In case you haven't heard... carl's a mess! This week we're unpacking the Amanda and West situation- why it was never a surprise, what it says about identity (or the lack of it), and why being hot and progressive doesn't make a man any less of a problem.

Host Meg Reynolds then ties this back to her own experiences with men: why they come back, what they're actually after when they do, and why the open-book test of how women want to be loved keeps getting failed.

Let this episode be your reminder, you don't need A man, you need YOUR man. The work is figuring out the difference.

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In case no one ever told you this, strength isn't the unbothered act, it isn't the constant grind... and it is definitely not your friend who has never had a hard day in her life yet somehow still gives advice.

This episode is about what strength actually is and spoiler: your brain rewires itself through hardship, not in spite of it- that's neuroplasticity. Which means every hard season you've survived wasn't just painful, it was doing something.

We get into why the self-improvement obsession is often just avoidance in activewear, what the research on experiential avoidance actually says, and why the cool girl always loses.

Sometimes strength looks like putting your big girl pants on and doing the hard thing, sometimes it looks like eating that pint of Ben & Jerry's on your couch and letting yourself feel the pain.

This week on Not the Girl Next Door, we’re getting honest about womanhood & friendships- the kind that shapes you, breaks you, and sometimes quietly ends without a clear goodbye.

In a world where social media makes us feel constantly connected, we’re unpacking whether our friendships are actually deeper… or just more performative.

This episode even explores how romantic relationships affect friendships- even examining pop culture moments like The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives.

In honor of Women’s History Month, we zoom out to ask a bigger question: women have always relied on each other for survival, so why does true support feel so rare today?

If you’ve ever questioned your friendships, felt alone in a crowded room, or wondered if it’s time to let someone go- this episode is for you.

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At the start of this year I said my word of the year was ✨whimsy✨ but even I have strayed from that. In the spirit of Women's History Month, I wanted to explore the whimsy that is being a woman.

From fear-driven lives to the pressure of performative maturity, I discuss how we can start bringing whimsy back into our lives again- through imagination, effort, creativity, and simply allowing ourselves to care about things.

Because the truth is: the world may feel heavy sometimes, but there are still rainbows if you let yourself see them.

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Did curiosity really kill the cat… or is curiosity actually the thing that keeps us alive?

This episode explores how on-screen stories like Tell Me Lies real-world experiences only make sense when we zoom out.

Which raises an interesting question when it comes to dating:
Are we actually trying to understand people… or are we just trying to perform well enough to be chosen?

This conversation dives into:

• Why curiosity might be the most underrated love language

• How modern dating has turned conversations into interviews

• The difference between trying to be interesting vs. being interested

• Why many connections die not from incompatibility, but from a lack of genuine curiosity

So maybe, curiosity didn't kill the cat after all...

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I asked myself a simple question in my journal, and now I pose it to you: What does womanhood actually mean? 

From the expectation that suffering is synonymous with femininity to the performance of masculinity under the male gaze, this episode clarifies what feminism actually is (and isn’t).

This episode is a love letter to the women who show up after heartbreak, after births, after deaths, and a reminder that your worth as a woman is not determined by how much pain you’ve survived.

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Where is there more sexual tension... in an airport or a chilis over margaritas?

That's just one of the burning questions answered this week on Not the Girl Next Door by special guest Eli Vasquez

This episode dives into the emotional patterns that quietly shape our relationships-the fears, defenses, and subconscious habits we carry from past experiences. Eli & Meg explore how many of our behaviors in dating and relationships aren’t random and how those same behaviors that keep us safe also keeps us disconnected.

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To have a village you must first be a villager... we've all heard the phrase. However it seems like no one knows how to do that anymore... so here's how to be a villager for dummies.

At its core, this episode is about relearning how to let yourself be supported, showing up consistently for others, and understanding that life was never meant to be frictionless, or lived alone. Independence can be a strength, but being held is a skill. And community isn’t something you find, it’s something you choose to build.

This episode also challenges the modern obsession with “protecting your peace,” and how it can quietly turn into avoidance, isolation, and loneliness.

One month into 2026, it’s time for an honest check-in. If the life you keep envisioning hasn’t started to change, this episode invites you to look inward-not with shame, but with clarity. Because at some point, we have to acknowledge that we are the common denominator.

In this episode, I unpack what confidence actually is- and what it isn’t. We talk about why “fake it till you make it” fuels imposter syndrome, how arrogance is often an insecure imitation of confidence, and more.

This episode is a reminder that confidence isn’t something you’re born with- it’s something you practice. And sometimes, just like love, the most powerful confidence is quiet.

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If this title hit a nerve, this episode is for you.

In this deeply personal conversation, I unpack the realities of emotionally abusive relationships—the kind that don’t start abusive, the kind that look “nice” on the surface, and the kind that quietly rewire your brain.

Using pop culture (yes, Bravo men), personal stories, and hard-earned clarity, this episode explores why toxic relationships are so hard to leave, why the in-between space pulls us back in, and how patterns matter more than potential.

If you’ve ever thought, “I never thought it’d be me,” this episode is for you.

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