Awf The Record

What’s really happening to the news industry and what does it mean for your career? In this episode of Awf The Record , Mona Kosar Abdi and Jeannette Reyes reflect on the changing landscape of broadcast journalism, from shrinking opportunities and layoffs to the growing influence of social media and personal platforms. Drawing from their own experiences in the industry, they unpack the tension bet...

Why does nothing ever feel like enough even when you’re living the life you once prayed for? In this episode of Awf The Record , Jeannette and Mona unpack the hidden struggle behind high achievement, success, and constantly chasing the next milestone. From burnout and anxiety to journaling, therapy, and emotional patterns, this conversation gets real about what happens when you keep moving the goa...

What does it actually take to glow up and transform your life? In this powerful segment of Awf The Record , Jodie Taylor breaks down the real psychology behind personal transformation, from self-image and confidence to physical changes and social capital. Drawing from concepts like Psycho-Cybernetics , she explains how your internal “self schema” shapes your reality and why true growth requires bo...

In this episode of Awf The Record , Jeannette Reyes and Mona Kosar Abdi sit down with Jodie Taylor , corporate strategist, DEI leader at Sony Music, and digital creator with over half a million followers, to unpack the strategy behind becoming your highest self. Jodie shares how a devastating season of loss, heartbreak, layoffs, and friendship breakups forced her to completely reevaluate her life....

What really happens behind the scenes of reality TV? In this Awf The Record segment, Jay Manuel unpacks the truth behind one of the most talked-about parts of America’s Next Top Model: the makeovers. What began as genuine attempts to help contestants evolve their look quickly turned into something else entirely. As ratings grew and the show became more sensational, makeovers increasingly became st...

What really happened behind the scenes of America’s Next Top Model ? In this episode of Awf The Record , Mona Kosar Abdi and Jeannette Reyes sit down with fashion creative director, TV personality, and former A merica’s Next Top Model judge Jay Manuel for a raw and revealing conversation about the reality behind one of the most iconic reality shows of the 2000s. Jay opens up about the renewed publ...

Can confidence actually be learned? In this Awf The Record segment, Jeannette Reyes and Mona Kosar Abdi unpack a surprising lesson from a posing class that completely changed how they think about confidence, presence, and what it means to feel sexy. What started as a simple lesson on red carpet posing quickly turned into a deeper conversation about how women are taught to shrink themselves, move q...

What does it actually mean to be sexy? In the Season 4 premiere of Awf The Record , Mona Kosar Abdi and Jeannette Reyes reunite in New York and quickly find themselves unpacking a bigger question than they expected: why does being sexy feel so uncomfortable for so many women? What starts as a simple posing class meant to help them feel more confident in photos turns into a deeper conversation abou...

The girls are back… and this time they’re not going anywhere. Season 4 of Awf The Record is officially here, and we’re going weekly. Every Thursday, Mona Kosar Abdi and Jeannette Reyes bring their newsroom instincts and group chat curiosity to the conversations everyone’s whispering about. From relationships and pop culture to trending headlines and the questions nobody wants to say out loud. The...

Who are you when you’re no longer performing? In this raw and reflective segment, Mona Kosar Abdi and Jeannette Reyes unpack the emotional identity shift that comes with leaving journalism. From unlearning their “news voice” to confronting the fear of truly being seen, they share what it’s like to go from messenger to message — and why stepping into your voice is one of the bravest things you can...

In this powerful segment, celebrity stylist Yene Damtew and Jeannette Reyes unpack the emotional weight so many Black women carry about their hair — from childhood salon trauma to being conditioned to see certain textures as “unmanageable.” Yene breaks down how she helps her clients deprogram shame, why the natural hair movement has been both a blessing and a battleground, and how true hair confid...

What happens when your character is seen, but your story isn’t? In this powerful segment, Andrea Lewis opens up about her experience on Degrassi — playing Hazel, one of the few Black characters on the show, and what it felt like to be visible but voiceless. She reflects on the lack of cultural authenticity in Hazel’s storyline, the toll it took on her confidence, and how it fueled her to create Th...

How do you stay empowered and sensual in a world that wants to box you in? In this powerful segment, Melyssa Ford gets real about the exit ramp from video vixen fame, reclaiming her narrative, and the intentional ways she moved through public spaces to protect her peace. She shares how she modeled herself after women like Claire Huxtable, Lena Horne, and Sade, and what it really means to master qu...

Today, this candid and reflective episode of Awf The Record is your go-to year-end reset. Jeannette and Mona ditch the highlight reel to unpack what 2025 really looked like: burnout, blurred boundaries, constant “work mode,” and the pressure to overachieve. They break down the habits that kept them running on fumes, unpack the immigrant-kid conditioning that glorifies exhaustion, and reveal the sm...

Is Ozempic really the weight loss solution we’ve been waiting for or is it more complicated than that? In this must-listen segment, Dr. Darien Sutton breaks down the truth behind Ozempic and GLP-1 medications; what they actually do, who they’re for, and why obesity is much more than a matter of willpower. From Serena Williams headlines to the science of chronic weight gain, this convo dives into t...

There’s power in being seen… but there’s also pressure. In this “ Best-Of ” episode, we explore the beauty and the burden of being a woman in the public eye. Through deeply personal stories of fame, identity, grief, and cultural expectations, these guests reflect on what it means to be visible… and misunderstood.  This episode is for every woman who’s ever felt picked apart, underestimated, or pra...

How do you nurture a big dream,  especially when you don’t have a roadmap? In this listener Q&A segment, Jeannette Reyes and Mona Kosar Abdi share what it was like becoming journalists as daughters of immigrants, and how they found their voices in an industry where they didn’t always see themselves reflected. From reading scripts off an iPad in the living room to landing anchor desks, they ref...

What if your dream job wasn’t the dream anymore? In this special “ Best-Of ” episode, we’re revisiting four powerful stories about career pivots, evolving purpose, and letting go of the identities we once held onto. From childhood fame to corporate boardrooms, these guests opened up about what it really means to outgrow the path you thought was permanent. Whether you're feeling stuck, scared...

What happens when your dream job can’t hold your purpose anymore? In this unfiltered segment, Imani Ellis , founder of CultureCon and The Creative Collective NYC, shares the real story behind her decision to leave NBC. From working 18-hour days to building a movement out of her living room, she opens up about burnout, identity shifts, and how she knew it was time to choose herself. If you’ve ever...

From Beauty Queen to Comedy Queen—Taryn Delanie-Smith proves that reinvention isn’t just possible—it’s powerful. This week, Jeannette and Mona sit down with Taryn Delanie-Smith—comedian, content creator, and former Miss New York—who turned a viral TikTok into a thriving career. Taryn shares how she went from pursuing diplomacy to building a comedy empire, including the hilarious (and sometimes cha...

In this spicy segment, licensed sex therapist Marissa Nelson breaks down what happens when partners have very different sexual desires including kinks, fantasies, and preferences most people are too afraid to admit out loud. From foot fetishes to roleplay to exploring the “awkward intimacy” necessary for real connection, Marissa explains why desire evolves over time and how couples can bridge the...

In this episode of Awf The Record , DeAndre Brown – aka the original “The Corporate Baddie” –  gets real about leaving investment banking to become a full-time content creator. From viral TikToks and six-figure brand deals to burnout, reinvention, and building a brand with purpose, this episode peels back the curtain on what it really takes to pivot from 9-to-5 to FYP. He shares the lessons he lea...

In this honest, reflective segment, Mona opens up about the moment she thought her journalism career had peaked and how that rejection led to a redirection she never saw coming. With Jeannette by her side, they unpack the grief of missed opportunities, the quiet ways imposter syndrome shows up, and why the “no” might actually be the greatest gift. If you’re in a season of transition, disappointmen...

This episode flips the script… literally. In a candid, behind-the-scenes Q&A, Jeannette and Mona sit down with their podcast producer to answer the questions they don’t usually get asked on air. From the burnout that led to leaving legacy media to how they really feel about brand deals, content creation, and modern relationships, nothing’s off limits. If you’ve ever wondered how two former new...

Celebrity hairstylist and salon owner Yene Damtew joins us to talk about the real work behind “good hair,” the pressures Black women face around beauty standards, and what it was really like doing Michelle Obama’s hair at the White House and beyond. From the rise of Instagram stylists to the myths around natural hair, Yene gets brutally honest about the hair industry, client relationships, and why...