she started to meet like-minded people and was able to sustain good conversation and experiences with them around shared interests.
This episode also covers group think, what to do if you feel judged in a friend, and the different kinds of friends you might have in your life (hint: not every friendship is the same!).
If you're anything like us, you'll be friends with Leah by the end of this conversation!
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Leah Aguirre is a California native and currently resides in San Diego, CA. Leah attended the University of California, Santa Barbara where she graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Psychology and shorty after attended San Diego State University graduating with a Masters of Social Work. Leah is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and has been practicing as a psychotherapist for over 7 years, working primarily with individuals who have experienced complex trauma and struggle with mental health challenges. She is trained in Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), an evidenced based practice that is used to address trauma, PTSD and other anxiety disorders. Leah currently works at a community based clinic clinic and has her own private practice where she offers individual therapy. Leah specializes in supporting women survivors of abusive or unhealthy relationships and women navigating and conquering the dating world. Leah is passionate about women’s mental health and wellness. Her goal and mission is to help women clear trauma and develop self-love and acceptance. Leah writes for PsychologyToday and has also been featured in GQ, Sanity & Self App, and San Diego Union Tribune. Follow her on Instagram.
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