Up From Here

The Men Who Raised Us, The Love We Needed, & Growing Up | Episode 34

In this episode, we celebrate the first men we ever loved—our dads. We reflect on the relationships we've built with our fathers, the lessons they've intentionally and unintentionally taught us, and the ways they've shaped how we love, trust, and move through the world today. We also ask an age-old question: Do we date people like our dads? And if we do, is that necessarily a bad thing? As we've gotten older, we've begun seeing our fathers less as superheroes and more as people. People with childhoods, wounds, dreams, fears, and experiences that shaped the men they eventually became. We talk about how their upbringings influenced their ability to experience freedom, vulnerability, and joy—and how beautiful it is to witness growth in our parents, even in adulthood. There's something incredibly healing about realizing your parents are still evolving. This episode is about gratitude, perspective, and giving our fathers grace while celebrating the men they've become—and continue to become. If you've ever looked at your parents differently as you've gotten older, wondered how they shaped your relationships, or found yourself rooting for them just as much as they've rooted for you, this conversation is for you. Follow us on Instagram: 🍒 @thekelsilee 🍒 @janaiiman ✨ @xo.upfromhere

Birds of a Feather, Friendship Audits, & Outgrowing Expectations | Episode 33

In this episode, we dive into friendship — how much our friends influence us, what it really takes to maintain long-term relationships, and whether "birds of a feather flock together" is actually true. We discuss how the people around us shape our decision-making, perspectives, habits, and even our judgment. Are we more influenced by our friends than we'd like to admit? From there, we get into the realities of long-term friendship. Loving people through different seasons of life. Accepting that your friends will change over time. And understanding that the version of someone you met years ago may not be the version standing in front of you today. Kelsi opens up about her tendency to cut people off quickly when they disappoint her, and how she's learning that every conflict doesn't require a complete ending. Sometimes the healthiest thing isn't removing someone from your life altogether — it's simply reorganizing where they belong within it. We also talk about friendship hierarchies and why not every friend should occupy the same space in your life. Some friends are for deep conversations. Some are for fun. Some are for business. Some are for growth. And expecting one person to be everything can create unnecessary disappointment. This episode is about releasing unrealistic expectations, understanding relationship dynamics, and building healthier friendships that can evolve with time. If you've ever struggled with friendship changes, cutting people off, or figuring out where people fit in your life, this conversation is for you. Follow us on Instagram: 🍒 @thekelsilee 🍒 @janaiiman ✨ @xo.upfromhere

Internet Outrage, Youth Culture, & Chasing Relevance | Episode 31

In this episode, we unpack the strange state of modern culture and ask a simple question: Has everybody become a critic? We start by talking about music and why so much of it feels stagnant. Why do some of today's biggest artists seem stuck creatively? Why does it feel like growth, evolution, and artistic risk-taking have become less important than staying relevant? That conversation leads us into our culture's obsession with youth. From celebrities to influencers to everyday people, we discuss the pressure to remain young, desirable, and culturally relevant at all costs—and what gets lost when aging is treated like a failure instead of a privilege. We also dive into the recent Painted by Esther and Jackie Asamoah conversation and the growing tendency to disguise perfectionism as accountability. At what point does "holding creators accountable" become expecting them to be flawless? We unpack the contradiction of demanding perfection from public figures while refusing to examine our own behavior. Why do people passionately criticize creators for missing a brand or making a mistake, yet continue supporting companies, industries, and institutions they claim to oppose? From boycotting one celebrity while consuming content produced by another problematic figure, to calling out strangers online while making no meaningful changes in our own lives, we explore the hypocrisy that has become normalized in internet culture. We also discuss "internet gangsters"—the confidence people have behind screens that rarely translates into real life—and how outrage has become a form of entertainment. And as always, we close by speaking directly to younger women, sharing some of the lessons we wish we understood earlier about identity, growth, integrity, and finding your own voice in a world that constantly tells you who to be. If you've ever felt exhausted by online discourse, frustrated by performative accountability, or curious about where culture is headed next, this episode is for you. Follow us on Instagram: 🍒 @thekelsilee 🍒 @janaiiman ✨ @xo.upfromhere

Girl Code, Infidelity, & Erasing Gender Roles | Episode 29

In this episode, we unpack loyalty — what it actually means, what our boundaries are, and how friendships can completely shift when someone hurts the people we love. We talk about choosing our best friend's side in conflict, especially when there's genuine disrespect, betrayal, or harm involved. Not out of immaturity or "blind loyalty," but because some actions naturally change how safe or aligned someone feels to us moving forward. From there, the conversation turns to cheating — and whether we could realistically remain friends with someone who is actively cheating on their partner while refusing to make a decision about what they actually want. We unpack the discomfort of watching someone continuously betray another person while trying to maintain closeness with them. The episode also dives into gender roles, partnership, and the realities of building a home together in a way that actually makes sense for your relationship. Kelsi talks about her and David redefining responsibilities in their household based on functionality, capability, and preference — not traditional gender expectations. We discuss how, even while criticizing patriarchy, many of us still unconsciously benefit from certain aspects of it. And if we truly want to deconstruct those systems in our own lives, it also means reevaluating the ways we participate in them too. This episode is about loyalty, accountability, fairness, and creating relationships rooted in intention instead of default roles and expectations. If you've ever questioned where your loyalty lies, struggled with friendship boundaries, or redefined what partnership looks like in your own life — this conversation is for you. Follow us on Instagram: 🍒 @thekelsilee 🍒 @janaiiman ✨ @xo.upfromhere

Sisterhood Soulmates, Super Gonorrhea, & Rejecting The Blueprint | Episode 28

In this episode, we talk about what it means to live a life that doesn't follow a traditional blueprint. Janai opens up about her growing desire to guide people who are curious about exploring "tripping," and how both of us are slowly accepting that our paths may never look conventional. We talk about embracing the fact that we'll probably do a little bit of everything throughout our lifetimes — evolving, redefining ourselves, and allowing our dreams to change as we do. At 23, the things we thought we wanted already look completely different. Kelsi gets honest about still trying to make peace with not working a traditional paycheck job, and learning to appreciate the freedom that comes with that lifestyle instead of feeling guilty for it. We talk about slowing down enough to actually discover what makes us happy, trying new hobbies, and building lives that feel aligned instead of performative. Another major part of this episode is sisterhood and conversation. The deep love language of talking. Feeling emotionally nourished through long conversations, shared perspectives, vulnerability, and simply being understood by the women around us. And of course… the conversation takes a turn into health and the current state of the world. From concerns surrounding the massive influx of people coming to Atlanta, to conversations around antibiotic-resistant STDs and the importance of being sexually safe, informed, and responsible — we unpack how important it is to protect your health in every sense of the word. This episode is reflective, curious, funny, slightly chaotic, and very much about learning how to build a life that actually feels like yours. If you've been questioning the traditional path, craving deeper connection, or trying to redefine success and happiness on your own terms — this one is for you. Follow us on Instagram: 🍒 @thekelsilee 🍒 @janaiiman ✨ @xo.upfromhere