Awf The Record

What if astrology is less about predicting your future, and more about finally having language for who you are?
In this episode of Awf The Record, Jeannette Reyes and Mona Kosar Abdi sit down with celebrity astrologer Aliza Kelly for a funny, fascinating, and surprisingly personal crash course in astrology. Aliza breaks down what astrology is and what it is not, why your birth chart is more than just your zodiac sign, and how the sun, moon, and rising signs can help you better understand your energy, emotions, perspective, relationships, and the stories you tell about yourself.
From dating compatibility and Gemini slander to the rise of astrology on TikTok, Aliza explains why astrology should be used as a tool for curiosity, connection, and self-awareness, not fear or judgment. She also reads Mona and Jeannette’s birth charts in real time, revealing why their charts are almost shockingly compatible and why their friendship may be written in the stars. This episode is for the astrology curious, the astrology skeptical, and anyone who has ever wondered if their chart knows a little too much.

KEYPOINTS:

00:00 - Introduction
02:01 - Aliza Kelly explains how astrology became her life’s work
03:54 - Astrology is an art, not a science, and Aliza says that matters
07:02 - Astrology can coexist with faith because it is not a religion
08:23 - Astrology works as a social language for connection
09:14 - The birth chart is a snapshot of the sky when you were born
13:37 - Aliza traces how astrology became mainstream again
20:50 - Men dismissing astrology often reflects a deeper disrespect for women’s interests
24:41 - Compatibility is not as simple as “this sign works with that sign”
33:17 - Mona and Jeannette’s birth charts reveal major creative compatibility
41:21 - Astrology becomes toxic when it feeds anxiety instead of curiosity

QUOTES:

“What astrology does is help us tell better stories.” – Aliza Kelly

“Something that is an art doesn't need to be a science in order for it to be meaningful.” – Aliza Kelly

“Astrology is the language, but the lived experience is actually like, do these people get along, and if so, how do they get along.” – Aliza Kelly

“Life is about being able to form those connections.” – Aliza Kelly

GUEST RESOURCES: 

Aliza Kelly 
Website | www.alizakelly.com 
IG | @alizakelly 

RESOURCES: 

Keep in touch with Awf The Record:

Youtube: @AwfTheRecord
Instagram: @awftherecordpodcast
TikTok: @AwfTheRecord

Mona Kosar Abdi
IG |  @monakabdi 

Jeannette Reyes
IG |  @msnewslady 
Keep in touch with Awf The Record:
Watch on Youtube: @AwfTheRecord
Follow us on Instagram: @awftherecordpodcast
Follow us on TikTok: @AwfTheRecord
Visit our website: www.AwfTheRecord.com
 Follow Mona on TikTok and IG
Follow Jeannette on TikTok and IG

What if the reason you feel drained in friendships is not that everyone else is taking, but because you learned to give in order to earn love? In this segment of Awf The Record, Jeannette Reyes and Mona Kosar Abdi sit down with friendship expert Danielle Bayard-Jackson to unpack overgiving, oversharing, one-sided friendships, and the patterns that can make women feel like they are always the one doing the work. Danielle explains why the “no one shows up for me” story deserves compassion, but also deserves curiosity, especially when it keeps showing up across multiple friendships. Danielle also breaks down how to ask yourself whether you might be the common denominator in repeated friendship breakups, why feedback feels so awkward in friendships, and how social media can validate every issue without actually helping you grow. It is a sharp, honest conversation about friendship patterns, self-awareness, emotional generosity, and learning how to give without using giving as a shortcut to closeness.

GUEST RESOURCES: 

Danielle Bayard-Jackson
Website | www.daniellebayardjackson.com
IG | @daniellebayardjackson

RESOURCES: 

Keep in touch with Awf The Record:

Youtube: @AwfTheRecord
Instagram: @awftherecordpodcast
TikTok: @AwfTheRecord

Mona Kosar Abdi
IG |  @monakabdi 

Jeannette Reyes
IG |  @msnewslady 
Keep in touch with Awf The Record:
Watch on Youtube: @AwfTheRecord
Follow us on Instagram: @awftherecordpodcast
Follow us on TikTok: @AwfTheRecord
Visit our website: www.AwfTheRecord.com
 Follow Mona on TikTok and IG
Follow Jeannette on TikTok and IG

Why does making and keeping friends as an adult feel so much harder than it used to?
In this episode of Awf The Record, Jeannette Reyes and Mona Kosar Abdi sit down with friendship expert and author Danielle Bayard-Jackson for a real conversation about female friendship, loneliness, vulnerability, jealousy, friendship breakups, and the quiet ways high-achieving women can end up isolated. Danielle breaks down why friendship is not just about having people around you, but about feeling understood, supported, and safe enough to be honest in the relationships you already have.
From the rise of the female loneliness epidemic to the pressure to be self-sufficient, Danielle explains why “I don’t need anyone” is not the flex we think it is. She unpacks why conflict can actually create deeper intimacy, how to apologize well, why jealousy does not automatically make you a bad friend, and how to tell if you might be the common denominator in your friendship patterns. This episode is a reminder that friendship takes time, repair, emotional honesty, and the courage to let people show up for you.

KEY POINTS

00:00 - Danielle Bayard Jackson explains why friendship issues are everywhere
01:19 - Loneliness is not always about lacking friends
02:20 - Friendships are suffering because we spend less time together
04:17 - The loneliness industrial complex sells connection, but does not always create it
06:04 - High-achieving women can struggle with vulnerability in friendship
08:19 - Closeness takes time, and conflict can deepen intimacy
11:04 - A good apology has to speak to the heart and the mind
12:48 - Jealousy does not make you a bad friend, but what comes next matter
17:32 - Female friendships are not worse than male friendships, they are often deeper
32:05 - Adult friendship requires intention, regularity, and asking for help

QUOTES 

“We've lost the art of doing nothing with a friend.” – Jeannette Reyes

“The right people want the data on how to love you well.” – Danielle Bayard-Jackson

“Somewhere along the line, I feel like that came from our fear of vulnerability, because to need people, you have to be vulnerable and you have to ask for help.” – Mona Kosar Abdi

“We think of lonely as a lack of friends, but it's other things too.” – Danielle Bayard-Jackson

“I feel like part of having community is to be burdened.” – Mona Kosar Abdi

GUEST RESOURCES: 

Danielle Bayard-Jackson
Website | www.daniellebayardjackson.com
IG | @daniellebayardjackson

RESOURCES: 

Keep in touch with Awf The Record:

Youtube: @AwfTheRecord
Instagram: @awftherecordpodcast
TikTok: @AwfTheRecord

Mona Kosar Abdi
IG |  @monakabdi 

Jeannette Reyes
IG |  @msnewslady 
Keep in touch with Awf The Record:
Watch on Youtube: @AwfTheRecord
Follow us on Instagram: @awftherecordpodcast
Follow us on TikTok: @AwfTheRecord
Visit our website: www.AwfTheRecord.com
 Follow Mona on TikTok and IG
Follow Jeannette on TikTok and IG

How do you know if the problem is yours, theirs, or something happening between both of you? In this segment, therapist Melissa Dumaz joins Jeannette Reyes and Mona Kosar Abdi to break down the relationship patterns that often show up in couples work. She explains why some fights are not really about the relationship itself, but about unresolved issues each person brings into the room, and why a major sign of hope is whether both people are actually open to change. Melissa also unpacks attachment styles, how anxious and secure attachment can show up in love, and why two people can want connection in completely different ways. From toxic red flags to couples who say they “never fight,” this conversation is a grounded reminder that healthy relationships are not conflict-free. They are built by people who are willing to be honest, self-aware, and prepared for the hard conversations.

GUEST RESOURCES: 

Melissa Dumaz 

Website | www.melissadumaz.com
IG | @melissadumaz

RESOURCES: 

Keep in touch with Awf The Record:

Youtube: @AwfTheRecord
Instagram: @awftherecordpodcast
TikTok: @AwfTheRecord

Mona Kosar Abdi
IG |  @monakabdi 

Jeannette Reyes
IG |  @msnewslady 
Keep in touch with Awf The Record:
Watch on Youtube: @AwfTheRecord
Follow us on Instagram: @awftherecordpodcast
Follow us on TikTok: @AwfTheRecord
Visit our website: www.AwfTheRecord.com
 Follow Mona on TikTok and IG
Follow Jeannette on TikTok and IG

What if the biggest threat to your relationship is not one big betrayal, but the quiet habits, assumptions, and unspoken expectations slowly wearing the love down?
In this episode of Awf The Record, Jeannette Reyes and Mona Kosar Abdi sit down with licensed marriage and family therapist Melissa Dumaz for a raw, honest conversation about modern love, marriage, dating, conflict, vulnerability, and the relationship mistakes most couples do not realize they are making. Melissa breaks down why social media highlight reels are distorting what we expect from real relationships, why more people are walking into therapy asking if they even want to be married anymore, and how ambition, gender roles, emotional safety, and unresolved trauma are reshaping the way couples connect.
From attachment styles and red flags to dirty fighting, love languages, resentment, and the myth of “if he wanted to, he would,” Melissa offers a grounded look at what actually helps relationships last. She explains why healthy couples still fight, why sarcasm can quietly break down love, why vulnerability can feel unsafe, especially for Black women, and why relationships start to suffer when busy people put love on autopilot. This is a conversation about choosing honesty over ego, communication over assumptions, and your partner over the quiet resentment that can build when the small things go unaddressed.

KEY POINTS

00:00 - Introduction: Melissa Dumaz names the real tension in modern relationships
01:42 - Social media has made real relationships feel like they’re falling short
04:18 - Women’s ambition has changed relationships, but men were not always prepared for that shift
09:13 - Couples need to build a relationship model that fits who they are now
12:12 - Dating should reveal how someone handles real life, not manufactured tests
17:51 - Anger is often covering a deeper emotion
21:26 - Couples have to identify whether the issue is yours, theirs, or the relationship’s
26:14 - Love languages can change as people move through different seasons
33:48 - Sarcasm is a form of dirty fighting that often hides resentment
51:46 - Marriages quietly break down when couples stop nurturing the relationship

QUOTES 

“The biggest challenge relationships face today is thinking that relationships should look like social media relationships in real life.” – Melissa Dumaz

“We have to give ourselves permission to dream again.” – Melissa Dumaz

“It is in the living that you will see how they show up and how they respond to life.” – Melissa Dumaz

“If you don't feel safe yet to be your true authentic self, then that's the red flag. That's the yellow flag.” – Melissa Dumaz

“The ego has to die at some points and several times throughout the relationship.” – Melissa Dumaz

GUEST RESOURCES: 

Melissa Dumaz 

Website | www.melissadumaz.com
IG | @melissadumaz

RESOURCES: 

Keep in touch with Awf The Record:

Youtube: @AwfTheRecord
Instagram: @awftherecordpodcast
TikTok: @AwfTheRecord

Mona Kosar Abdi
IG |  @monakabdi 

Jeannette Reyes
IG |  @msnewslady 
Keep in touch with Awf The Record:
Watch on Youtube: @AwfTheRecord
Follow us on Instagram: @awftherecordpodcast
Follow us on TikTok: @AwfTheRecord
Visit our website: www.AwfTheRecord.com
 Follow Mona on TikTok and IG
Follow Jeannette on TikTok and IG