UncommonTEEN for Christian Teen Girls

Why does it feel like every friend ends up being toxic? In this episode, Coach Jamie shares two stories to help you see the difference between a friend who’s toxic and a friend who’s just hurting. You’ll learn eight signs of a toxic friendship, why the same pattern keeps showing up even with new friends, and five steps to break the cycle, starting with knowing who you are in Christ.

Coach Jamie also opens up about her own toxic friendship in college and what it taught her about accepting less than God’s best.

In this episode:

Toxic vs. hurting: how to tell the difference

8 signs of a toxic friendship

Why we accept toxic friends

How to have an honest conversation, set boundaries, and decide whether a friendship needs distance or needs to end

Why forgiveness is a choice, not a feeling

📖 Download the free “What Does God Say About Me?” resource at UncommonTEEN.com/resources

🎁 The Be Still and Know Collective is open! Orders close November 20th. Grab yours or give the Just Once Bundle as a Christmas gift at UncommonTEEN.com/Collective

Next week: What if the toxic friend is you?

Think about the last time a friend hurt you. Maybe she stopped talking to you. Maybe she talked about you behind your back. Or maybe she slowly drifted away and you never knew why.

In part 2 of our conversation on healthy friendships, Coach Jamie and teen co-hosts Kayleigh, Rosie, and Sadie pick up right where they left off, getting honest about the pain of losing friends and why friendship is still worth the risk. One of the girls shares what it felt like when her friends left her all at once, why chasing after people never works, and how God replaced those friendships with better ones. You’ll also hear practical tips for awkward conversations and a challenge to be intentional about blessing someone this week.

Then Coach Jamie leads a guided prayer asking God to make you a blessing and help you leave people better off, followed by the weekly declaration of who you are in Christ.

If you missed part 1, go back and listen first, then come back for this one. https://uncommonteen.com/podcast

You can’t succeed in life without knowing how to build healthy friendships. 💛

In Part 1 of our healthy friendships conversation, Coach Jamie and our teen co-hosts Rosie, Sadie, and Kayleigh talk about why God designed us for friendship and why we need friends, not just want them. We dig into Ecclesiastes 4, the “slow fade” that happens when we don’t have people encouraging us, and why even Paul wouldn’t walk through an open door without his friend Titus.

Plus, our co-hosts share the most random things they’ve ever done with their best friends. 😂

In this episode:

Why friendships aren’t just good, they’re necessary

What Hebrews 3 teaches about drifting from God

Why online friends aren’t enough

Who the “Titus” is in your life

📖 Be one of the first to know when Rosie’s 52-week devotional drops! Watch your inbox Friday, Oct. 30 for the link to join her email list.

🤍 UncommonTEEN is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit ministry. Help a girl on our waitlist join the SOAR Collective: givebutter.com/uncommonteen

Stay uncommon!

Making friends is hard, especially if talking to people you don’t know terrifies you. Coach Jamie knows that feeling well. In this episode, she shares how one simple nudge from the Holy Spirit pulled her out of her comfort zone, and how it can do the same for you.

We look at three friendships from the Bible that changed lives: Mary and Elizabeth (a friend who cheers you on when you’re walking toward Jesus), Ruth and Naomi (a friend who stays when there’s nothing in it for her), and Barnabas and Paul (a friend who takes a chance on someone nobody else will). Then Coach Jamie walks you through the CARE method she still uses today: Connect, Ask questions, Relate, and Encourage, with two real-life examples from youth group and homeschool co-op.

This week’s challenge: CARE about someone new, then tell us how it went in the Spotify comments or email jamie@uncommonteen.com.

Scriptures: Luke 1:39–45 | Ruth 1:16 | Acts 9:26–27 | Proverbs 18:24 | Luke 6:31

Only 2 days left! The Abundant Life Collective closes Tuesday, October 20. Join the Digital Collective (worldwide), the UncommonTEEN Bundle, or the SOAR Collective with weekly live calls and a community of Christian girls cheering each other on.

⚠️ The Bundle goes from $30 to $35/month on Wednesday, October 21. Join by Tuesday to lock in $30 for as long as you stay subscribed. SOAR stays at $45.
👉 uncommonteen.com/collective

Interested in SOAR in Canada, England, or Australia? Email jamie@uncommonteen.com and let us know!

Stay uncommon. 💛

Not Everyone Gets to Be Your BFF: The Different Levels of Friendship

Ever feel like if you’re not someone’s best friend, something must be wrong with you? It’s not true! Even Jesus had different levels of friendship: the 12 disciples, then Peter, James, and John, and then John, “the disciple Jesus loved.”

In this episode, Coach Jamie and our teen co-hosts Kaylee, Sadie, and Rosie talk about how to be kind to everyone while being wise about who you let closest to your heart. We cover:

Users, takers, and time wasters: who doesn’t belong in your inner circle

Why oversharing too fast so often backfires

3 red flags that a friendship isn’t ready to go deeper

What to do when you feel overlooked or not chosen, and why your response matters

The 3 types of friends every Christian teen girl needs: someone you’re discipling, your people, and a mentor

Rosie’s story of stepping out of her comfort zone to ask an older girl to mentor her

Every person is valuable, but not every friendship needs the same amount of your time and your heart.

Next week: “Coach Jamie, what if I don’t have any friends?” We’re talking all about how to make friends.

Heads up: The UncommonTEEN Bundle goes from $30 to $35/month after October 20. Join the Abundant Life Collective before the 20th and keep the $30 price for the rest of your teen years, as long as you stay subscribed.

👉 uncommonteen.com/collective