Why does making friends as an adult feel so difficult?

You can live in a city surrounded by thousands of people and still struggle to find your people.

In this episode of the Ripple Effect Podcast, hosts Traver Butcher and Brittany Wayman sit down with FM Loughead, founder of BFF Indy, to talk about adult friendship, loneliness, community, entrepreneurship, and the courage it sometimes takes to simply put yourself out there.

FM moved from Downtown Chicago to Indianapolis in 2021 for her husband’s job. Working remotely and with her husband frequently traveling for work, she quickly discovered how difficult it could be to build a new community as an adult.

She tried friendship apps. She joined Facebook groups. Nothing really stuck.

Eventually, FM realized she probably wasn’t the only woman experiencing this.

So she created BFF Indy.

What began with FM simply trying to find a few friends has grown into a community connecting thousands of women across Central Indiana through events, community chats, weekly walks, speed friending, local experiences, partnerships, and more.

In this conversation, FM shares:

• Why making friends as an adult can be so difficult
• Her experience moving to Indianapolis without an established community
• How her own loneliness ultimately led to creating BFF Indy
• Why friendship and community are important at every stage of life
• The courage it takes to attend an event when you don’t know anyone
• Why sometimes you have to be the person willing to go first
• How BFF Indy creates opportunities for women to form genuine friendships
• Stories of women who met through BFF Indy and became close friends
• How local businesses can partner with BFF Indy and strengthen community
• What FM has learned about leadership while building a rapidly growing community
• Why listening to the people you serve is essential for sustainable growth
• How one small interaction can create a ripple effect in someone else’s life

One of the coolest stories FM shares involves two women who met at a BFF Indy speed friending event.

As they started talking, they discovered something incredible:

They lived in the same building—and their parking spaces were right next to each other.

They had been neighbors all along. They just needed an opportunity to connect.

That story captures the heart behind BFF Indy. Sometimes the friendships and community we’re looking for may be much closer than we realize. But someone has to take the first step.

Whether you recently moved to a new city, have watched old friendships change as life changed, are navigating a new season, or simply feel like you haven’t found your people yet, FM has a simple encouragement:

Be brave enough to take one step.

Make the post. Attend the walk. Sign up for the event. Introduce yourself.

You never know who might be waiting to meet you on the other side.

And creating a ripple effect doesn’t always require launching an organization or doing something huge. Sometimes it can be as simple as looking up from your phone, saying hello, being patient, showing someone grace, or making another person feel seen.

Watch the full conversation and discover how one woman’s search for friendship became a community helping thousands of other women find theirs.