Twenty years in, they've shown up for the divorces, the pierced ears, a fiancé, and the day one of their moms died. Jennifer (she/her) and Shantel (she/her) have been best friends since they were teenagers, and in this episode of {THE AND} they get into what it means to feel like nobody's above you, why they can be completely unfiltered with each other, and what real, unconditional support looks like after two decades.

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Two months after Fatimata graduated college, their father was diagnosed with cancer, and while JJ was heading off to school, Fatimata stepped into the role of holding the family together. In this episode of {THE AND}, JJ (she/her) and Fatimata (she/her), sisters five years apart, get into what it means to be the oldest, the guilt of choosing yourself, and what real safety feels like between two people who've carried each other through it.

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Markisha (she/her) and Debra (she/her) are aunt and niece, Debra is the one who helped raise Markisha, filling a space her mother left behind. That bond has held through disagreements, distance, and blunt honesty neither of them sugarcoats. In this conversation, they get into being pushed away by family who should have shown up, learning to speak their minds without holding back, and why the family you create carries your legacy just as much as the one you're born into.

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Fatima, Justine, Mike, Carla and Angelito have been friends since middle school. Over twenty years, a few cocktails, and every major chapter of life later, they sit down to talk about what's kept them close through it all.

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What does it feel like to explain love to someone who's never experienced it? Josiah (he/him) and Olivia (she/her) met 15 years ago, drifted apart, and found each other again by chance in Vegas on New Year's Eve 2019. They married two years later, both on their second marriage, and in this conversation they get into what it means to say exactly what you mean, how they actually work through conflict, and why love can be all sorts of things.

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Alex, Ashlee, Dre, Pietrina, and Nico have been friends for 20 years, and in this conversation they open up about what adult friendship has meant for them. Between cocktails and questions, they talk about needing people, staying vulnerable as they get older, and why finding friendships like this one in adulthood is such a big deal.

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Do you believe in love, or are the odds just not worth it? River (he/him) and Donnie (he/him) have been best friends for over 13 years, more like brothers at this point, and in this episode of {THE AND} they get into why River thinks Donnie has given up on love completely. From marriage statistics to what "avoidance" really means, this is a raw, funny, and honest look at male friendship, staying single by choice, and whether love is worth the risk.

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Amy (she/her) and Jacob (he/him) fell in love long distance after both starting over from divorce. Six months in, they're finally learning to live instead of just survive. In this conversation, they play {THE AND} Couples Edition and go deep into what that shift actually feels like. Amy is a florist and mother of three from the New Orleans area, and Jacob is a father of three who's called seven states home. They open up about the ugly truths they're still learning to admit to themselves, and the kind of love they want their combined six kids to grow up watching.

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Beth (she/her) and Todd (he/him) play {THE AND} and go deep into love, loss, and what it means to truly know someone over a decade together. Beth is an actress living in New Orleans who found her greatest love story where she least expected it, on a theatre stage. Todd is her husband, best friend, and the person who held her hand through breast cancer and never let go.

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Carl (he/him) and his son CJ (he/him) play {THE AND} Family Edition and go deep into legacy, love, and being the invisible fence that holds a family together. Carl is an old school dad who leads by example and shows up consistently. CJ is a 32-year-old visionary who credits his father as his biggest source of inspiration and grounding.

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