Just Between Us offers listeners female friendship and brutal honesty

Gaby Dunn and Allison Raskin aren’t afraid to get vulnerable with listeners in their variety podcast, Just Between Us.

“A podcast about brutal honesty, female friendship, and completely unsolicited advice.” This is how writers Gaby Dunn and Allison Raskin describe their comedic variety podcast, Just Between Us. JBU started as a web show on the duo’s joint YouTube channel, and it was adapted into a podcast on Stitcher earlier this year.

In each episode of the variety show, the women host a number of segments, answering advice questions from listeners, speaking to guests on a variety of topics, playing one of Raskin’s wildly imaginative game shows, and speaking freely on a topic of their choice in a segment called Topix.

I’ve been a fan of Dunn and Raskin’s since their days at Buzzfeed, but I especially love their YouTube videos. I was ecstatic when I heard that the advice show was being turned into a podcast, and I have not been disappointed with the result.

The show focuses on the relationship between Dunn and Raskin, who provide an “odd couple” dynamic. But despite their differences, the two are always rooting for each other. They cover a wide range of topics, from mental illness to sex and relationships, and they always manage to balance humor and vulnerability in the way they discuss these subjects.

When the women describe their podcast as providing “brutal honesty,” they aren’t kidding. Dunn and Raskin aren’t holding anything back. The duo shares many vulnerable moments, and they even have an episode that begins with Raskin expressing her frustration at Dunn for keeping something from her. Later on, there’s also another episode where Dunn gets emotional when talking about her depression and bipolar disorder.

Some of the guests of the show include Raskin’s mother, who discusses what it was like to raise a child with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, and even Raskin and Dunn’s ex-partners, who delve into their past relationships. Dunn and Raskin aren’t afraid to be honest with each other, their guests, or with their audience, and it’s comforting.

In a media landscape that is constantly pitting women against each other, Just Between Us is a refreshing depiction of the importance of friendship between women. Dunn and Raskin remind us that our close friendships are just as important as our romantic relationships, and that friendship also requires work and commitment to maintain. Each episode leaves me with a deeper appreciation for the important women in my life.

Just Between Us is witty, thoughtful, heartfelt, and also very funny. It’ll make you laugh, and it’ll definitely make you want to call your best friend. Dunn and Raskin release a new episode every Wednesday, and the show is available on most podcasting platforms.

Have you listened to Just Between Us? Did you appreciate the brutal honesty from its hosts? Share your thoughts with us in the comments.