A Guide To Navigating Family & Friends You Can’t Get Along With

2026-01-09

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Navigating family and friends you might not agree with can be… a lot. It’s the season of parties, BBQs, long lunches, and gatherings you may have been voluntold to attend, and with that often comes complicated family dynamics and people you might have very mixed feelings about seeing. In this episode of But Are You Happy, clinical psychologist Dr Anastasia Hronis and co-host Ashani Dante share practical tools for navigating difficult con...

Navigating family and friends you might not agree with can be… a lot.

It’s the season of parties, BBQs, long lunches, and gatherings you may have been voluntold to attend, and with that often comes complicated family dynamics and people you might have very mixed feelings about seeing.

In this episode of But Are You Happy, clinical psychologist Dr Anastasia Hronis and co-host Ashani Dante share practical tools for navigating difficult conversations, setting boundaries, and showing up in a way that feels better for you this season.

You’ll also learn:

Why family comments can hit such a big nerve
Why we fall back into old family roles so easily
How to avoid erupting in difficult conversations
What topics are safe to talk about with someone who has different politics

Watch the podcast on YouTube here.

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CREDITS:

Hosts: Ashani Dante & Dr Anastasia Hronis

Senior Producer: Tahli Blackman

Executive Producer: Naima Brown

Audio Producer: Tina Matolov

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.

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