{"version":"1.0","type":"rich","provider_name":"Acast","provider_url":"https://acast.com","height":250,"width":700,"html":"<iframe src=\"https://embed.acast.com/$/6a8258374394d6874be9efce/6ac00ad35558f9dbe277121d?\" frameBorder=\"0\" width=\"700\" height=\"250\"></iframe>","title":"1.5  Friends... But Not Too Many","description":"<p>What if you love friendship—but don&#39;t actually have very many friends?</p><p><br></p><p>In this episode of <em>Late to the Spectrum</em>, Geoff Kullman explores friendship, loneliness, belonging, and the complicated relationship between wanting connection and needing plenty of space.</p><p><br></p><p>Growing up, Geoff loved having friends. Friendship meant joy, laughter, safety, and acceptance. With the right people, he didn&#39;t need to hide the quirky, weird parts of himself. He could simply be himself—and they accepted him exactly as he was.</p><p><br></p><p>Today, Geoff has a very small circle of close friends. And while he&#39;s often perfectly comfortable with that, he&#39;s also spent much of his life wondering whether there was something <em>wrong </em>with him because he didn&#39;t have more.</p><p><br></p><ul><li>Why does someone who genuinely loves people sometimes prefer to be alone?</li><li>Why can being with the right person feel completely effortless, while being around the wrong people can be exhausting? And...</li><li>What happens when you realize that you&#39;re not necessarily looking for <em>more</em> people—you&#39;re looking for people around whom you don&#39;t have to perform?</li></ul><p><br></p><p>This episode isn&#39;t about how many friends you <em>should </em>have.</p><p><br></p><p>It&#39;s about the difference between being alone and being lonely, the importance of being known, and what it means to find people with whom you can simply be yourself.</p><p><br></p><p>And maybe the question isn&#39;t:</p><p><strong>“How many friends do I have?”</strong></p><p>Maybe it&#39;s:</p><p><strong>“Who can I be completely myself around?”</strong></p><p><br></p><p>If this episode resonates with you—or you have questions, thoughts, feedback, a story to share, or even disagree with something Geoff says—send an email to <strong><a href=\"mailto:podcast@geoffkullman.com\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">podcast@geoffkullman.com</a></strong>.</p><p><br></p><p>Because <em>Late to the Spectrum</em> isn&#39;t supposed to be just one guy talking into a microphone. It&#39;s supposed to become a conversation.</p><p><br></p><p><strong>Next week:</strong> <em>The Rabbit Hole</em></p><p>Remember... we might be late to the spectrum, but we&#39;re not late to life.</p>","author_name":"Geoff Kullman"}