Slightly Unsupervised | Female Friendship and Real Talk |Best Friends Podcast

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What happens when five girls grow up with brothers but no sisters? Sometimes, your best friends become the sisters you get to choose.

Jennifer and Jackie look back at their lifelong female friendship and wonder whether growing up with brothers helped shape the way they learned to be friends — thicker skin, sharp humor, independence, directness, and the ability to fight with someone and still love them afterward.  Pasted text  Pasted text

They also explore something deeper: why their group of five best friends stayed so close for decades, and whether not having sisters created room for these friendships to become chosen family. From crushes and heartbreak to marriage, babies, careers, and now approaching retirement, these women didn't just hear about the girls they used to be — they were there for each other through every version.  Pasted text  Pasted text

A funny, honest conversation about female friendship, chosen family, lifelong best friends, Gen X friendship, and becoming the sisters you never had.

🎧 Subscribe to Slightly Unsupervised and share this episode with the friend who became family.

💗 Watch real friendship stories on the Bestiemony® YouTube channel.

This episode of Slightly Unsupervised was brought to you by the creators of Bestiemony®—the original friendship ceremony that proves soulmates don’t always come with a marriage license. Hosted by Jennifer and Jackie: best friends, business partners, and co-founders of the movement celebrating real, ride-or-die love.

💍 Book a Bestiemony: rhinestoneweddingchapel.com/bestiemony
📱 Follow us on Instagram at @Bestiemonies
📩 Got a bestie story to share or a subject request? Email us at [email protected]

Send us Fan Mail

Have you ever gotten a weird text from a friend and immediately thought, Is she mad at me? Or had her cancel plans and suddenly convinced yourself she’s pulling away?

Welcome to the stories we tell ourselves.

In this episode of Slightly Unsupervised, Jennifer and Jackie talk about what happens when we don’t have all the facts and our brains decide to fill in the blanks. A delayed text becomes rejection. A canceled lunch becomes proof we don’t matter. A different tone of voice becomes evidence that the friendship is falling apart.

And before we know it, we’re reacting to a story that may not even be true.

Jennifer and Jackie get into overthinking friendships, assumptions, past relationship wounds, conflict avoidance, friendship insecurity, and why our brains are so good at turning missing information into an entire imaginary storyline.

They also share one simple question that might save a friendship:

“Can I tell you the story I’m telling myself?”

Instead of accusing a friend, asking everyone else what they think she meant, or quietly deciding the friendship is over, what if we simply gave her the chance to tell us what’s actually going on?

In This Episode:

Why our minds fill in the blanks when something feels different [01:14]

Have we been overthinking friendships since grade school? [01:59]

How past hurt can follow us into new relationships [04:14]

When a friendship changes and we automatically assume we did something wrong [05:21]

Learning to laugh at some of the stories we create in our heads [06:40]

The question that could save a friendship: “Can I tell you the story I’m telling myself?” [07:15]

How to bring up a problem without immediately putting your friend on the defensive [08:22]

Why you have to be willing to discover that you were wrong [10:08]

Why you might NOT want to ask another friend what she thinks happened [10:41]

Giving people the benefit of the doubt—and a little grace [12:01]

Do you usually ask or assume? [13:06]

Why women overthink friendships [13:54]

The biggest mistake we make when we’re hurt [14:59]

One question that can help save a friendship [15:31]

Why assumptions feel like facts—even when they aren’t [16:13]

If you’ve ever replayed a conversation, analyzed a text message, wondered why she hasn’t called, convinced yourself someone was mad at you, or created an entire friendship crisis in your head without actually asking the other person what was going on—this episode is for you.

Our minds are incredible storytellers. Sometimes those stories protect us. Sometimes they prepare us. And sometimes they quietly steal relationships that never needed to end.

So before you decide she doesn’t care—ask.

Before you assume she’s angry—ask.

Before you convince yourself the friendship is over—ask.

Because sometimes a friendship doesn’t need all the answers. It just needs one honest conversation.

Follow Slightly Unsupervised wherever you listen to podcasts, leave us a review, and share this episode with the friend who has definitely received an “Are you mad at me?” text from you.

And visit Bestiemony® on YouTube to hear real women share the stories of the friendships that changed their lives.

Because some of life’s greatest love stories don’t come with a marriage license.

This episode of Slightly Unsupervised was brought to you by the creators of Bestiemony®—the original friendship ceremony that proves soulmates don’t always come with a marriage license. Hosted by Jennifer and Jackie: best friends, business partners, and co-founders of the movement celebrating real, ride-or-die love.

💍 Book a Bestiemony: rhinestoneweddingchapel.com/bestiemony
📱 Follow us on Instagram at @Bestiemonies
📩 Got a bestie story to share or a subject request? Email us at [email protected]

Send us Fan Mail

Maybe Being Slightly Unsupervised Is Just Acting 17 Again

Why do responsible, grown women suddenly feel 17 again when they’re with their best friends?

In this episode, Jennifer and Jackie explore the playful freedom that comes from being with someone who has known you through every season of life. They share stories from girls’ trips, laugh about the trouble they can still find together and reflect on what it means to have a best friend who remembers who you were before everyone needed something from you.

They also talk about why trusted friendships allow us to lower our guard, reconnect with ourselves and feel free enough to be silly, adventurous and completely genuine.

Maybe being slightly unsupervised isn’t about behaving badly. Maybe it’s what happens when you finally feel safe enough to be completely yourself.

This episode of Slightly Unsupervised was brought to you by the creators of Bestiemony®—the original friendship ceremony that proves soulmates don’t always come with a marriage license. Hosted by Jennifer and Jackie: best friends, business partners, and co-founders of the movement celebrating real, ride-or-die love.

💍 Book a Bestiemony: rhinestoneweddingchapel.com/bestiemony
📱 Follow us on Instagram at @Bestiemonies
📩 Got a bestie story to share or a subject request? Email us at [email protected]

Send us Fan Mail

Caught in the Middle: What to Do When Two Friends Are Fighting 

What do you do when two friends you love are fighting—and suddenly you're caught in the middle?

In this episode of Slightly Unsupervised, Jennifer and Jackie talk about one of the messiest parts of female friendship: being the sounding board when you care about both women. How do you listen without choosing sides? What do you say when you think your friend is wrong? And where's the line between honesty and loyalty?

They share real stories about friendship conflict, staying neutral, keeping confidences, knowing when to stop listening, and why becoming the messenger can make everything worse.

Plus, Jennifer and Jackie tackle the big question: What do you owe your best friend when honesty and loyalty collide?

Because being a good friend doesn't mean helping her win the fight. Sometimes it means helping her see clearly enough to decide what to do next.

A female friendship podcast about best friendship, loyalty, chosen family, and the women who help us navigate life's messiest moments.

This episode of Slightly Unsupervised was brought to you by the creators of Bestiemony®—the original friendship ceremony that proves soulmates don’t always come with a marriage license. Hosted by Jennifer and Jackie: best friends, business partners, and co-founders of the movement celebrating real, ride-or-die love.

💍 Book a Bestiemony: rhinestoneweddingchapel.com/bestiemony
📱 Follow us on Instagram at @Bestiemonies
📩 Got a bestie story to share or a subject request? Email us at [email protected]

Send us Fan Mail

Your Brain Needs Your Best Friend: How Friendship Supports Your Health

Why do we walk away from time with our best friends feeling lighter, happier, and more like ourselves?

In this episode of Slightly Unsupervised, Jennifer and Jackie explore why close friendship is far more than entertainment or an occasional luxury. They talk about how trusted friends help us release stress, process difficult emotions, gain a new perspective and experience the safety of knowing we truly belong.

Between stories about laughing until they cry, telling the same stories for the 275,000th time and becoming irresponsible teenagers again, Jackie has an unexpectedly emotional realization about how fortunate she is to have a group where she never has to perform or question whether she belongs.

Jennifer and Jackie also examine why women so often place friendship at the bottom of the list—after work, family, responsibilities and everyone else’s needs—and why that narrative needs to change.

Your best friend may not be able to make life’s problems disappear, but she can remind you that you don’t have to carry them alone. Stop waiting until you “have time.” Make the lunch date, take the trip, sit on the porch, and laugh too loudly. Friendship isn’t something frivolous that belongs in the leftover spaces of life. It is part of taking care of yourself.

This episode of Slightly Unsupervised was brought to you by the creators of Bestiemony®—the original friendship ceremony that proves soulmates don’t always come with a marriage license. Hosted by Jennifer and Jackie: best friends, business partners, and co-founders of the movement celebrating real, ride-or-die love.

💍 Book a Bestiemony: rhinestoneweddingchapel.com/bestiemony
📱 Follow us on Instagram at @Bestiemonies
📩 Got a bestie story to share or a subject request? Email us at [email protected]

Send us Fan Mail

Can a broken friendship be repaired—and how do you know when it's worth saving?

When something feels wrong with a best friend, our instinct is often to fix whatever is happening on the surface. The unanswered text. The argument. The awkward conversation. The jealousy. The distance.

But what if none of those things are the real problem?

In this episode of Slightly Unsupervised, Jennifer and Jackie get honest about friendship conflict, repairing broken friendships, and why you have to identify the root of the problem before you can actually fix it.

Drawing from friendships they've lost, friendships they've learned from, and their own experiences navigating conflict, they explore the questions we often avoid asking: Did something happen? Did I hurt her? Has something changed in her life? Am I making assumptions? And does she actually want to repair this friendship too? 

They also tackle one of the hardest truths about friendship repair: you may have to give up being right if you want a chance at reconciling. Your friend has her own experience, her own feelings, and her own version of what happened—and a real conversation can't begin if you're only waiting for her to admit you were right. 

Jennifer and Jackie talk about:

•  How to identify the real problem in a struggling friendship 
•  Signs something has shifted between you and a friend 
•  Why jealousy, resentment, or insecurity can show up as completely different conflicts 
•  The danger of creating narratives based on texts and assumptions 
•  Why difficult friendship conversations shouldn't happen over text 
•  How to apologize without the dreaded "I'm sorry, but..."
•  Why being right can get in the way of reconciliation 
•  How to know if both people actually want to repair the friendship 
•  When anxiety, manipulation, broken trust, and one-sided effort may signal it's time to let go 
•  Why even friendships that end can leave us with something valuable 

Because sometimes a friendship isn't broken beyond repair.

Sometimes two women are simply hurt, confused, or carrying heavy lives—and nobody has asked the right question yet.

And sometimes, the healthiest ending is accepting that a friendship has completed its chapter.

Healthy friendships aren't built on never having conflict. They're built on having the courage to face it together. 

If this episode makes you think of someone you love, don't spend another six months trying to solve the wrong problem.

Call her. Ask her. Listen to her. And find out what's really going on.

This episode of Slightly Unsupervised was brought to you by the creators of Bestiemony®—the original friendship ceremony that proves soulmates don’t always come with a marriage license. Hosted by Jennifer and Jackie: best friends, business partners, and co-founders of the movement celebrating real, ride-or-die love.

💍 Book a Bestiemony: rhinestoneweddingchapel.com/bestiemony
📱 Follow us on Instagram at @Bestiemonies
📩 Got a bestie story to share or a subject request? Email us at [email protected]

Send us Fan Mail

When Your Friend Hurts Your Feelings… and You Say Nothing

Ever had a friend hurt your feelings and said absolutely nothing—not because it didn’t matter, but because the friendship mattered so much?

In this episode of Slightly Unsupervised, Jennifer and Jackie dive into protective silence: the things we don’t say because we’re trying to keep the peace, avoid confrontation, or convince ourselves we’ll eventually get over it. But when does taking a little space turn into the silent treatment—and when does staying quiet actually start damaging the friendship you were trying to protect?

Jennifer and Jackie admit they’re both pretty skilled at going silent (Jennifer may be working toward her doctorate), including one story involving two and a half hours in the heat, no food, an Uber, and Jennifer fully prepared to spend a 10½-hour drive never speaking again.

But underneath the laughs is a bigger conversation about female friendship, conflict avoidance, people-pleasing, hurt feelings, learned behaviors, and difficult conversations. They talk about knowing when a friend simply needs space, when something really needs to be addressed, and why the stories we create in our heads can sometimes do more damage than the thing that happened in the first place.

In This Episode:

Protective silence vs. the silent treatment [01:02]
Why “I’m fine” usually means absolutely nothing is fine [01:42]
Jennifer’s 10½-hour silent-treatment plan [02:00]
Why women stay quiet to keep the peace [04:25]
Knowing when to give your friend space—and when to talk [05:26]
How long is too long for the silent treatment? [06:43]
How one simple apology can stop resentment from growing [09:10]
Facts vs. the stories we create in our heads [11:01]
Why waiting six months to speak up can turn a small hurt into an atomic bomb [12:34]
People-pleasing, confrontation, and learning healthier communication [14:34]
Knowing your best friend well enough to recognize when she just needs time [16:31]
How childhood can teach us to use silence as a coping mechanism [17:52]
When a friendship matters enough to have the difficult conversation [18:55]
Why sometimes you need time and perspective before talking [20:44]

If you’ve ever replayed a friendship problem in your head, wondered if she was mad at you, stayed quiet because you didn’t want to make things worse, or waited for your friend to magically figure out what she did wrong—this episode is for you.

Sometimes silence is space. Sometimes it’s fear. Sometimes it’s protection. But sometimes the strongest thing you can do for a friendship is risk one honest conversation.

Before you ask three other people what they think she meant, before you convince yourself you already know how she feels—call her. Ask her. Give the friendship a chance.

👉 Follow Slightly Unsupervised, subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts, leave us a review, and share this episode with your ride-or-die.

And if this episode made you think about the woman who has walked beside you through life, visit the Bestiemony® YouTube channel to hear real stories about friendships that changed women's lives.

Because some of life’s greatest love stories don’t come with a marriage license.

#SlightlyUnsupervised #Bestiemony #FriendshipPodcast #FemaleFriendship #SilentTreatment #ProtectiveSilence #FriendshipProblems #FriendshipAdvice #HealthyFriendships #FriendshipCommunication #ConflictResolution #PeoplePleasing #DifficultConversations #FriendshipConflict #BestFriends #WomenSupportingWomen #MidlifeWomen #PlatonicSoulmates #FriendshipMatters

This episode of Slightly Unsupervised was brought to you by the creators of Bestiemony®—the original friendship ceremony that proves soulmates don’t always come with a marriage license. Hosted by Jennifer and Jackie: best friends, business partners, and co-founders of the movement celebrating real, ride-or-die love.

💍 Book a Bestiemony: rhinestoneweddingchapel.com/bestiemony
📱 Follow us on Instagram at @Bestiemonies
📩 Got a bestie story to share or a subject request? Email us at [email protected]

Send us Fan Mail

Friendship Breakups: Honoring the Love, Letting Go with Grace 

Friendship breakups can hurt just as much as romantic ones—but we rarely talk about them. 

When a marriage ends, there are books, movies, songs, and endless advice. But when a lifelong friendship fades or falls apart, we're often left wondering how to grieve someone who's still alive. 

In this heartfelt episode of Slightly Unsupervised, Jennifer and Jackie share their own experiences with friendship breakups, growing apart from people they once loved deeply, reconnecting after years apart, and learning that not every meaningful friendship is meant to last forever. 

Together they explore: 

•  Why friendship breakups can be so emotionally painful 
•  How to grieve the loss of a close friend 
•  Why some friendships are meant for a season—and that's okay 
•  Learning from the women who helped shape your life 
•  Rebuilding trust after years apart 
•  How to reconnect with an old friend without forcing the relationship 
•  The importance of healthy boundaries in friendship 
•  Why closure often comes through acceptance rather than conversation 
•  How to honor former friends with gratitude instead of resentment 

Jennifer and Jackie also reflect on their own fifteen-year friendship separation, what it took to rebuild trust, and why they believe every meaningful friendship deserves to be remembered with kindness—even if it's no longer part of your everyday life.
 
Because not every friendship is meant to last forever.
 
But every friendship that helped shape who you are deserves to be honored.
 
If this episode made you think of someone who once meant the world to you, maybe today is the day to send the text, share the memory, or simply be grateful for the chapter they wrote in your life.
 
🎥 Watch real Bestiemony friendship stories:
https://www.youtube.com/@Bestiemony

💖 Learn more about celebrating your own lifelong friendship:
https://www.Bestiemony.com
 

This episode of Slightly Unsupervised was brought to you by the creators of Bestiemony®—the original friendship ceremony that proves soulmates don’t always come with a marriage license. Hosted by Jennifer and Jackie: best friends, business partners, and co-founders of the movement celebrating real, ride-or-die love.

💍 Book a Bestiemony: rhinestoneweddingchapel.com/bestiemony
📱 Follow us on Instagram at @Bestiemonies
📩 Got a bestie story to share or a subject request? Email us at [email protected]

Send us Fan Mail

Friendship Is One of Life's Most Important Relationships—So Why Don't We Celebrate It? 

We celebrate birthdays.
We celebrate engagements.
We celebrate weddings, anniversaries, baby showers, graduations, and retirements. 

But what about the woman who stood beside you through every one of those moments? 

In this thought-provoking episode of Slightly Unsupervised, Jennifer and Jackie ask a simple question that changes the way we think about friendship: 

Why don't we celebrate our best friends the way we celebrate every other important relationship in our lives? 

Inspired by Jennifer's experience owning a wedding chapel and witnessing hundreds of couples exchange vows, they explore why society has built traditions around romantic love—but has almost no rituals for honoring the women who helped us become who we are. 

Together they discuss: 

•  Why female friendship is one of life's foundational relationships 
•  Why romantic relationships are celebrated while lifelong friendships are often overlooked 
•  The hidden cost of letting romantic relationships replace your friendships 
•  Why every woman needs friends who can support her through life's hardest seasons 
•  How speaking your gratitude out loud can transform a friendship 
•  Why we assume our best friends already know how much they mean to us 
•  The emotional impact of celebrating a friendship while your best friend is still here to hear it 
•  Why we should stop waiting until funerals to tell people what they meant to us 

Jennifer and Jackie also share personal stories about nearly forty years of friendship, navigating marriage, growing apart and finding each other again, and how those experiences inspired them to create Bestiemony®—a ceremony dedicated to celebrating lifelong friendships.

Because maybe friendship doesn't need to become a marriage...

Maybe it simply deserves the same gratitude.

If this episode made you think of your best friend, don't wait.

Call her.

Write the letter.

Plan the dinner.

Tell her what she means to you while she's still here to hear it.

🎥 Watch real Bestiemony ceremonies:
https://www.youtube.com/@Bestiemony

💖 Learn more or celebrate your own best friendship:
https://www.Bestiemony.com
 

This episode of Slightly Unsupervised was brought to you by the creators of Bestiemony®—the original friendship ceremony that proves soulmates don’t always come with a marriage license. Hosted by Jennifer and Jackie: best friends, business partners, and co-founders of the movement celebrating real, ride-or-die love.

💍 Book a Bestiemony: rhinestoneweddingchapel.com/bestiemony
📱 Follow us on Instagram at @Bestiemonies
📩 Got a bestie story to share or a subject request? Email us at [email protected]

Send us Fan Mail

Flowers While You're Here | A Love Letter to My Best Friend 

What if you didn't wait until a funeral to tell someone how much they changed your life? 

In this deeply personal and emotional episode of Slightly Unsupervised, Jennifer does something she's never done before. Without Jackie knowing, she records a heartfelt tribute to the woman who has been her best friend for more than four decades. 

This isn't an interview. 

It isn't a conversation. 

It's a love letter. 

Jennifer shares the stories that shaped their friendship—from meeting as teenagers, navigating difficult childhoods, surviving an unexpected pregnancy, becoming roommates, raising children, losing touch for years, and ultimately finding their way back to each other. Through every season of life, Jackie became the person who never stopped believing in her. 

In this special episode, Jennifer reflects on: 

•  The power of having one person who never lets you feel less 
•  Growing up together and finding strength in female friendship 
•  How true friends protect your reputation when you're at your most vulnerable 
•  Why the women who stand beside us deserve to be celebrated 
•  Losing a friendship—and the joy of finding your way back 
•  How lifelong friendships become the foundation of resilience 
•  The inspiration behind creating Bestiemony®, a ceremony that celebrates best friends 

More than anything, this episode is a reminder that we spend so much of our lives honoring people after they're gone.
 
Maybe it's time we started giving them their flowers while they're still here to hear them.
 
Because some of life's greatest love stories don't come with a marriage license.
 
Sometimes...
 
they come with a best friend.

Chapters
00:00 Introduction: A Personal Tribute to Jackie
00:30 How Jennifer and Jackie Met and Grew Closer
01:08 First Impressions: Jackie as a Spitfire
02:08 Jackie's Outspokenness and Its Impact on Jennifer
03:07 The Strength and Power Jackie Gave Jennifer
04:25 Shared Childhood Memories and Support
06:00 Overcoming Life's Challenges Together
06:54 Jackie's Fierce Protectiveness and Loyalty
08:31 Celebrating Wins and Supporting Each Other
10:02 High School Years and Teenage Support
11:57 College Dreams and Staying Connected
14:13 Life Changes and Reconnecting After Years Apart
18:13 The Deep Understanding and Comfort of True Friendship
20:05 Celebrating Friendship Milestones and Unconditional Love
21:53 The Importance of Telling Loved Ones How Much They Mean
23:00 Closing Remarks: Cherish Your Best Friends

 🎥 Watch real Bestiemony ceremonies:
https://www.youtube.com/@Bestiemony 

💒 Learn more about Bestiemony at Rhinestone Wedding Chapel:
https://www.RhinestoneWeddingChapel.com 

What if you didn't wait until a funeral to tell someone how much they changed your life? In this vulnerable episode of Slightly Unsupervised, Jennifer records a heartfelt love letter to her best friend and platonic soulmate—celebrating the chosen family bonds that sustain us. A tribute to female friendship, emotional intimacy, and saying the things that matter most while you're still here together.

This episode of Slightly Unsupervised was brought to you by the creators of Bestiemony®—the original friendship ceremony that proves soulmates don’t always come with a marriage license. Hosted by Jennifer and Jackie: best friends, business partners, and co-founders of the movement celebrating real, ride-or-die love.

💍 Book a Bestiemony: rhinestoneweddingchapel.com/bestiemony
📱 Follow us on Instagram at @Bestiemonies
📩 Got a bestie story to share or a subject request? Email us at [email protected]