ACTS OF FRIENDSHIP

A thousand Instagram likes don't equal the wellness boost of one friendly hug. In our fast-paced world of glamourized busyness, social media fixation and convenience without human contact, there's nothing like putting down our devices and turning to those few special people who fill our cups, light us up, and embolden us to be our best selves—that is, our closest women friends.
Why not make the most of the precious time you have together and plan dates that will heal your body, nourish your spirit, and fuel your desire for personal growth?

Acts of Friendship presents 47 activities for you and your friends to connect with each other and help one another change your lives in ways you never expected. Sometimes you need a friend to tell you that you're exceptional or to applaud you when you explore a hidden talent; sometimes only a friend can remind you to slow down or nudge you to expand your concept of who you are. From Take Your Cue (where you connect the dots to a better life) to A Friendly Q&A (where you learn everything you've ever wanted to know about your pals and yourself) to Let's Go Retro (where you time travel with your friends) and more, these meaningful, fun activities are meant to energize, inspire, and rejuvenate you so that, together, you grow.

Quality relationships help us live stronger and longer, and the science backs this up. Authors and friends, Lynne Everatt, Deb Mangolt, and Julie Smethurst, looked to the research on what makes a happy, fulfilling life and designed the 47 Acts of Friendship accordingly. From giving to forgiving, being mindful to being active, finding joy to losing grudges, playing to journaling, gratitude to meditation, loving yourself to loving your friends, learning new things to learning new perspectives and new ways of life, these tested and true activities will generate laughter, inspiration, and expanded horizons. Try them out with your friends and experience the benefits of one of the world's greatest healers: connection.


Lynne Everatt is a recovering MBA, LinkedIn Top Voice in management and culture and ardent advocate for wellness through physical fitness. As part of her rehabilitation, she wrote The 5-Minute Recharge: 31 Proven Strategies to Refresh, Reset and Become the Boss of Your Day, aimed at improving workplace mental health, and Emails from the Edge, which was nominated for the Stephen Leacock Medal for Humour. Prior to pursuing her dream of becoming a writer, she worked with numbers at a multinational pharmaceutical company where she met co-authors Deb Mangolt and Julie Smethurst, who share her love of physical activity, earthy food, and self-improvement through friendship.

Deb Mangolt's positive attitude and bubbly personality is ideally suited to helping others get the most out of life. Once a Fortune 500 finance director, she reinvented herself to better express her strengths. An event planner, life coach, dance fitness instructor, and a cherished friend to many, Deb inspires others to become the best versions of who they are. Being an avid golfer, Deb is grateful for having “the best of both worlds,” living in Florida in the winter and on Muskoka Bay, Ontario, in the summer, with her husband, Randy.

Julie Smethurst discovered her life as a successful CPA was out of balance. Fulfilling her desires for time with family, personal growth, and work achievements seemed elusive until she looked to her friends Lynne and Deb. Their inspiration and support coupled with Julie's deep yearning to live a life she loves was the winning formula for her best life. She has adapted her ways of working, created dedicated family time, and pursued her desire to learn to fly. Julie plays tennis and golf and has indulged her love of French by taking courses. She has a passion for healthy food and enjoys taking long walks and bike rides with her husband.

Together, Lynne, Deb, and Julie are on a mission to encourage women to discover new ways to raise each other up through friendship, just as they have discovered the best in themselves through each other.