Some loneliness doesn’t come from being alone — it comes from never quite having a place to belong.

In this episode of Unpack My Brain, I unpack what it’s been like to grow up without a core group of friends. I talk about early childhood experiences, strict family dynamics, and how not learning to build close friendships early on can quietly shape the way you connect with people as an adult.

This is a reflection on having friends [in childhood], but not having default people. On adapting, internalizing, questioning yourself — and slowly learning what friendship looks like when you’re building it later in life.

There are no answers here. Just honesty, observation, and space to name something that often goes unspoken.

In this episode, I unpack:

• Growing up without a core or “default ...