The Friendsgiving Lifestyle | Episode 5: Love as a Verb
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Forget the pricey bouquets and dinner reservations—we’re doing February our way. 🥂 Welcome back to The Friendsgiving Lifestyle Podcast!
In Episode 5, host Sandra Colton-Medici explores the concept of "Love as a Verb." Whether you call it Valentine's, Palentine's, or just a mini-Friendsgiving, this episode is dedicated to celebrating the people who show up for you on a random Tuesday.
In this episode, we dive into: The "Love as a Verb" Philosophy: Why love is an action, not just a fuzzy feeling. A Savory Pink & Red Menu: Move over sweets! We’re talking beet hummus, radicchio pomegranate salad, and deep red vodka pasta.
Food Love Languages: How to coordinate a potluck where every dish is a tribute to friendship. The Affirmation Station: A simple, high-impact "adulting" twist on the elementary school valentine box to make every guest feel seen.
Quick Win for Today: Pick one friend right now and send them a voice note telling them one specific thing you appreciate about them.
Don’t forget to:
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- Comment below: What is your "Food Love Language"?
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Episode 5 Transcript
[00:00:00] Welcome to The Friendsgiving Lifestyle Podcast, the space where we celebrate the power of community and the joy of gathering around a shared table. I'm your host, Sandra Colton-Medici, and each week we explore how to create meaningful connections, lasting traditions, and delicious meals that make every guest feel at home.
From hosting tips to heartfelt conversations, we're here to help you lean into the season of gratitude. So pull up a chair. There's always a place for you here, right at the table. Let's get started. Hi everyone, I'm Sandra Colton-Medici, and welcome to The Friendsgiving Lifestyle Podcast. This is episode five and we are calling this love as a verb.
We are entering February the month of love, but we are doing it. Our way. Forget the pressure of pricey rose bouquets, or fighting for a dinner reservation. Today we're talking about love as a verb, whether you call it Valentine's, Galentine's or Palentine's Day, or just a mini Friendsgiving, we're celebrating the ones who show up on a random Tuesday.
[00:01:00] Quick win for today. Pick a friend right now and send them a voice. Telling them one specific thing that you appreciate about them. Love isn't just a warm and fuzzy feeling. It's an action. So let's build a party around it. Let's talk about the menu. Pink, red, and Hearty. For this mini Friendsgiving, we want the table to feel festive but substantial.
I love a pink and red theme any day, but this time. Make it savory. Think beet hummus with pita, a radicchio and pomegranate salad, or vodka pasta with that deep red tomato base. I'm not a chef, but I'm hungry. Just thinking about those ideas of what we could eat at a mini Friendsgiving, this Palatine's Day.
If you're hosting a potluck, lean into the love theme by asking everyone to bring a dish that represents their food love language. Is it a decadent dessert? Maybe it's a labor-intensive homemade bread. Let the food be the tribute to the friendship. We're gonna take a page out of the elementary school playbook, but make it for those who practice adulting.
What is the setup? It's an affirmation station in the corner. Provide high-quality stationary or simple cardstock and envelopes with everyone's name on it. And then throughout the night, encourage your guests to drop a love note into each person's envelope. It could be a favorite memory, a trait they admire, or just a thank you for being you.
By the end of the night, everyone goes home with a physical packet of proof that they are loved. In a world of digital likes, a handwritten note is a superpower. So the goal today is to create that sort of intimacy. We want to make sure that your friends feel seen. What is your vibe tonight? This is the night for the fancy candles and the velvet pillows.
I'm just gonna say it right now. We want the room to feel cozy and safe. The activity that you're going to do instead of a movie or loud game. Try to do a deep dive question desk. Ask things [00:03:00] like, when did you feel the most supported by this group this year? Or, what is a dream you're currently scared to chase?
We're using this gathering to strengthen the social fabric that keeps us all together. Okay. We're doing the work, but have you invited your guests yet? Take a moment to head over to the Friendsgiving shop and peep our Palin's Day invitations. Snag yours today before they're all gone. And don't forget that it's never too early to get your Friendsgiving 2026 invitations, which are also on the shop.
I've mentioned them in previous podcast episodes, but don't forget them because they will be gone soon. They're fall-themed and full of that seasonal love that says, join me at the table. Let's break bread together. And who doesn't love that? So let's get back to the table this February. At some point, in the main course, you have to make a toast.
I know it feels awkward, but do it anyway. Don't just toast to the friendship in general. That's boring. Okay, pivot to real specifics. Thank the friend who [00:04:00] helped you move, the one who listened to your work rants. Or the one who always brings the best wine. Here's your hosting hack. If you're shy, do sort of a passing toast.
You say one nice thing about the person to your left and they pass it on. It breaks the ice and ensures everyone gets their flowers. Ooh, I forgot to mention that the Friendsgiving shop has a. forward-thinking yet retrospective blog post on our journal this week as we celebrate Black History Month.
Don't forget to take a moment to learn about Black History and the future of black excellence. As a Black woman, it is important to celebrate, and I hope that my sharing of the journey here on The Friendsgiving Lifestyle Podcast and the Friendsgiving Shop, whether it's on our social media, on LinkedIn, rants about starting a business or the time that we get to spend during this podcast together.
I hope that it helps to spread awareness about all the things that we do as individuals and as a collective. So check out the journal online today. The post is called Beyond the Calendar, reclaiming Community with a Black History, [00:05:00] Friendsgiving. Alright, let's wrap it up now with the conclusion of your event.
Valentine's Day shouldn't be the only day that we celebrate love, but it's a great excuse to remind our friends that they are our person. Love is a verb, and tonight you're conjugating it through hospitality. So here's your call to action. I've put a list of affirmation prompts in the show notes to help those notes start flowing during your event.
Grab them and start writing. Next week. We're talking about a very taboo topic, the friend budget. We're talking about money, shared expenses, and how to keep things fair without it being weird. As a special announcement, if you've made it this far in the podcast, you're the first to know I created a new way to connect with you.
If you have an Alexa, enable The Friendsgiving Lifestyle. Daily spark for an inspiration that is under two minutes each day of the year. Also, check out additional blog posts about manifesting with menus, gourmet salads that feel like a feast, and so much more on FriendsgivingShop.com. And [00:06:00] I changed my name on YouTube.
So if you have been following me at College of Style. I have a new YouTube channel name. It is @SandraColtonMedici official. So I'll see you over there on YouTube for monthly Friendsgiving live streams and behind-the-scenes of making my new business. I'll see you right back here next week where we talk about money on the podcast and how to keep it real.
Make sure to subscribe to The Friendsgiving Lifestyle Podcast wherever you get your podcasts, and I will see you on all socials at Sandra Colton-Medici. In the last episode, I featured our brand new products. Two brand new invitation cards. Check out the shop with our brand new products. We are going to be releasing a lot of new things in the coming months.
We have our first two products on the shop, and if you'd like to support the podcast, definitely send me an email at support@friendsgivingshop.com. I'm Sandra Colton-Medici and I'll see you at the table.
Take a moment to subscribe to the newsletter so we can keep this conversation going all year long. While you're here, listen to the latest episode of The Friendsgiving Lifestyle podcast. If you want to learn the history of Friendsgiving, check out "What is Friendsgiving?" - our complete guide.