Trying To Figure It Out

Beau is back on TTFIO this week to help me wrap up Toxic Friendship Awareness Month. Beau is the furthest thing from a toxic friend, and this episode we share more of our adventures together. You'll hear about the highlights and struggles from a sushi dinner date, my alter ego that comes out at Universal Studios Halloween Horror Nights, and Beau's botched attempt at remembering the characters in Stranger Things. There was no better way to wrap up this mini-series on friendship than with my best friend, so I hope you enjoy!

Toxic Friendship Awareness Month continues this week with a friend group that can teach us a thing or two about healthy friendships. TTFIO welcomes Miles, Jutes, Julian, and Anthony, a friend group that spans countries and ages but is one of the most close-knit groups I've ever seen. This episode they spill stories about each other, like how Anthony used to spend Jutes' sound checks throwing up and how Miles is always blowing up the group chat. They also dig deeper and speak on what they appreciate most in one another. I love spending time with this group and I think you'll understand why. Enjoy!

Toxic Friendship Awareness Month continues this week on TTFIO with psychologist and therapist Dr. Lauren Cook. Dr. Cook provides an expert's opinion on the ins and outs of toxic friendships—how to recognize them, the effect they can have on our mental health, and how to navigate friendship breakups. She also gives advice on how to make new friends and how to keep friends over time. This episode is the ultimate guide to friendship, I hope you enjoy! To learn more about Dr. Cook and her work, go to https://www.drlaurencook.com.

Welcome to Toxic Friendship Awareness Month on TTFIO! This month we will be exploring the complexities of friendship—how to have healthy communication, how to make new friends, how to spot toxic friends, and when to cut someone out of your life. We'll have guests on all month, but we're starting this week with a solo episode. I explore some of my earliest friendships and how I realized I do NOT have to offer people Nutella pancakes for them to be my friend. I talk about all the ways my life improved after I went through some tough friend breakups and how special my current friends are. I can't wait to go on this friendship journey with you!

Part two with Haley Jakobson is here! In this portion of our conversation, Haley shares how she celebrates Pride in her writing and among her community. Haley shares her advice for other bisexual femme individuals. We also discuss her upcoming debut novel, "Old Enough," which led us to a conversation on sexual abuse and what it means to be a survivor. It was a privilege to speak with Haley and this interview was deeply impactful for me. I hope it is for you too. Content warning: timecode to skip conversation on sexual abuse: 12:58-18:45 To seek support for sexual violence, please visit rainn.org

This week, TTFIO returns with a special guest. This month is Pride month and I had the honor of interviewing New York based author, Haley Jakobson, about mental health, trauma, abuse, and her debut novel, Old Enough. This episode touched me deeply and I learned so much from Haley - I am humbled by her intelligence and grace in all that she does. I am excited to share this special two-part interview with you all. Note: To learn more about OCD and to find an OCD specialist, go to iocdf.org.

This week, meet my best friend, Beau Stone. You'll hear how a fire and a trip to Tulum sparked the beginning of our friendship and learn all about Beau's journey from his childhood on a marijuana farm to working at one of the top hair salons in LA. Beau is the most reliably spontaneous person in my life and I know you'll love him just as much as I do.

This week on TTFIO, we bring you a solo episode. In September of 2020, I had surgery to remove micro-adenoma in my pituitary gland, located at the base of my brain. The tumor was not cancerous. The surgery went well and I will be forever grateful to my amazing doctors, friends and family for taking incredible care of me during that time. The recovery was harder than anything I could have imagined. Mentally, I am still processing this trauma. In the aftermath of my surgery, I had deep anxiety that became so severe, it took more than 6 months before I started to feel like myself. Though I still have tremendous fears around my health … today, I am healthy. The reason I am telling this story is to share my experience with PTSD, how it has affected me and offer support to anyone struggling in any way. I hope you all tune in and I am excited to share this with you all.

This week, I sit down with content creator Brooklynne Webb. Only 18 years old, Brooklynne has grown to over 10 million followers on TikTok and has a thing or two to teach me about TikTok dances. More importantly, she uses her platform to help her followers find confidence within themselves and she is a shining young voice in the body positivity community. We talk about our own mental health journeys and, for the first time, Brooklynne opens up about her experience dealing with depression. True to her musical theater roots, we finish the episode with a theater-themed Al P's Three…and a refresher on what Post Malone looks like.

This week, I welcome my first guest to the podcast, Jordyn Jones. Jordyn grew up in the spotlight as an elite dancer. Now at 22, she is a music artist, podcast host, and influencer, with over ten million followers on TikTok. Jordyn shares what it was like growing up in Michigan and balancing the pull of Los Angeles with the opportunities it has to offer. From a young age, Jordyn knew that she would never be interested in drinking alcohol; we discuss the trauma that reinforced her decision to abstain from drinking and how she navigates life in a city that relies so heavily on partying. The episode concludes with Al P's Three - an ode to Juice WRLD and our top songs by one of our favorite artists.