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Season four of Friends with Benefits opens with a live recording from the final session of ALX 2026, the Arcadia Leadership Experience, in the mountains outside Bozeman, Montana.

We talked about what actually makes a week like that work. We put a lot of care into the venue, the programming and every small detail, and none of it is the reason. As we said on stage, "There is no magic powder to this event other than you all." It works because a group of people, many of whom arrived as strangers, decided to be honest with each other.

Jason talks about alignment and why it starts with the uncomfortable step of naming what needs attention. He shares a painful chapter of his life when he reached out to his friends and asked for help. Then he tells the story of a difficult mountain run that got faster and more manageable once he had a friend running it with him.

We also get into how belonging forms so fast when people face hard things together, why the work keeps going after everyone flies home, and what we mean when we say Arcadia is a practice.


In this episode

- Why the people in the room are the real playbook behind ALX
- Alignment, and why it starts with honestly naming what needs work
- Jason on asking friends for help during a hard season of life
- The mountain run that shows what it means to have someone beside you
- How a group of strangers becomes a community in a matter of days
- Keeping relationships going after the event through calls, meetups and ongoing conversations
- Arcadia as a practice of harmony with yourself and with others
- The Arcadian Declaration

Chapters


00:00 The live Friends with Benefits recording begins
02:47 Why we changed the conversation we planned
3:09 The people in the room are the real playbook
6:58 Alignment begins with naming what needs work
8:42 Jason on reaching out for help during a difficult time
9:39 The mountain run
11:57 How strangers become a community
13:24 Staying connected after the event
16:43 What Arcadia means beyond the event
18:31 Continuing the work in The Constellation
29:18 The Arcadian Declaration

Frequently asked questions

What is the Arcadia Leadership Experience (ALX)?
ALX is Arcadia's annual, application-only leadership retreat in Bozeman, Montana. It brings senior go-to-market, revenue and partnerships leaders together for three days of honest conversation, time outside and relationships that last well past the event.

What does "Arcadia is a practice" mean?
It means the work continues after the retreat ends. Arcadia is about seeking harmony with yourself and others, making space to invest in yourself, and staying in conversation with people who will tell you the truth. ALX is one place that happens. The Constellation, Arcadia's membership community, is where it continues all year.

How do leaders stay connected after a retreat like ALX?
In this episode we encourage attendees to keep the relationships going with calls, meetups and ongoing conversations. For a structured way to keep doing the work, The Constellation is a monthly practice with a small group of peers. Learn more at bearcadia.com/community.

About Friends with Benefits

Friends with Benefits is a long-form podcast about leadership, partnerships, and the parts of being human that show up at work whether we want them to or not. Sam and Jason Yarborough host. Each week they sit down with operators, founders, coaches, and practitioners to talk about the actual work of building careers, companies, and lives that fit. The connecting thread: the people doing the most interesting work tend to be the ones paying attention to themselves alongside their craft.



- Sam Yarborough on LinkedIn
- Jason Yarborough on LinkedIn
- Find out more about Arcadia

Brought to you by Introw.
Still forcing partners into a portal? With Introw, they register deals and co-sell from Claude, ChatGPT, Slack or Teams, so you can spend your time on relationships, not admin.
Learn more at: https://www.introw.io/arcadia

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Making friends as an adult is awkward, but it gets a lot easier when you stop waiting for it to just happen.

This week, we’re joined by Sarah Grieco for a conversation we’ve been having a lot lately, but this time with actual research, frameworks, and tactical advice behind it. Sarah has spent years moving cities, starting over, building community from scratch, and studying what it really takes to make and keep friends as an adult.

We get into why friendship feels so much harder in this stage of life, how to be more intentional about the kind of friends you’re looking for, and why curiosity is one of the most underrated tools for connection. Sarah shares her ARE framework for starting better conversations, why rejection usually has nothing to do with you, and how small rituals, follow-ups, voice memos, walks, coffee dates, and shared spaces can turn casual connections into real community. This one is practical, honest, and a little uncomfortably relatable.

What you’ll learn:

• How to make new friends as an adult without overthinking or making it weird
• Why curiosity, consistency, and follow-up are essential for building deeper relationships
• How to turn existing connections into real friendships through small, intentional rituals

Jump into the conversation:

(00:00) Introduction

(02:45) Meet Sarah Grieco

(04:59) What moving cities teaches you about friendship

(07:23) Ask these three questions before making friends

(10:16) Why different friends serve different parts of life

(12:57) Why men have a harder time connecting

(17:14) How to deepen the friendships you already have

(21:47) How to ask someone to be your friend

(26:40) Why curiosity makes friendship easier

(32:04) Complimenting can open the door

(40:10) Friendship rejection is rarely about you

(44:20) How long real friendship actually takes

(48:38) Where to find your third place

(50:38) How to go from good friend to great friend

(55:34) Why friendship needs a ritual

Connect with Sarah Grieco: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahgrieco/

Check out Arcadia: https://www.BeArcadia.com

Connect with Sam Yarborough: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sam-yarborough/

Connect with Jason Yarborough: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yarby/

Produced in partnership with Share Your Genius

https://www.shareyourgenius.com

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The callings we answer in life often begin long before we ever find the courage to step out of the boat.

This week, we're joined by corporate comedy pioneer and improv expert Tim Washer, Keynote Speaker, Event Emcee, PowerPoint Comedian at Ridiculous Media, for an honest conversation about humor, fear, and what it really takes to build a life true to who you are. After two decades at IBM and Cisco, an unexpected improv class taught by Amy Poehler set Tim on a path toward writing for SNL and Conan, acting with John Oliver, and helping leaders humanize their brands. We explore why feeling unqualified is actually confirmation you're on the right track, and how businesses can build bulletproof customer trust by embracing self-deprecating humor and showing their "knuckleheadness."

Our chat also covers Tim’s time pushing creative boundaries,like pitching a $250,000 Cisco router as a Valentine's Day gift, and why walking into discomfort isn't a career risk, but an obligation. If your marketing is feeling a little too beige or your inner critic is keeping you playing safe, pack your sense of humor and tune in.

What you’ll learn:

• How to silence your inner critic, follow the fear, and use discomfort to build actual confidence
• Why revenue leaders should care about humor, and the neuroscience behind how laughter thaws the ice
• How to appropriately admit corporate mistakes and lead with empathy rather than an endless pitch

Jump into the conversation:

(00:00) Introduction

(03:06) Meet Tim Washer

(06:48) Learning from Amy Poehler and writing for Weekend Update

(07:57) Childhood wounds and learning to forgive parental pressure

(09:22) Hearing a new calling in the wilderness and moving to Texas

(11:33) Why self-doubt is confirmation you're on the right path

(16:10) Making a funny video about the absurdity of traditional B2B sales

(19:15) The neuroscience case for bringing laughter into business

(21:26) Pitching a $250,000 Cisco router as a Valentine's Day gift

(23:01) Why safe marketing gets lost in corporate metrics

(24:02) Strategic vulnerability and using self-deprecating humor to build trust

(27:12) How to safely introduce long-form improv to your corporate team

(30:35) Finding our playful nature and embracing the discomfort of risk

(34:25) Walking through fear, reclaiming faith, and learning to get out of the boat

Connect with Tim Washer: https://www.linkedin.com/in/timwasher/

Check out Tim Washer’s website: http://www.timwasher.com/

Follow Tim on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/timwasher/

Check out Arcadia: https://www.BeArcadia.com

Connect with Sam Yarborough: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sam-yarborough/

Connect with Jason Yarborough: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yarby/

Produced in partnership with Share Your Genius

https://www.shareyourgenius.com