Mady Dewey Shares Her No. 1 Tip for Making Friends in Your 20s

The 2023 SI Swimsuit rookie emphasizes that there’s nothing embarrassing about wanting to expand your circle.

Mady Dewey was photographed by Ben Watts in Puerto Rico.Ben Watts/Sports Illustrated

Welcome to Dews & Don’ts, where Sports Illustrated Swimsuit model Mady Dewey shares stories and lessons she’s learned navigating her relationships, career and well-being in her twenties. New stories release twice a month on Wednesdays.

Mady Dewey, a 2023 SI Swimsuit rookie, is always offering valuable tips and unique advice. The tech entrepreneur, who is the former cofounder of social media app, Herd, now works as a head of product marketing at Try Your Best. The Swim Search alumna, who won the open casting call last year, is challenging the narrative of what it means to be a woman in tech—she won’t be pigeonholed into a narrow stereotype.

In the latest installment of her “Dews and Don’ts” series, the 27-year-old opened up about making new friends in your 20s, which as everyone knows is “notoriously difficult.”

Don’t be embarrassed

The San Francisco resident and Southern California native has moved to four different cities in four years, so she knows a thing or two about making new friends. Her first and foremost piece of advice is to know that there’s nothing embarrassing about wanting to meet new people or expand your circle.

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“It can be vulnerable to put yourself out there to new relationships. But it’s not something that you need to be ashamed of,” the model, who was photographed in Puerto Rico for the 2023 issue, says. “And in fact, I think when you’re open and confident about what you want, you’re gonna attract the right people and the right friends into your life.”

Do (Dew) stay consistent and committed

Dewey, who hosts the Socially Well podcast, adds that her best tip for fostering new and lasting relationships is to be consistent.

“You need to follow through even when you’re tired. I feel like this is common knowledge when it comes to pursuing romantic relationships. But we somehow forget about it when it comes to making friends. If you’re continuously flaking or rescheduling on someone, they’re probably going to think that you’re not interested,” the former Discord product marketing manager explains. “So if you really want to be friends with someone, make sure that you’re making plans that are realistic and if the thing that you had planned no longer works for your energy levels, try to adjust the plan versus completely canceling. And if you’re continuously finding yourself not actually wanting to do the plans that you make with these people, maybe it’s time to look for other friends. Friendships can be tough to build at first, but they should still feel natural and exciting to pursue.”

SI Swimsuit rookies Mady Dewey and Sixtine.

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