WhatFriendsDo.com

02/15/2025

This week we’re hearing from Indianapolis real estate agent Kristi Gaynor. Tune in to a heartfelt conversation about processing memories, helping friends through transitions, and The Emotional Toll of Moving. Kitchen Chats, Episode 28, out now ❤️

02/11/2025

This conversation between two friends, Aimee Kandrac and Kristi Engle Gaynor, delves into the emotional and practical aspects of moving. This conversation provides a comprehensive overview of the many facets of moving and offers practical advice for both those who are moving and those who want to support them.

Emotional Attachment to Homes: They emphasize the strong emotional connections people have with their homes, filled with memories and personal significance. This makes moving a complex process, even when it's desired.
The Difficulty of Purging: Letting go of possessions, especially when tied to loved ones who have passed, is emotionally taxing. Christy shares her experience with her grandmother's belongings and the challenge of deciding what to keep and what to discard.
The Importance of Empathy and Patience: They stress the need for empathy and patience when supporting someone who is moving. Recognizing that everyone processes change differently and at their own pace is crucial.
Practical Ways to Help: They brainstorm specific ways to assist someone moving, including:
Physical Help: Packing, cleaning, decluttering, moving plants, staging the home for sale.
Emotional Support: Listening to stories, offering encouragement, providing a sounding board for frustrations.
Practical Support: Providing gift cards for meals, setting up utilities in the new home, cleaning the refrigerator in the new home and stocking it with essentials, providing a "first night" kit with basic supplies.
Financial Support: Offering advice on financial decisions related to the move.
Understanding Different Types of Movers: They discuss the various emotional states of people moving. Some are excited, some are reluctant, and others are grieving the loss of a loved one. Tailoring support to the individual's needs is key.
The Importance of Asking Specific Questions: Instead of a general "Let me know if I can do anything," they recommend offering concrete suggestions for help. This makes it easier for the person moving to accept assistance.
Offering Help Multiple Times: Recognizing that needs change throughout the moving process, they suggest checking in with the person multiple times, even if they initially decline help.
Avoiding Unhelpful Actions: They caution against bringing more physical items to someone who is already in the process of decluttering.
The Value of Shared Experiences: Sharing personal anecdotes of moving can help the person feel less alone and provide practical tips.
Seeking Advice from Others: They suggest consulting with people who have experience with moving or similar life transitions for guidance on how to best support the person.

Listen NOW! https://five.libsyn.com/show/episodes/view/35242620

01/31/2025

The First Person You Call
Join sisters Aimee Kandrac WhatFriendsDo.comCEO, and Stephanie Kandrac Bewley SKB counseling and consulting, as they open up about major life transitions and what it’s like to be on the receiving end of a phone call delivering difficult news.
This is a fascinating conversation between two sisters! Here's a summary of their discussion:

The Impact of Major Life Events: They delve into the emotional and practical challenges of navigating significant life transitions, such as a cancer diagnosis, divorce, and the subsequent emotional and social isolation.
The Role of Support Systems: Stephanie emphasizes the importance of trusted confidantes and the delicate balance of offering support while respecting boundaries. They discuss the concept of "kitchen counter" vs. "sidewalk" relationships, highlighting the varying levels of intimacy and information sharing.
Communication Strategies: They explore communication strategies, such as "invisible ink" messages and prepared responses to unexpected questions, to navigate social interactions during difficult times.
Supporting Children: They discuss the importance of providing emotional support to children during parental separation and encouraging them to build their own support networks.
Self-Care: The sisters emphasize the importance of self-care and prioritizing one's own well-being, drawing parallels to the airplane safety instructions of putting on your own oxygen mask first.
This conversation offers valuable insights into the complexities of navigating major life transitions, the importance of strong support systems, and the power of open and honest communication.

LISTEN NOW!
https://sites.libsyn.com/446388/major-life-transitions

01/24/2025

It's here! The new season of Kitchen Chats, a podcast where friends come together to support each other through major life transitions. This season, host Aimee Kandrac shares her own experiences with personal challenges, including:

Empty nesting: Dealing with the emotional impact of her youngest child leaving for college.
Health concerns: Discovering a potential tumor and undergoing surgery.
Divorce: Unexpectedly separating from her husband.
Moving: Selling her family home after the separation.
Aimee emphasizes that while these events were incredibly difficult, she ultimately found healing and happiness with the support of her friends. She describes the metaphor of a broken bowl being mended with gold, symbolizing how her friends helped her rebuild her life.

The podcast aims to provide listeners with insights into navigating challenging life transitions and encourages them to support their own friends during difficult times.

Key takeaways:

Friendship is crucial: The importance of supportive friends during life's challenges.
Healing takes time: Acknowledging that recovery from significant life events is a process.
Hope for the future: Even after difficult experiences, it's possible to find happiness and rebuild.

Kitchen Chats is a podcast where friends come together to support each other through major life transitions. This season, host Aimee Kandrac shares her own experiences with personal challenges, including: Empty nesting: Dealing with the emotional impact of her youngest child leaving for college. Hea...

01/13/2025

https://www.wishtv.com/community/community-link/community-link-what-friends-do/

Discover What Friends Do, an organization helping friends and family during tough times. The organization helps you organize support networks for health events and deaths.

12/18/2024

“‘Or for loved ones who can’t join in festivities, make a ‘thankful’ napkin and have people write a message of thanks in a fabric marker on the napkin so the loved one can feel included.’

[Aimee Kandrac, CEO of WhatFriendsDo]

This thoughtful gesture not only acknowledges their absence but also invites stories and memories to be shared, keeping their spirit alive in the gathering. It adds a meaningful layer to your celebration, reminding everyone of the love and connections that endure beyond physical presence.”

This excerpt was taken from Rent.Com’s, “How to Elevate Your Feast: 12 Thanksgiving Table Decor Ideas for a Memorable Celebration” and is relevant to every holiday!

https://www.rent.com/blog/thanksgiving-table-decor-ideas/

11/27/2024

Take some time for yourself this holiday week and check in. There can be so many layers to our emotions during this season. Getting those thoughts out on paper can provide clarity or relief that you don’t even realize you’re needing.
How are you feeling?

11/18/2024

Things come up each and every day. By sending your friend in crisis daily check-in texts, all of the extra unexpected things can be covered. You can be an errand runner, extra driver, pet walker, coffee fetcher, and more! Paying attention to the “smaller” stuff can be especially meaningful and very helpful.

WhatFriendsDo provides actionable, organized support during challenging life-events.

11/13/2024

11/09/2024

Aimee, the founder and CEO of WhatFriendsDo and host of Kitchen Chats Podcast, talks about the importance of having a plan in place for the people who want to help when you need it most. Let WhatFriendsDo be the go-to contact for how to help so that you don’t have to be.

WhatFriendsDo provides organized actionable support during a time of crisis.

11/05/2024

Check on your friends today ❤️

WhatFriendsDo was created to provide organized actionable support during a time of crisis. It helps coordinate meals, errands, transportation, and so much more, for family and friends facing life-changing events.

Follow for tips on how to support your friend or family member when they need you the most.

10/16/2024

Our very own Aimee Kandrac had the opportunity to share some ideas with Rent about incorporating loved ones in your holiday this year.

https://www.rent.com/blog/thanksgiving-table-decor-ideas/

Set a place for absent family members
Creating a space for family members who aren’t able to be present at your Thanksgiving is a heartfelt way to honor their memory and presence during the celebration.

“Consider setting a place in remembrance of someone no longer with the family this year, so you can all honor their presence in your life,” encourages Kandrac, founder and CEO of WhatFriendsDo.com “Or for loved ones who can’t join in festivities, make a ‘thankful’ napkin and have people write a message of thanks in a fabric marker on the napkin so the loved one can feel included.”

This thoughtful gesture not only acknowledges their absence but also invites stories and memories to be shared, keeping their spirit alive in the gathering. It adds a meaningful layer to your celebration, reminding everyone of the love and connections that endure beyond physical presence.

Design enthusiasts, from interior designers to DIY bloggers, give advice on how to elevate your Thanksgiving table decor for the holiday.

10/15/2024

Tips for Food -

Food is often the first thing people offer to do to help in life's sh*ttiest situations. Everyone needs to eat, and cooking can often be overwhelming when life gets busy.

🥗Giving guidance can help give the family what they need and like!

🥗Consider food allergies.

🥗Tell everyone what food can and cannot come into the house.

🥗Food preferences: "family likes chicken, but doesn't like brussel sprouts."

🥗Bring food in recyclable containers.

🥗No one wants to be responsible for keeping track of and returning dishes. There's no right or wrong way.

🥗Put a cooler by the door for food that is dropped off.

🥗Ask people to be prompt in food deliveries.

10/10/2024

Thank you Charlie Kimball for this conversation. I always love talking with you and this time was no exception.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w8Mc3ZKH1PU&list=PLS552c0q_2dZeChnZ9HDKLbtD4eaipQ45&index=1
Dive into Aimee Kandrac's inspiring saga on 'Speed Bumps with Charlie Kimball.'

From launching a supportive platform to personal growth through adversity, unwrap the lessons and strength in community backing. If you're curious about turning trials into triumphs, tune in for a dose of motivation!

Key Points
• The birth of 'what friends do'
• Venture challenges as a female founder
• Personal hardships' silver lining
• The necessity of community support
• Embracing life with newfound resilience

Best Quotes
03:01 - 03:16
• "So I had a double major in sociology and history with a minor in French. I don't think I've spoken French since my summer after college graduation."

05:24 - 05:32
• "People wanted something to do, right? We knew this was a terminal diagnosis. It was a very hard and sad situation."

07:48 - 07:57
• "Asking for help is so hard and vulnerable and awkward and overwhelming."

47:34 - 47:46
• "Everyone's doing the best that they can. And I try to remind myself that sometimes too. Yep. I'm doing the best I can as well and giving everyone that grace as we're moving through life."

Dive into Aimee Kandrac's inspiring saga on 'Speed Bumps with Charlie Kimball.' From launching a supportive platform to personal growth through adversity, un...

10/07/2024

Our very own Aimee Kandrac was recently on the Eye Believe Podcast, talking all about the WhatFriendsDo website, and discussing the crucial role that friends and loved ones play in supporting those going through a cancer diagnosis. You can access the podcast episode from any of the podcast platforms, or can also check it out here as well:

Welcome to another episode of the Eye Believe Podcast! In this insightful episode, we are joined by the wonderful Aimee Kandrac, founder of What Friends Do, ...