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Remember when the worst thing about going back to school was getting your lunch money stolen and not the fear of your embarrassing moment going viral? Vanessa and Kayla certainly do.

In this nostalgic episode, we're diving into our drastically different educational backgrounds - from Vanessa's strict Catholic school experience complete with nuns checking skirt lengths to Kayla's journey through multiple schools as a foster child navigating racial identity. We share how these formative years shaped who we are today, from developing code-switching abilities to overcoming the infamous "Catholic guilt."

The playground was our battlefield where Red Rover selections determined your social standing and dodgeball left both physical and emotional scars. We're talking about the real, face-to-face bullying of the 90s versus today's relentless cyberbullying - debating which generation had it worse while acknowledging each had unique challenges.

You'll laugh as we recount our detention stories (or "ASS" - After School Suspension, as Kayla's school called it), passing handwritten notes in class, and playing MASH to predict our futures. There's even a surprise Christian rap performance from Kayla that you absolutely won't want to miss!

For anyone who grew up in the 90s or early 2000s, this episode will transport you back to a simpler time before iPads replaced textbooks and when showing your personality meant colorful socks under your uniform. And for today's students? Consider this your anthropological study of how your parents survived school without smartphones.

Share your own school memories with us on social media @milkandhoneypod and let us know: would you rather face the physical bullies of yesteryear or navigate today's digital minefield?

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Vanessa and Kayla dive into the complexities of breakups, cancel culture, and AI's impact on their careers while celebrating personal milestones.

• Kayla opens up about her post-breakup journey and rediscovering herself after a year and a half relationship
• Discussion about how AI is replacing models in the industry, with Vanessa sharing her experience being replaced by an AI blonde model
• Exploration of Sydney Sweeney's American Eagle "My genes are blue" controversy and whether it deserved the backlash
• Critical conversation about cancel culture and how it prevents meaningful dialogue between people with different perspectives
• Celebration of Kayla's 25th anniversary of becoming a foster child and how it changed her life trajectory
• Movie recommendations including the new Dave Franco/Allison Brie horror-comedy and Nobody 2
• Honest discussion about long-distance relationships and the importance of communication
• The Honey Jar question: "Name something that should be embarrassing, but absolutely isn't for you"

Next week: Vanessa and Kayla will share stories and photos from their school days, comparing experiences growing up in Catholic and Southern Baptist Christian schools.

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Grief arrives in countless forms—sometimes through death, other times through separation, and often through the quiet evolution of our own identities. In this vulnerable conversation, Vanessa opens up about losing her father suddenly at 19, while Kayla shares her experience of being torn from her mother at age 9 when her mom went to prison.

The raw emotion is palpable as Vanessa recalls walking into her childhood home after her father's passing and feeling that unmistakable "cold breeze" of absence. She shares beautiful memories of her quiet, kind father who always made her mom's morning coffee and taught her the value of truly listening to others. Meanwhile, Kayla recounts the confusion and heartbreak of being placed in foster care without understanding why, screaming for her mother through the windows of a van as they were driven away.

Both hosts explore how these profound losses shaped their adult relationships and perspectives. Vanessa wonders how different her romantic relationships might have been with her father's protective guidance, while Kayla reveals how foster care taught her to build emotional walls that she's still working to dismantle in therapy. They share the uncomfortable truth that grief doesn't simply fade with time—it becomes part of who we are, appearing in unexpected waves throughout our lives.

Perhaps most valuable is their discussion about what not to say to someone who's grieving. Phrases like "time heals all wounds," "they'd want you to be strong," or commenting on someone's funeral attire (yes, this actually happened to Vanessa) miss the mark entirely. Instead, they suggest simple presence, practical support, and the freedom to express grief without timeline or expectation.

Listen in as we explore how loss, in all its forms, becomes absorbed into our story—not as an ending, but as an ongoing conversation with our past, present, and future selves. And if you're grieving anything right now, we see you and we've got you.