Valentine’s Day can feel loud. The internet tells us what love is supposed to look like: the posts, the pressure, the grand gestures, the performance. But real love is usually quieter than that.

This episode isn’t about hating Valentine’s Day or big gestures. It’s about the difference between being shown off and being understood.

We talk about:

• Asking someone to be your valentine and if it matters/what it actually means

• Performative love online vs. real connection

• Consumerism and why intention matters more than price

• The difference between gifts and being understood

• How social media shapes our expectations of love

• Why comparison steals joy from relationships

• Choosing presence over performance

• Why real love feels calm, not loud

Because love isn’t about how it looks online, it’s about how it feels when no one’s watching.

From personal relationship stories to pop culture references; this episode is for anyone who’s tired of the noise, the pressure, the comparison and just wants something real.

Why does everything women love eventually get labeled “basic,” “cringe,” or embarrassing? From Taylor Swift to Pilates and pumpkin spice lattes, this episode explores how women’s interests are constantly mocked in ways men’s never are; and why that judgment runs deeper than internet jokes.

In this episode, we unpack:

• Why women’s hobbies are devalued once they become popular
• How the “I’m not like other girls” trope was created by this criticism
• Why men are allowed community around shared interests (sports, gaming, cars) while women are shamed for theirs
• The cultural double standard behind calling women “basic”
• How liking things freely becomes a quiet act of rebellion

This conversation looks at pop culture, gender norms, and social media through a feminist lens; and asks why joy, especially women’s joy, is treated as something to be minimized or mocked.

If you’ve ever felt embarrassed for liking what you like, this episode is for you.

Starting over in your 20s often means starting without a support system. New city, new people, unfamiliar routines, and a loneliness no one really prepares you for. In this episode, we talk honestly about making friends as an adult, navigating rejection, and building a support system from scratch when you’re no longer a kid making friends on the playground.

Drawing from personal experiences of moving to a new city and rebuilding community, this episode explores:

• Why it’s harder to make meaningful friendships in your 20s, and why that’s normal
• The difference between getting along with people and truly connecting
• Why reaching out first is scary but essential
• How to handle rejection without letting it harden you
• Turning party friends into real support systems through vulnerability
• Why it’s okay to have different friends for different parts of your life
• How doing more things alone can actually reduce loneliness
• Trusting your intuition when friendships don’t feel right
• Why building a support system matters more than rushing into romantic relationships

This conversation reframes loneliness as part of growth, not failure, and offers reassurance that grief and joy can coexist while you’re starting over. Friendship doesn’t need to look perfect online; it just needs to feel real.

If you’re rebuilding, feeling lonely in a new city, or learning how to create meaningful friendships in your 20s, this episode is for you.