In this season of MID, we are answering the dilemmas and questions that you, our listeners, have sent us.

This episode is all about midlife friendships—how to navigate both new and old ones. Our guest, psychologist Clare Rowe, has plenty of experience dealing with the complexities of friendships. She's got a story about an experience with a friendship breakup—one you’ll be glad didn’t happen to you.

The dilemmas that Clare & Holly tackle in this episode are:

• One of my good friends has started being awful, but she says Perimenopause is the reason for all her outbursts. Do I believe her and work through it, or do I walk away? 
• My ex-best friend and I drifted apart 10 years ago, but I find myself missing her a lot. Should I accept this friendship is in the past or try to reconnect? 
• I can't stand my friend's political opinions. Do I distance myself from the whole group? Or do I say we just can’t talk politics?  

Find out more about Clare's work here.

THE END BITS: 

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CREDITS:

Guest: Clare Rowe

Host: Holly Wainwright

Executive Producer: Naima Brown

Senior Producer: Tahli Blackman

Audio Producer: Jacob Round

Mamamia acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the Land we have recorded this podcast on, the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation. We pay our respects to their Elders past and present, and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures.