Some friendships carry us through every version of ourselves—but how often do we stop and appreciate the women who continue to show up?

In this friendship episode of Love Sex LA: Unfiltered, we sit down with screenwriter and author Laura Lekkos to celebrate the beauty, importance, and lasting impact of adult female friendship. Inspired by Laura’s novel “All The Little Ways,” we discuss why friendships between women deserve to be valued just as deeply as romantic relationships.

From the friend who answers your late-night call to the one who stands beside you through motherhood, marriage, career changes, and unexpected life pivots, it’s often the little ways our friends love us that make the biggest difference. Laura shares why we shouldn’t take meaningful friendships for granted, how to nurture our connections as life becomes busier, and why making space for our friends matters—even when we’re entering different chapters.

We explore growing together without having to follow the same timeline, making new friends as an adult, and embracing the women who support us through every version of who we are becoming. We also discuss how motherhood can reshape friendships, the pressure women feel to become the “perfect mother,” and why the friends who support us through life’s detours often become the family we choose.

Plus, Laura takes us behind the scenes of “All The Little Ways”—a heartfelt women’s fiction novel about two unlikely friends, their journeys toward motherhood, and the unexpected bond that changes both of their lives.

And because no friendship episode is complete without a little chaos, Laura joins us for: 👻 DATE OR GHOST We give Laura dating scenarios, and she decides whether that person deserves another date—or an immediate ghosting. 🔥 RAPID FIRE Laura answers quick questions about friendship, motherhood, relationships, writing, and who she would cast if “All The Little Ways” became a movie tomorrow.

IN THIS EPISODE:

• Why female friendships deserve to be celebrated

• The little ways our friends show us they care

• Why we shouldn’t take meaningful friendships for granted

• How to nurture adult friendships when life gets busy

• Growing together while following different life paths

• Making new friends as an adult

• Friendship through motherhood, marriage, and career changes

• The importance of chosen family

• Supporting friends through major life transitions

• Maintaining your identity as your life evolves

• Laura’s transition from screenwriting to novel writing

• The inspiration behind “All The Little Ways”

• Laura’s dream cast for a movie adaptation

Whether you have a lifelong best friend, a new friendship you never expected, or someone who has quietly supported you through every chapter, this episode is your reminder to cherish the women who show up—and to let them know how much they mean to you.

Send this episode to a friend you never want to take for granted.

📖 Learn more about Laura Lekkos and “All The Little Ways”: https://www.lauralekkos.com/

🎧 Subscribe to Love Sex LA: Unfiltered for honest conversations about friendship, dating, relationships, identity, and navigating life in Los Angeles.

TELL US IN THE COMMENTS: What is one little way a friend has shown up for you when you needed it most?

Shayne Davis from Vanderpump Rules joins Alexandria Rizik on Love Sex LA: Unfiltered for an honest conversation about sobriety, sex, commitment, non-monogamy and the complicated relationships viewers watched unfold on reality television.

Known as the “player with a heart of gold,” Shayne opens up about who he really is beyond his on-screen persona—and what people may have misunderstood about him after watching the season. He discusses the challenges of dating sober in Los Angeles, defining casual relationships, navigating jealousy and determining whether female attention, sex or the chase can become substitutes for other addictive behaviors.

Shayne also gets candid about his fear of heartbreak, emotional vulnerability and why receiving the safety and nurturing he wants can sometimes make him pull away. The conversation explores ethical non-monogamy, monogamy, marriage, children and whether keeping relationships casual offers genuine freedom—or protection from the risks of commitment.

Alexandria and Shayne break down his Vanderpump Rules situationships, including his dynamics with Natalie and Angelica, unresolved chemistry, “playing house,” communication issues and what viewers did not see behind the scenes. He also explains why he chose to speak publicly about erectile dysfunction and what he wishes women understood about men’s sexual health.

Later, Shayne reflects on addiction, relapse triggers, protecting his peace and rebuilding his life after survival mode. He shares what sobriety has taught him, how he now helps others in recovery and the man, partner and entrepreneur he hopes to become.

The episode balances playful Bravo tea with a deeper conversation about addiction, intimacy, masculinity, trauma and personal transformation.

Follow Love Sex LA: Unfiltered: Instagram: @lovesexlaunfiltered TikTok: @lovesexla YouTube: @lovesexla

Can a situationship actually turn into a committed relationship—or are you wasting your time waiting for someone to choose you? Dating and relationship expert Kimberly Rae joins Alexandria to break down the truth about situationships, mixed signals, emotional unavailability and commitment in modern dating. Kimberly reveals the difference between a connection that is genuinely progressing and one that is keeping you trapped in uncertainty. They discuss why situationships have become so common, the attachment styles that can create commitment issues and whether someone can genuinely like you while still refusing to be in a relationship with you.

Kimberly also explains what people may really mean when they say, “I’m not ready for a relationship right now.”

In this episode:

How to tell if you’re in a situationship

Why people avoid commitment

Signs your situationship could become a relationship

Signs they have no intention of committing

Whether giving someone more time actually works

When patience becomes self-abandonment

How to define the relationship without issuing an ultimatum

Exactly what to say when you want clarity

How to respond to “Why do we need labels?”

The difference between hope and denial

When to stop waiting and walk away

Kimberly and Alexandria also play Date or Ghost: Situationship Edition, covering no-label relationships, Instagram soft-launches, jealous non-partners, dating someone fresh out of a relationship and the classic promise of wanting commitment “someday.” If you’re texting every day without commitment, receiving mixed signals or trying to decide whether to fight for the relationship or finally let it go, this episode offers the clarity you need.

Follow our guest, Kimberly Rae: @Kimberlyrae.life Follow Love Sex LA: Unfiltered Host: @alexandria_rizik

Subscribe to Love Sex LA: Unfiltered for honest conversations about dating, relationships, sex, attachment styles and modern love.

#Situationship #DatingAdvice #RelationshipAdvice #ModernDating #Commitment

How do you know if someone is truly meant for you—or if you’re forcing a relationship that God is asking you to release?

In this episode of Love Sex LA: Unfiltered, Alexandria Rizik sits down with bestselling author and relationship coach Stephan Labossiere, better known as Stephan Speaks, for an honest conversation about faith-based dating, divine alignment, soulmates, and recognizing the person God has for you.

Stephan reveals how to tell the difference between a healthy, God-aligned relationship and a connection driven by chemistry, attachment, fear, or unresolved trauma. They explore whether everyone has one soulmate, why people repeatedly choose the wrong partners, and whether “it wasn’t meant to be” is spiritual discernment—or simply an excuse for ignoring reality.

They also break down some of the biggest struggles in modern dating: situationships, hookup culture, dating apps, emotional unavailability, choosing potential over reality, and staying too long because you’re afraid you won’t find someone better.

Plus, Stephan plays Date or Ghost, shares the biggest red and green flags people overlook, and answers one of dating’s most complicated questions: Can someone be the right person at the wrong time?

If you’ve been asking whether someone is “the one,” wondering if you should keep trying, or struggling to let go of a relationship that isn’t working, this conversation will help you approach love with greater faith, wisdom, and clarity.

Follow our guest, Stephan Labbossiere @Stephanspeaks

Follow Love Sex LA: Unfiltered Host: @alexandria_rizik

Subscribe to Love Sex LA: Unfiltered for more unfiltered conversations about modern dating, relationships, sex, faith, and culture.

Are dating apps making us better at dating — or just better at swiping past the right person?

In this episode of Love Sex LA: Unfiltered, we’re sitting down with celebrity matchmaker, Alessandra Conti, to talk about what matchmakers know that dating apps don’t. We get into modern dating, compatibility, chemistry, red flags, green flags, dating mistakes, dating outside your type, and what actually matters when you’re trying to build a real relationship.

We talk about the biggest ways people sabotage their dating lives, from unrealistic expectations and first-date mistakes to misreading the spark, ignoring healthy connections, and over-prioritizing the wrong things on dating apps.

We also break down the difference between chemistry and compatibility, whether attraction can grow, how long you should give a connection before deciding there’s “no spark,” and why dating outside your type might be the thing that finally changes your dating life.

Plus, we play Date or Ghost where we decide whether dating scenarios are worth pursuing or worth ghosting, followed by a Rapid Fire round of quick dating questions and honest matchmaker advice.

This episode is for anyone who is tired of dating apps, stuck in the same dating patterns, questioning their type, confused by chemistry, or ready to date more intentionally.

What do you do when the ghost comes back?

In this episode of Love Sex LA: Unfiltered, Alexandria sits down with dating expert and author Benny Hart to talk about exes, ghosting, second chances, situationships, and the question every girl has asked herself at least once: is this actually worth revisiting, or am I just emotionally bored?

Sometimes a ghost doesn’t fully disappear. Sometimes they’re still watching your Instagram stories, liking posts, orbiting your life, or reappearing months later with a casual “how’ve you been?” And when that happens, it can be hard to tell whether they genuinely miss you, want another chance, or just want access again.

Benny and Alexandria unpack why ghosts come back, what it means when an ex or situationship is still keeping tabs on you, and how to know the difference between real change and someone trying to soft launch their way back into your life.

They also talk about when it’s actually acceptable to get back together with an ex, what red flags and green flags to look for, and why getting back together only works when the reason you broke up no longer exists — not when you’ve just gotten lonely enough to ignore it.

Plus, they play Date or Ghost, breaking down modern dating scenarios like read receipts, exes on Instagram, guy best friends, female roommates, location sharing, waiting until marriage, and the classic ghost who comes back with “I miss your energy.”

This episode is for anyone who has ever been ghosted, haunted by an ex, tempted by a second chance, or stuck wondering whether they miss the person — or just the fantasy.

Are we actually choosing who we’re attracted to — or are our bodies making that decision before we even realize it?

In this episode of Love, Sex, LA: Unfiltered, we explore the intersection of attraction, hormones, scent, synthetic fragrance, birth control, culture, and modern dating — and ask whether modern life is interfering with the natural signals that once helped us choose partners.

From perfume, cologne, deodorant, body wash, hair products, skincare, laundry detergent, and fragrance-filled products to hormonal birth control and shifting emotions, we talk about the ways we may be masking natural attraction externally and changing it internally.

Because attraction isn’t just about looks, personality, or chemistry on a dating app. In person, we may be picking up on scent, body language, energy, hormones, and subtle cues we don’t even consciously notice.

So if we’re constantly covering up natural scent and altering hormones, are we still choosing each other naturally?

Maybe dating isn’t broken. Maybe dating has become artificial.

Plus, we play Date or Ghost, breaking down modern dating scenarios and deciding what’s worth a date, what’s an immediate ghost, and what deserves a deeper conversation.

This episode is for anyone curious about modern dating, relationship chemistry, hormone health, birth control, scent attraction, wellness, culture, and the strange biology behind why we want who we want.

Jordan Ngatikaura is joining Love Sex LA: Unfiltered for a candid conversation about the headlines, the healing, and the next chapter.

Known from the world of The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, Jordan opens up about the AI photo controversy, navigating public criticism, divorce, faith, fatherhood, DadTok, and what it means to start over without burning your life down.

We also get into his upcoming cooking chapter on 100 Cooks, what he would cook for a first date, Mormon dating culture, modern dating red flags, green flags, relationship non-negotiables, and whether DadTok can survive.

Plus, Jordan plays Date or Ghost, weighing in on exes on social media, OnlyFans, double texting, casual dating, kids, Instagram behavior, and the messy little things that make dating today so complicated.

This episode is for anyone who loves reality TV, The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, DadTok, dating debates, food, faith, controversy, and main character energy.