Episode Details

Friendship, Bec Sparrow says, is a bumper bar on your life. It doesn't stop the hard things from happening – it cushions the impact when they do.

Bec is one of Australia's most trusted voices on teen and tween life - author of seven books, co-host of ABC's Parental as Anything with Maggie Dent, co-founder of Birds of a Feather (Australia's largest online book club for women), and a woman who has spent more than twenty years studying the science and art of friendship. She is also, by her own admission, a deeply introverted person who has had to consciously learn every single skill she teaches.

We explore:

• The sense of calling she has carried since her teenage years, and what it actually feels like to be doing the work you're here to do
• The pilot light – what Bec says to every parent who is deep in the season of small children and losing themselves
• Why Bec models friendship differently now, including the concept of "deep casual hosting" and having people over even when your house is a mess.
• The power of apologising and owning your impact when friendships get messy
• Why your kids need friends inside school AND outside school – and why having both matters so much when things go sideways
• JOT: Join One Thing – Bec's campaign to combat loneliness, and why she believes there are friendships waiting for all of us if we're willing to walk in the door

[Recorded Online April 2026]

About Bec Sparrow:

Rebecca (Bec) Sparrow is one of Australia's most trusted voices on teen and tween life. She's the author of seven books spanning fiction and non-fiction, including the bestselling novel The Girl Most Likely and the teen guide Find Your Tribe. Her most recent book, Out of the Box: A one-stop guide to navigating neurodivergence, was co-authored with journalist Madonna King and published by UQP in 2024. She co-hosts the ABC podcast Parental as Anything: Teens with Maggie Dent, and co-founded Birds of a Feather Book Club - billed as Australia's largest online book club for women - with Jane Sullivan.

Connect with Bec:

• Website: rebeccasparrow.com – including a free friendship resources offer: if you're struggling and can't afford her paid resources, email hello@rebeccasparrow.com and mention this podcast. She will send you what you need.
• Instagram: @rebeccasparrow72
• Facebook: Rebecca Sparrow Writer
• Book club: birdsofafeather.com.au
• Book: Out of the Box (UQP, 2024) with Madonna King
• Podcast: Parental as Anything: Teens (ABC)

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• Web: humansbeing.au
• Instagram: @humansbeingwithlaelstone

Humans, being. is produced on the lands of the Bunurong and Wadawurrung people. We pay respect to their unique and diverse cultures and to elders past, present and future.