Is It Time to Let Go? Female Friendship Breakups and What They Teach Us from the author of Estranged Artwork

Persistence U with Lizbeth

An award-winning author turned Lifetime TV movie subject, host Lizbeth Meredith works to tame trauma and increase resilience leveraging the power of persistence.Created for and by survivors and strivers, Persistence U podcast with Lizbeth hosts guests willing to share from the heart to both inform and inspire. Whether they've published a first book after 70, or slowly re-entered life after a crushing setback, they'll tell who and what helped. Because big goals and obstacles are no match when you have a good community.

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Persistence U with Lizbeth

Is It Time to Let Go? Female Friendship Breakups and What They Teach Us from the author of Estranged

July 16, 2025 • Lizbeth Meredith • Season 5 • Episode 188

In this episode of Persistence U with Lizbeth dives into a deeply relatable and rarely explored topic: the estrangement of female friendships. Our guest, Susan Shapiro Barash, is a leading voice in women’s studies and author of over a dozen nonfiction books, including her latest: Estranged: Leaving Toxic Friendships and Creating Healthier Ones.

#persistenceu #susanshapirobarash #toxicfriendships#alienation #estrangement

In this conversation, Susan shares research gathered from more than 150 interviews with women ages 20 to 80, uncovering the emotional truths, betrayals, and boundary-crossings that cause female friendships to unravel. Together, we unpack what happens when once-beloved friends become sources of stress, resentment, or grief—and how to navigate the ending of a friendship with clarity and compassion.

Why do we feel shame for wanting to walk away? How do we know when a friendship has run its course? And is it possible to honor the good times while also letting go of what no longer serves us? Susan offers thought-provoking answers, real-life examples, and powerful insight into a topic we all experience but rarely discuss openly.

You Will Learn:
The 7 types of toxic friendship patterns and how to spot them

How to know when it’s time to step back—or step away—from a friendship

Why letting go of a longtime friend can be a powerful, self-loving decision

Featured Book
Estranged: Leaving Toxic Friendships and Creating Healthier Ones by Susan Shapiro Barash
Buy the book on Amazon
🔗 Learn more: www.susanshapirobarash.com

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Lizbeth's memoir Pieces of Me: Rescuing My Kidnapped Daughters can be ordered where books are sold, and is now a TV movie, #Stolen By Their Father on Lifetime.

Lizbeth's second book, Grounded in Grit: Turn Your Challenges Into Superpowers is available to order wherever books are sold!

Tilka Faces the Odds, One Man at a Time, new release novel https://books2read.com/u/4j760X