The Power of Three: 24 Years of Male-Female Friendship

Pantsuit Politics

Lemonada Media

News, Politics, Society & Culture, News Commentary

4.5 • 4.9K Ratings

🗓️ 17 October 2025

⏱️ 62 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

What happens when a college "greet line" handshake turns into a 24-year friendship? Sarah welcomes her longtime friends Mike and Smith to explore how their trio has survived decades of different life phases, cross-country moves, and major life changes, from their freshman year at Transylvania University through careers, marriages, and parenthood—all anchored by a book club that became their lifeline. Why are platonic male-female friendships so rare in American culture? They examine the social dynamics that make cross-gender friendships uncommon, how romantic assumptions complicate these relationships, and what it takes for friendships to survive when partners enter the picture, exploring whether having sisters, shared interests, or just good "riffing" chemistry makes the difference. Is America heading toward a "soft secession" by blue and red states? They flip the script on our usual Outside of Politics segment and tackle the current political moment, debating whether fertile ground exists for a viable third party, why Trump's cultural omnipresence makes him irreplaceable, and whether the country's "bimodal" split on everything from news consumption to local governance signals a fundamental breaking point in American democracy. Ready to go deeper? Visit our website for complete show notes, exclusive premium content, merchandise, chats and more. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Lemonada.
0:05.7	Hi friends. This is Elise, the managing director of Pantsuit Politics.
0:09.9	Sarah and Beth are out of the country leading a trip with common ground pilgrimages this week.
0:13.8	On today's show, we're sharing a conversation many of you have asked for over the years.
0:18.0	Sarah has often mentioned that two of her very best friends are men that she
0:21.4	met in college, Mike and Smith. Today, she's invited them to join her to talk about how their
0:26.0	friendship developed, the challenges of cross-gender friendship, and in the second half of the
0:30.2	episode, how they're all thinking about the state of our politics. It's a great chance to hear
0:34.3	the way Sarah talks off the mic with people in her daily life about the political realities we're facing. We originally planned to release this episode a few weeks ago, but then Charlie Kirk was murdered and we rearranged things. So if you hear anything that sounds slightly dated, that's why. Unfortunately, all the talk about a potential government shutdown is only more relevant today as it was then. Before I hand you off to Sarah, don't forget
0:55.3	that this week is your last chance to order from our limited run holiday sale. There's some really
0:59.5	great stuff, including a super cute have the best holiday available to you ornament that I know
1:03.8	many of you are going to want on your tree this year. The sale only runs until this Sunday,
1:08.3	October 19, and then these things are gone. No more chances to get them
1:11.9	after Sunday. So make sure you order today, get that feeling of accomplishment that is only
1:16.3	available when you do some holiday shopping this far in advance. It feels so good. Thank you,
1:20.5	as always, for listening. Sarah and Beth will be back in your ears together on Tuesday with a
1:24.6	brand new episode about Snap Benefits and Soda Regulations. It is one that you do not want to miss, I promise.
1:34.7	This is Sarah Stewart Holland. You're listening to Pantsuit Politics. Beth is out today. So I am joined by Truly, two of the greatest loves of my life.
1:48.2	Mike Baker and Smith-Crafton. Welcome to Pansu Politics.
1:52.9	Hi. It's a pleasure.
1:55.9	We have been friends for 24 years. We're going to talk about that today. We're going to talk about
2:01.7	male and female friendships. And then outside of politics, we're going to switch it and reverse it.
	...

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