Episode 12: Friendships- An Interview w/ Kendall

August 24, 2020·58 min·4 clips

The hosts admit junior year quietly weakened friendships they thought were unbreakable, and explain exactly why.

The episode opens with hosts Erica and Emily welcoming their close friend Kendall as a guest for an unscripted, conversational episode about junior year and friendships. The three spend time reconstructing the timeline of their friendship, tracing it back to seventh grade but agreeing they became genuinely close in 10th grade, largely through a shared history class that included five of their six-person friend group. They recall a memorable moment when Kendall fell backwards out of her chair during a substitute chemistry class, earning a bump on her head and a trip to the nurse's office while her friends laughed. The group reflects on how sophomore year felt more socially active and relaxed compared to junior year, which all three describe as the hardest, most miserable year of high school. Kendall attributes her difficult junior year partly to procrastination and lack of motivation in chemistry, where she acknowledges she could have performed better when she did study. Erica notes that Kendall's demanding weekend work schedule at Walmart Marketplace made it harder for her to hang out with the group, often leaving her isolated at home. Kendall describes her first months at Walmart as deeply uncomfortable — she avoided the break room, wouldn't eat at work, and barely spoke to coworkers for about two months before gradually becoming comfortable. She distinguishes between genuinely liking her coworkers and disliking the customers she encounters. Emily reflects that working an unfulfilling job has paradoxically increased her motivation to pursue meaningful work in the future, and Kendall echoes this sentiment. The hosts briefly discuss COVID-19 precautions, noting they only socialize within their small group of four to six friends, wear masks, and avoid crowded public spaces, contrasting their behavior with peers who attend parties. They acknowledge a period during quarantine when they barely saw each other, resorting to bike rides just to make contact. The conversation shifts to anticipating senior year, with concerns about college applications, the SAT, and the common app looming. Erica expresses fear that senioritis could disrupt her long-standing academic motivation, which she psychoanalyzes as rooted in a childhood dislike of being compared to others. The group discusses how their friend group has evolved — expanding to include new people while the core six have become harder to gather in one place due to jobs, sports, and other commitments. They note that by senior year, five of the six friends will have jobs, and sports like soccer and basketball will add further scheduling complexity. Erica floats the idea of a 21st episode as a senior year wrap-up for the class of 2021. The episode ends mid-conversation with the group still reflecting on how they managed to hang out as much as they did during such a demanding year.

As heard by us

A loose, honest conversation about junior year, burnout, and motivation.

Episode 12 of the gray area podcast keeps Erica, Emily, and Kendall in a loose conversation about junior year, motivation, burnout, comparison, and the pressure to keep up. It stays casual by design, and that gives the episode its shape.

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Why you'd press play

Press play if you want a real friends-first conversation that lands on burnout and motivation.

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