Carmen Nicole Jones

Carmen Nicole Jones Founder & CEO of The Black Girl Social Club, Consultant, Curator, Friendship Whisperer & Thought Leader

08/31/2026

WHAT IF A HUSBAND NEVER COMES?

Are you ready to accept that reality?

08/31/2026

Girl to girl: learn the difference between a friend who is going through a hard season and a friend who consistently takes your grace and empathy for granted. ☝🏾

We talk a lot about love bombing in dating, but it can happen in friendship too. 💕And sometimes, it doesn’t look dangero...
08/31/2026

We talk a lot about love bombing in dating, but it can happen in friendship too. 💕

And sometimes, it doesn’t look dangerous at first.
It looks like:
“You’re my sister already.”
“Where have you been all my life?”
Constant calls and texts.
Immediate trips, plans, gifts and big declarations.
An expectation of closeness that usually takes years to build.

The tricky part is that fast connection is not automatically unhealthy. Some friendships really do click quickly.

But we shouldn’t assume everyone who does this is intentionally manipulating people. Sometimes it comes from loneliness, sometimes it comes from abandonment fears, or people desperately wanting community, and sometimes folks can idealize or even idolize new people.

But good intentions don’t automatically mean it can’t turn toxic. Here are some ways to manage a potential friendship love bombing 👇🏾

🩷Slow the pace without shutting the person out.

🩷Keep your existing relationships and routines.

🩷Let trust be earned through consistency.

🩷Be careful with instant titles.

🩷Set small boundaries early.

🩷Let time tell the truth

Have you ever had a friendship become very close, very fast, only for everything to change once boundaries, distance or disagreement entered the picture?

And I’m dying on these hills 🙂‍↔️
08/31/2026

And I’m dying on these hills 🙂‍↔️

Running errands together. Sitting on the couch. Riding around. Pulling up for no real reason. Eating whatever was alread...
08/31/2026

Running errands together. Sitting on the couch. Riding around. Pulling up for no real reason. Eating whatever was already in the house. Spending time together without needing an occasion, reservation, itinerary, or three weeks’ notice.

Now, so much of friendship has become an event.
And when every interaction has to be planned, coordinated, paid for, and scheduled, connection starts to feel like one more thing on the to-do list.
I’m not anti-calendar. Intentionality matters, especially in adulthood.

But I do think community needs some room to breathe, and I’m starting to wonder if we’re doing it all wrong?

Some of our deepest bonds are built in ordinary moments, not just birthdays, trips, brunches, and big celebrations. It’s the “I’m pulling up,” or the “Imma swing by real quick.”

Maybe we don’t need to throw away the whole calendar, but perhaps we just need to stop filling every square.

But that larger question remains-is that even realistic in this fast paced digital age?

02/02/2026

It’s not them, it’s YOU. With, love. 🫶🏾

This is self sabotaging behavior and a willful lack of self awareness. This can look like:

• Pulling away when someone gets close
• Assuming people are mad at you without asking
• Testing friends instead of trusting them
• Canceling plans last-minute out of anxiety, not lack of care
• Cutting people off before they can “leave first”
• Expecting friends to read your mind
• Reading neutral texts as rejection

The list goes on…but it’s really important to identify your own patterns in friendships and seek guidance and/or therapy on how to work through these issues so that you can have the happy, healthy friendships you desire. 💕

01/30/2026

Unpopular opinion: I do keep score in friendships. ✨

Not in a petty way. In an accountability way. Not to punish people, but to understand patterns. If the effort is one-sided, that’s information. And I listen to it. Because mutual care and consistency matters. And if effort isn’t mutual, it’s not wrong for someone to notice and question where they stand with you as a friend.

Don’t “keep score” to win. Keep score to know when you’re playing alone. 🫶🏾

PICTURE THIS 📸 : IT’S THE YEAR 2026, AND PEOPLE SUCK AT SOCIALIZING 😬Hot take: People can’t be social because they’ve st...
01/29/2026

PICTURE THIS 📸 : IT’S THE YEAR 2026, AND PEOPLE SUCK AT SOCIALIZING 😬

Hot take: People can’t be social because they’ve stopped being social. Simple as that. And the truth is, people don’t suck at socializing, as much as they just stopped practicing.
�If you can send 47 voice notes but can’t hold eye contact for 30 seconds, that’s not introversion… that’s social atrophy.
�Ever notice that everyone seems to have social anxiety now? We replaced curiosity with scrolling and wonder why conversations feel empty. People say ‘I hate small talk’ but can’t handle big talk either. This isn’t social anxiety, it’s social avoidance dressed up as a personality trait. 🫣

Social skills didn’t disappear. We just outsourced them to screens, emojis, and algorithms. Real connection requires effort, discomfort, and attention-things we’ve been training ourselves to avoid.

Feeling dragged a little? Good. We’re getting somewhere.

As a certified yapper, social butterfly and dance floor Queen…

Here are a few ways to take the edge off and get your social BACK:
✨ Get curious instead of impressive
✨ Put your phone away like it matters (because it does)
✨ Say the slightly uncomfortable thing-surface level convos won’t do the trick
✨ Practice being present, not perfect
✨ Treat social skills like a muscle, not a personality trait
✨ STOP TRYING TO ACT SO COOL

This is how we fix the loneliness epidemic-one tough conversation at a time. 🫶🏾

01/26/2026

Some people don’t leave because you changed.

They leave because you stopped making things easy for them.
Friendship with you requires accountability, self-awareness, and honesty. For them? Eh.

If what you require feels like “too much,” that should tell you everything you need to know.

💬 What do you think real friendship actually requires?

01/22/2026

Here’s the thing: you don’t need one friend to be everything. Different friends, different roles, same love.💕

1. The Tell You the Truth Friend
This is the friend who loves you and tells you when you’re doing too much. No sugarcoating. No fake yeses.They check you, but they also check on you. 🤏🏾

2. The Outside/Connector Friend
The one who gets you out the house. Brunch. Walks. Trips. Random invites. She knows everybody at the door. She knows people in high places. Next week we’re on a plane to Miami. ✈️

3. The Soft Place to Land Friend
This is the friend you can cry with. Be quiet with. Be messy with. She prays for you and speaks life into you. No fixing. No rushing. Just presence.

4. The Growth Friend
They’re reading books, going to therapy, setting boundaries, running businesses and somehow they inspire you to level up without judging you. She’s on her sh*t. 🙌🏾

5. The Keeps It Cute in Public Friend
The one who never embarrasses you, never shares your business, and always protects the friendship. You can take her anywhere and she can always be your +1

6. The Joy Friend
The one you laugh with until your stomach hurts. Inside jokes. Voice notes. Pure silliness.Because joy is not extra, it’s essential. ☺️

What did I miss? Do you agree with my list? Which friend are you? 👀

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Atlanta, GA

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