What if the technology blamed for making us lonelier could help us build real friendships again?
SEASON 6: Friendship Authors. Episode 6
Loneliness and social isolation affect millions of people, yet simply understanding the problem has not brought us closer together. In this episode of Friendship Matters, Donna Brighton and Dr. Russ Skinner talk with serial entrepreneur and Dying for Friendship and Community coauthor Pete Odell about using technology as a catalyst for real human connection. Pete challenges the idea that digital companions can replace human relationships and shares a more hopeful possibility: technology that helps people discover shared interests, gather in person, reconnect with old friends, and form relationships that extend beyond a screen.
In this episode, you will hear:
- Why loneliness is not only a personal struggle, but also a serious public health and economic issue
- How convenience, social media, and changing social habits have weakened our ability to meet people and build friendships
- Why AI should serve as your wingman, not become a substitute for a real friend
- How shared interests can make it easier to move from strangers to acquaintances and eventually to friends
- Why reconnecting with an old friend may be just as valuable as trying to make a new one
- How the Friendship Event Kit helps people connect before reunions, workplace gatherings, neighborhood events, conferences, and other group experiences
- How organizations can strengthen employee relationships, belonging, retention, and collaboration by helping people discover what they share beyond work
- Why privacy matters when technology is used to support personal relationships
- What individuals, employers, communities, and government can do to help rebuild our social muscles
Why listen to this episode?
Many conversations about loneliness explain the problem without offering a practical way forward. This episode offers both hope and action. It will help you think differently about technology, networking, and the small choices that allow friendship to grow. Whether you want to create a more meaningful gathering, strengthen relationships at work, reconnect with someone from your past, or make it easier to meet new people, you will leave with practical ideas for turning connection from a good intention into something you actually do.
Friendship Matters Guest
Pete O'Dell is the Chief Executive Officer of www.Perdata.ai, a startup addressing the worldwide loneliness epidemic by helping people meet other people in real life based on shared interests and passions. He serves as a Director of Swan Island Networks, a global open-source intelligence provider he helped found after 9/11. He has four years of military service in the United States Army and has a BA and MBA in Business. He's a fanatical global fly fisherman, bourbon lover and a poor golfer. His new book co-authored with his co-founder Johan Wikman is Dying for Friendship and Community: Two old friends attack loneliness.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/peterlodell/
https://www.friendshipevent.com
Pete@perdata.ai
Book: Dying for Friendship and Community: Two old friends attack lonelinesss
Kit: www.friendshipevent.com - full digital kit for events up to 100 participants
©Friendship Institute 2026
The Friendship Matters™ podcast is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for the guidance provided by medical professionals directly involved in your care. Do not use information shared on the podcast for the diagnosis or treatment of any type of health problem. Because we care about your wellbeing, please raise any health concerns immediately with your personal medical providers.
