My best friend and my wife, if they would have gone on one of like the matchmaking websites or something,

if they would have put themselves through an algorithm and said, find me a person, they would have never found me.

Like never in a million years would an algorithm have said,

this lunatic, he's the guy for you, never.

I was fortunate in the way that I stumbled upon people

early on in my life that was very different for me. And I found out very quickly that that was a good thing for me.

That was like I needed people who were not like me.

So that I could look at their best qualities and strive for them.

If you're an avid listener of this podcast, you may know something about me, that I'm not a reader.

I've actually written more books than I've read.

But this conversation with Frederick Bachman makes me want to read.

The way he thinks, the way he sees the world, the way he sees humans and friendships and people,

it inspired me.

I actually bought two of his novels,

Anxious People and a man called Oveh,

which was later made into a movie,

a man called Otto, starring Tom Hanks.

We live in a world where loneliness is an epidemic

and Frederick reminds us that meaningful relationships are built with intention.

They take showing up again and again and again even when it's inconvenient.

His new book, My Friends, drives that point home.

The people who have deep, meaningful connections in the world,

...