Reagan and Riley Cullivan are 19 years old, sisters, athletes and headed to UC Davis to play Division I softball together. They've spent most of their lives doing many of the same things, surrounded by many of the same people and hearing themselves referred to simply as “the twins.” And while that's part of their story, I wanted to know who Reagan and Riley are when you pull those labels apart.

We talked about something women of every age understand: comparison. What happens when someone you love gets the thing you wanted too? Reagan and Riley were surprisingly candid about being happy for one another while sometimes feeling frustrated with themselves, especially on the softball field. We talked about learning to recognize their different strengths, finding their own identities and understanding that loving another woman doesn't require making yourself smaller.

Then we went beyond softball. We talked about recruiting pressure and the point when something you love starts feeling like a job. We talked about the enormous sacrifice parents make behind the scenes, their dreams of careers in medicine, the lives they want outside of work and sports, and why these two are determined to actually live a little along the way.

What I loved most, though, was getting to talk to them now. I interview plenty of people who can look back over decades and explain exactly how they became who they are. Reagan and Riley can't do that yet, because they're still becoming. So instead of giving them another lecture from an older woman who thinks she knows some shit, I asked them what we could learn from them.

Turns out, quite a bit.

This one is about sisters, but it's also about women. Her success isn't evidence of your failure, and her lane doesn't have to look anything like yours. Cheer for her. Make room for her. And when it's her turn to cross home plate, run toward her.

🎙️ Storytime with Lori