What's a Podcast Between Friends?
What's a Podcast Between Friends?
Daniela & Eliza - Faith & Friendship
Mary Liston: Hi, friends. My name is Mary Liston, and I'm the host of what's? A podcast between Friends, a podcast that seeks to celebrate and learn from real life friendship. This week on the podcast, we have friends, Daniela and Eliza, who met in college, became roommates, and then became really good friends. The two live in different cities but have a shared bond over their deep passion for their faith. And even though they have a lot of differences that you'll hear about in the episode, they're still able to come together based on their conversations around their faith. I hope that you enjoy this episode. Please stick around and hear from my new friends, Daniela and Eliza. Alright, thank you all so much for coming on the podcast today. I'm going to start out by having you introduce yourself.
Daniela: Hi. My name is Daniela. I'm from Costa Rica, and Eliza and I have been or known each other for six years.
Eliza: Hi, I'm Eliza, and I live in Northern Virginia right now, but originally from Chicago.
Mary Liston: Very cool. So we're going to start out today. I'm just going to ask you all to share the story of your friendship, how you guys became friends, and then how your friendship progressed until now.
Daniela: I'll go first. So Eliza and I met each other, well, my freshman year of college, so that was about six years ago, and we honestly just kind of saw each other. We lived in the same floor, but we weren't really like, friends or freshman year. But I had become friends with Maddie, who has also been on this podcast. And Maddie knew Eliza through mutual friend with her sister or something like that. And we had known of each other, but we really didn't interact a lot. And then all of a sudden there was a point where Maddie, because her and I were pretty good friends, she's like, hey, we're thinking about rooming for next year. And Maddie was like, how about Eliza? And I was like, okay, I don't really know Eliza, but she seems cool. And it kind of just started to go with that. And one day we just ran with it, and I was like, okay, I guess we're living with each other. But we didn't really start to talk more until we actually lived with each other.
Eliza: Yeah. Diane I didn't really even know who Dani was until Maddie was like, hey, we should room with Dani. I was like, okay. And I was a second year at this point, and Dani was coming in as a first year, but we were still on the same floor. But yeah, that's pretty much how it happened.
Mary Liston: Got you rooming together as kind of like the main catalyst for your friendship, I feel like, could either go really well, which it seems like it has, or really poorly. What do you think made it go really well to where you became friends outside of just being roommates?
Unknown Speaker: Yeah.
Eliza: So we were kind of talking because I would say we were friendly. I don't think we were bad roommates with each other. We had a lot of, like, fun, great moments living together. But I do remember talking to Maddie and saying, I don't know if Donny and I are going to be friends after we leave college. After I leave, I don't know if we're going to continue. So it was actually very I wouldn't say surprising, but it was just such a blessing that we were able to pick up our friendship. And, yeah, I think we're really good friends now, more so than we were in college, grooming together in college. I think we were just, like, trying to figure each other out. Like, Dotty was still figuring out who she was. I was just ready to leave, and I'm like, I'm going to leave behind everyone.
Daniela: Donny, what do you have to say? Yeah, definitely. I agree with Eliza. Also, I think we should mention there's, like, about a four year age gap. And so that was something that I think I remember I was telling Eliza earlier that I was like I remember her being like, oh, the freshmen, they're so annoying. They're all immature. And I was like, that's me. I remember being like, okay, but even when we were living with each other, I think we were always friendly and things like that. But, like she said, a lot of it was me figuring out who I was. And also, I think we had a very different schedule, even with Maddie, too. Her and Maddie were more of, like, night owls and wanted to stay up. And for me, it was like, okay, I actually want to go to bed earlier. And so there were a lot of different things like that that I was like we were just, like, on different pages. But yeah, it was not until after college that we actually our friendship actually flourished.
Eliza: Yeah, that's so true. And I totally forgot the age difference because you're closer to my sister's age because my sister and I are five years apart. So, realistically, you're only a year above my sister. So I was always much more of an older sister to younger sister kind of relationship, I think, throughout college until after college. And then it was like, no reference, but I also definitely Dani called me out on it, but I definitely had I don't know what to say. It but just a hard time relating to peers at college because they were three years younger than me. And it seems so stupid to say that now, but as a first year coming into college, and then there's a bunch of other girls talking about other guys, and these guys are 1718 years old, and I'm 21, and I'm just like there's something really weird about that, kind of I get that because I.
Mary Liston: Feel like, yeah, in college, you're right. It does feel like the gap between a senior and a freshman or even, like, a junior and a freshman feels like a really wide chasm. But now, as an adult, I have friends who are the same age gap away from me, and it feels like nothing. So it's just so interesting how the time period in your life can really impact that. So what do you think? What was the turning point outside of college that you guys were like, okay, we're actually going to stick through and be friends?
Daniela: I think that's a great question, because for me, despite everything we've said of, like, oh, we weren't necessarily as close in that way. I always really admired Eliza for her wisdom and like, her, and I think that's where she always felt like she was the older sister, because Eliza is the type of person who will tell you how it is, you know? And that's something that I really value in people, in friendships, because I would rather you tell me, hey, what you're doing is stupid, versus being like, oh, you go, girl. Do whatever you want to do, you know? I'm like, no, no, I don't need that. So I think that I always really valued that Analysa, even when we were in college, and I always noticed that in her. And so I think that as we got older and I had more, I guess, life experience, I learned more about things in life and figured out more of who I was. I think maybe I was able to have more of the same level of conversations to some degree, or, like, I don't really know. But I think for me, Eliza was always someone that I was like, she's someone that I want to have in my life because I know that, for one, she's very wise, but also will tell me what I need to hear or, like, how things are. Well, be honest with me, and I think that's really valuable.
Mary Liston: Yeah, for sure. Would you agree with that?
Eliza: I don't know about the wise part because I think.
Daniela: She'S wise.
Eliza: Maybe that's just older sister wisdom. I don't know. But anyway, I don't know how to answer this question because it's not like, at a certain moment, I'm just like, oh, I decided now I'm going to be friends with Donny. It was always like, I just don't know if Donny and I could have the kinds of conversations where I could rely on her and I could trust her to give me feedback when I need advice or whatever. Because I think there's that kind of relationship where it fits.
Unknown Speaker: Reciprocity?
Eliza: Yes, reciprocity. In a friendship, it just becomes, like, this mentor relationship or, like, an older sister relationship. And I don't know when that turning point happened. And I think my guess is probably that Dani has had a lot of different life experiences. I think even, like, towards our senior year when I had already left college. And I don't know, maybe I also grew up and matured so that I didn't see her as this only naive girl. And I kind of came out of that idea. So that's definitely something that I know I had to lay down because.
Unknown Speaker: I.
Eliza: Don'T know about Belittle, maybe a little, but it was hard for me to relate to other people who are younger because I was like, I have gone through so much more life experience than you. And that was a little bit of my pride, I think, coming in from truly being able to be friends and just like with Donny.
Mary Liston: Yeah, for sure. When I think back on college friendships, and also when I've talked to people about friends that start in college or friendships that start in college, a lot of times, like, college is a really easy place to be friends with someone because you're living together. You've got lots of shared time to do fun activities. They plan fun activities for you to do with your friends. But when you get out into the real world, it's a lot harder to maintain those friendships and a lot more difficult to find time and space for friendship as an adult. So what does that look like within the context of your friendship, especially because, correct me if I'm wrong, you all do not live in the same city.
Eliza: No.
Unknown Speaker: Yeah.
Mary Liston: So what does that look like for y'all? Post college?
Eliza: I think we just mainly do calls and texts and any other social media platform. We send each other, like, funny things that we find. But I think for the most part, we try to call each other, and that's where we truly find a lot of connection there versus just texting. Donny loves to give me audio calls, like audio Snap. And so I just listen to it. I'm not very good at that. And I find myself, like, rerecording because I take so much time in between to think about what I'm going to say or I say something stupid. No, I have to rerecord this.
Daniela: Yeah. I would say that calls, for sure are the way that and I think that's how our friendship started to flourish. Like, we just started to have more conversations and started to talk more about what's actually going on in our life. And I think that for us, it's also like, not having the expectation of, like, oh, we need to talk every so often, or we need to do this. It's like, we're all cool with, like, okay. We know that people go through different things, and I think that that's helped a lot of not necessarily having those expectations, but when we do talk, it's like, very like, we're giving each other the time and really going in depth about what we want to share. So I feel like that's definitely been a good thing that we've done, and that's true.
Eliza: We don't have that expectation of where if you call me and I left you and didn't get back to you in a week. Like, you're not going to be upset at me for that. You're just going to understand that I'll get back to you when I can get back to you versus some other friendships that I have had. Like, in the past, when I was younger, it was like, very much are you upset at me? Did something happen? It's like, no, so we don't have that. So it kind of gets rid of some of that ambiguity sometimes in our friendship where it's like, no, we're friends. There was no question or doubt about that, and we can go from there.
Daniela: Yes, I think it's been solidified. So it's kind of like, if she doesn't get back to me, I'm not like, oh, my gosh, she must be mad or something. It's like, okay, she'll just get back to me when she can. Like, it's not like I'm ever losing sleep about that or anything because we've gotten to a point where it's like, we are friends and we do care about each other, and we're just going to be there. And if she couldn't answer now, that's okay, she'll get back to me when she can.
Mary Liston: Yeah. It seems like a real trust of each other's intentions and a real trust of each other, like the bond that you guys have where it's not something that you're worried about, like, oh, is this non response some sort of subliminal message about how this person feels about me? But you guys have a real foundation of trust, which I think is super important. Speaking of super important foundations of trust, can you talk to me a little bit about conflict in your friendship and what that looks like or if that plays a role in your friendship?
Daniela: I would say that conflict now is very different than when we were living together, per se. And I think that our friendship has definitely changed, as we said over time. And conflict, I think, is something that I have to grow in a lot too, because I'm typically someone who's like, I won't get into conflict if I can avoid it. And so that was something that sometimes I would just be like, oh, I'm just not going to say anything, or like, oh, I'm just going to let it happen. But something I realized was like, especially when we were living together, it was kind of like, okay, I'm just going to let this boil over. Or I could just talk to the person about whenever things were frustrating and things like that. But I think now it's like, for one, we don't have a lot of conflict, I would say, at all. But at the same time, I feel like I feel much more comfortable sharing about how I feel about something than I did before. And I think that's been like my own personal growth in that too.
Eliza: That would be so interesting if we live together again, because maybe that would change true.
Daniela: Yeah.
Eliza: Because when we were living together, I thought I could sense when something was bothering Donny and but she wasn't going to say it. And I was like, I'm not going to bring this up. I need her too. So it was a little bit of a passive aggressiveness, I think, maybe on both of our parts when we were living together. And one of the things that Donna mentioned, I try to be very honest with where I'm at, and a lot of things don't bother me too much. It truly just doesn't as much. So for me, it's like, not a big deal. If you have something like, if you think that I'm not taking the trash out, just say it. And I'll be like, oh, yeah, I will do it, or whatever, or I'll tell you a reason why I'm not going to do it for people that just kind of prove or sit over it, but it still bothers them. That to me is so frustrating because I'm just like, you're making it way bigger than it needs to be if you just say it. And so that was something that I think maybe perhaps I needed to give Johnny a little bit more grace in that you're like, hey, is there something that's bothering you? Because I don't think I followed up with Johnny too much on those things.
Daniela: Yeah. And I think that I would let it just grow within myself. And then it was like, I have to say something. But at that point, I was so frustrated about it, and so I feel like that's something that I needed to improve on too, because I remember Eliza and I had very different sleeping schedules. Eliza was like, I'll go to bed at 04:00 A.m.. I was like, I actually went on this thing. I don't know what got I mean, I guess I do it now, but back in the day, I don't know what happened. I was trying to wake up at five in the morning.
Eliza: Eddie and I were like, there's no way that's going to last more than.
Daniela: So I was trying to go to bed by ten, but they would go to bed later, and I was like, I remember, I was like, I don't feel supported by you guys, because they would stay up while I was trying to go to bed. But I remember one day, I think one of Eliza's friends had a birthday coming up the next day and she was blowing up balloons in the middle of the night. And then what happened was I think she was riding on the balloon, and the balloon is screeching and I'm sleeping. This is like 02:00 a.m.. And I remember I wanted to die, but yet I didn't say anything. I just remember I jumped off my bed because I was, like, on the top bunk. I walked out to the bathroom and I hoped that was enough to let her know, hey, you woke me up.Please stop. And, I mean, I should have just been like, hey, Eliza, could you, like, please stop? I'm trying to go to bed. This is, like, kind of frustrating, but no, I just was like, if I run to the bathroom, she will know she woke me up. And so it's things like that where I was like, okay, I need to be better at the way that I talk or address conflict instead of letting it fester. I think that was applicable to all relationships, not just Eliza in that case.
Eliza: But, yeah, I feel like anyone listening to this is going to think I'm so inconsiderate, I swear. Or at least minimize noise as much as I can.
Daniela: She's lying.
Mary Liston: I was laughing so much during that story because I have literally done the exact same thing where I have been in a room with someone and they have been making a lot of noise, and I've been trying to sleep in my exact same thought process. If I get up or if I move around a lot, they'll be like, oh, no, we woke her up. And then they'll get quieter instead of.
Eliza: Just saying, like, hey, could you quiet down?
Mary Liston: But I've also been on the other end of it where I've been the one making lots and lots of noise, and I've just been like, well, they must be fine because they're not saying anything. So that was so relatable on both sides. I've been there. Yeah, that makes a lot of sense that conflict would look different depending on whether, first of all, obviously, as we mature and grow, but also dependent on if you guys were living in the same space or not. Conflict looks very different in those scenarios. I think that friendship teaches us a lot. What are some things that you've learned from this particular friendship?
Daniela: I would say kind of like I was mentioning before. I think Eliza has a lot of wisdom and just, like, a lot of strength in her personality and who she is as a person. And I feel like I have learned a lot about her in that way of even just. Like. Honesty and being honest with people and the value of that and being a support system for them as well. Because she said. In a way. She did have an older sister aspect to me and a lot of things. But she has shown me the value of also investing in other people myself. Because it's not just you invest or having someone invest in you. But it's like. How are you investing in other people with what you're learning over time? Because I think it can be easy to just be like, oh, I want someone to invest in me, or I want someone to share their life experiences with me, but, like, how are we also doing that for other people? Because it's so easy to be kind of selfish in that way. And so I think that that's something that I've really learned from her.
Eliza: Donny, it's so interesting to me because I think a lot of it wasn't intentional bias, but I think it's been kind of a theme that I was maybe a little bit of a know it all when I first came into college because I was three years older than all my peers, at least in that grade. And so walking through college for four years, the people that I was meeting was only getting younger and there was an age disparity and life experience disparity that I think really clouded me from having more authentic relationships where I can just accept the person who is in front of me and really value their friendship. And I think that might have really clouded my friendship with Johnny in the beginning because I saw her as this naive girl who has had a lot of cool experience from coming from Costa Rica and Peru, but I saw her as living this very limited life that I couldn't share with her. But after coming out of college, I was like, no, we were still going to be friends. And that was something that I've had to learn about. I shouldn't limit other people just because of what I think of what they can give to me. Like what Donny was saying, who knows where God is going to bring people into your life, where they're going to bless you in cases when you don't think they can't? I think Johnny really showed me that and just continually being there and present and showing me how to do voice messages where we can optimize how we talk. Donny is just so fun and lovable, and she always has a great passion sense that I'm trying to like emulate. So I love that.
Mary Liston: I love that. I think you guys have talked a lot about the differences between your friendship when you were in college versus out of college. Are there any other ways that your friendship has changed over time that you have not shared yet?
Eliza: I think our conversations are different. I don't know, because college was like dotty was so focused on her academics and doing well and making sure she was impressing her parents. And for me, my approach to college was very different. And I think once she left college, our conversation is becoming different. And I don't know, this is a bit of a hard question.
Unknown Speaker: Yeah.
Mary Liston: I feel like there's also just like a different quality isn't the right word, but there's a different I'm going to use it because I can't think of another one. There's a different quality to the conversations that you're having when you're out in the world versus when you're in a school environment. I feel like out in the world, you are faced with a lot more input and a lot more things that you have to make decisions about and figure out how you're going to interact with the world around you. We all went to the same college listeners. So whereas I think, at least for me at school, it was a little bit more protected and a little bit more everyone is kind of experiencing the same things and kind of thinking about things the same way and processing them the same way. So you weren't faced with a lot of differences of opinion. I mean, you were faced with some, but not to the same scope as you are in the real world. In the real world. So I feel like I relate to that, like, the types of conversations that.
Eliza: You'Re having change, I think maybe, Donny, it was when you reached out to me about your faith, because we talk about our faith a lot in our spiritual lives a lot. And I think that really deepened our friendship, because faith, to me is so important. And I thought that faith was slightly, I guess, in a sense, less mature because it wasn't as refined throughout college. And what would you say to that? Tiny.
Daniela: I'm trying to remember when that first time that I reached out to you about that was it was a bad boy. Yes. Yes, I remember that. I would definitely agree. I think that in college, I think it was a lot of figuring out what my faith was. I think that I grew up going to a Christian high school, but I feel like there was a lot of things from my experience there that were just, like, a lot of shame and things going on with my faith. But I think that when I got to college, I was trying to figure out what that really meant, what my faith was, what my relationship with God was. And I think that now that has like I think that it was probably my senior year of college that it really started to solidify a lot more. And I figured out what that was. And I actually remember Eliza gave me a book called Deciphering the Voice of God or Listening to the Voice of God, something like that. And it was a book that changed my life. And I remember that I was like, I have to tell Liza about this. And I think that over time, those became the conversations that we had a lot more. And even today, that's what we talk about the most. And I think that has really solidified our friendship, too, and, like, that is as valuable to the both of us, so we can move forward with that. I don't know how to say it, but it's like it's valuable for both of us that it has brought us closer together.
Eliza: Yeah. For me, my faith is very important to me. And I think that once Donny.
Unknown Speaker: Came.
Eliza: To a point in her life where she was trying to reconcile herself and what it means to believe in God, that was when I think we were able to have a different layer of conversation where that was like, this is my language, I love talking about this. Whereas before, I think in college, like what you were saying, it was a little bit more sheltered. There was a lot of room for discussion, I would say, but it was still like, you weren't able to have the kind of conversations where not everyone was on the same page because not everyone had to go out, live on their own and figure out who they are because you still didn't have to just yet. So I think when Daddy was able to try to no, I totally get that.
Mary Liston: And I also think, like, when you have something that you hold so close to you and that is so important to you, and that is like a shared thing between two people that can really deepen a friendship, whether that be faith or family or whatever, that is, when you can connect over that, I feel like automatically deepens your friendship by so many levels.
Eliza: So that makes a lot of sense.
Mary Liston: Great. Before I ask these last two questions, the last two questions are in the vein of celebrating friendship, which is very exciting, but this is off book, so apologies in advance. Are there any questions that I should be asking you about your friendship that I'm not asking because I obviously don't know your friendship super well, like, going in. So are there any questions that you're like, man, I wish that we could have gotten a chance to talk about this? And if so, would you be willing to share?
Eliza: I don't know. Yeah, I feel like the major themes of our friendship has been the age difference is a big part, but more so life experience and then just our faith, the level of our faith and being able to talk about things at that level really deep in our friendship. I think those are the biggest themes of our friendship thus far. I don't know what more I don't know because it's not like Donny and I share a lot of other hobbies together.
Daniela: Right, that's what I was going to say. That I feel like our friendship has grown a lot and because we have those major things that we care about. But at the same time, Eliza and I are very different individuals. And I think that that was another thing that in college, I think affected the way we connected because we are so different and the other things that we value and things like that. And even just one of the things being like the sleep schedule or even now, I don't think we could live together and that would be good for both of us, but it's just because we're so different in that aspect. And I think that that has actually been something that has taught me of how those other things can bring people together and have such a fruitful relationship and learn from people because we are. So different, and I think that, for example, exercise and things like that are very important to me, and I feel like that's maybe something that Eliza has maybe struggled with in the past. And so it's like, I feel like, oh, hey, how can I help you with this? Or other things that whether it's, like, finances or stuff like that, I'm like, oh, Eliza, I'll ask you a question about this, because I don't have as much knowledge. So I feel like that is something that I've also learned of. Like, you don't have to have all the same hobbies and activities and things like that to really connect with somebody.
Mary Liston: Yeah, for sure.
Eliza: Yeah. Maybe, like, emphasizing, because I don't think anyone will understand that we're really different. Yeah, we haven't talked about it.
Mary Liston: Talk to me about it. What are some things that you see as being really different between the two of you? We know the sleep schedule. What else can I ask? I might cut this out, but I'm just curious. So you've said a couple of times that you're an older sibling. Are you also an older sibling?
Daniela: Oldest sibling, yes. Yes.
Mary Liston: Okay, interesting. Okay. Yeah, because I was curious if that was, like, if one of you was an older sibling, one of you is a younger sibling, and that dynamic was playing out. But yeah, I feel like I'm also.
Eliza: An older sibling and representative.
Daniela: Yeah.
Mary Liston: Oh, my goodness.
Eliza: So fun.
Mary Liston: But I have noticed that in some of my friendships, I very much play the older sister role, but in some of my friendships, I am like, this is my time to pretend like I'm a youngest sibling and have younger sister energy and just be like, I don't know what the plans are. I'm just going to show up and hope that someone makes them. Like I don't understand this. I'm just going to hope someone explains it to me. No shade to younger sisters out there, but that is, like, I find myself playing that dynamic out in some of my relationships. I was just curious if that was.
Eliza: Like, a similar thing that you guys find.
Daniela: Well, I guess, like, a story that I can think of. And Eliza, if you feel like I'm putting you on blast, just we can take it out. For example, Eliza got married a couple of months ago, and so my friend and I had planned to go to her wedding, or like yeah, it was her wedding, and we were going, and we were super excited, and Eliza was kind of like, okay, I might need help with some of the decorations and stuff like that. And so we're like, oh, yeah, we'll help. This is going to be great, all this stuff. But when we got there, I thought that Eliza had had some of these things planned out already, and so I was kind of like, oh, okay. Because we got there and there wasn't a lot planned and so I think the difference between Elizabeth being so chill about certain things because I'm more like, okay, we need to have a plan here. And I think the Eliza is also a planner in some ways, but sometimes I don't think we always communicate in the way that where we're at with things. And so then I was more like, oh, my gosh, how can we help Eliza? How could we plan this for her? It needs to be beautiful, all this stuff in our lives. I remember just chilling, like, super chill. She was like, do you guys think that we need this or this? And I was like, Why? So we have two days. How are we picking this up? And an example of this was like, she picked her. I was like, Eliza, do we have a song for you to walk down the aisle? And it was like, probably 15 minutes before the wedding was starting. And I was like, Liza, we need to play it here. So I feel like those are some of the things where it's like it's very different on the level that we communicate about something. Yeah, okay.
Eliza: We're context. Context. Our friends and our friend grew up from college. They were coming out to see me, too, because my husband and I got a house in Northern Virginia together. And so they were just going to come out and spend, like, maybe a year or two seeing each other. And so they were coming on this particular weekend along with my husband. We've both decided that wouldn't it be so much fun if we got married on the day that they were coming? So at least I have a few friends who are going to be there when we got married. And it was just a very impromptu decision. Our families were on board with it. And I've always wanted, like an elopement, like, very low key kind of wedding. And so we got our pastor on board, and we did it the day that they were going to fly in or not fly in, but yeah, when we were all supposed to be together. And so then it was the week of. I had nothing planned. We're just going to do it in our living room. And I told Donny and Madison.
Mary Liston: Here's my credit card.
Eliza: You guys decide how it's going to look. I just want it to look cute and not like we're getting married. I just threw them in the fire. I didn't realize how stressful it was for them because I was very chill. I got Ikea chairs that I picked up while I was at Ikea. Not because I thought about them, because I just saw them. I was like, maybe that week.
Daniela: Right? So I'm getting there Wednesday, and then, like, she just said, just gives us her card. Madison and I just look at each other and we're like, what are we going to do? Because for us, we're like, we want this to look gorgeous. It's Eliza's wedding. We want to make this look, but we have two days to figure it out. And every time we would ask, she would be like, oh, I don't really care. Like, you guys decide. We were just, like, on fire. We were like we were, like, freaking out. We were like, what if it looks bad? Madison is definitely the creative one of the group. I give input stuff, but I was like, I don't really know how to do this. And so it was one of those things where I was like, I don't know how she's so chill about this. And I think it's also the pressure of, like, I'm doing this for someone else that I was like, Eliza needs to look like a queen. Like, this is her wedding, and I'm just like, we have two days to figure this out. So that was one of those things. I was like, I don't know if she understands. She gets us. Yeah.
Eliza: How about this? Well, you gave a story about me, but I will speak to who Donny is, from my perspective. So of the many things that are different between us. Donny loves working out. She loves to look good, take care of her body, get all of that healthy juices, smoothies, whatever in there. I do not care. I should care, but I don't care. And I hate working out. It's the absolute worst. But Donny loves to challenge herself in the mornings, get up in the mornings at 05:00 A.m., or at least 07:00 a.m. So that she could put in a little workout before she goes to work. Very admirable. Very admirable, but not me. And I would love to see them until 11:00 a.m. If I could. On most days, Donny can be very disciplined. I think once she puts her mind to it, I struggle with that. It's really hard for me to, so I think that's the difference. She really cared about her academics. It's not that I didn't care. I think I didn't get stressed about academics. I just don't get a lot of stress in the ways that I think Dani feels like pressure, too. What else? She loves dancing. She loves going out the nightlife. For me, I do like that occasionally, but it's such a chore for me to look nice and get out. I'm just like, I have two left feet. I need something in me before I can go out on the dance floor and feel like I'm flowing, because otherwise I'm a little robot.
Daniela: I feel like that's actually really good that you brought that up, because it takes me to something that I'm growing in right now, which is the fact that kind of like what she was saying, that I put a lot of pressure on myself for things. I think I have a lot of expectations for myself, and health has always been something that's really important to me, and promoting health for other people and helping find people. My major was, like, clinical exercise physiology, public health, all that. And so it's like, I care about helping people achieve that and find the value in that. And so that's something that I put a lot of pressure on myself and, like, grades and doing well and over all that. But something that I have to realize is that not everybody has those same expectations or, like, they might not put that pressure on themselves, which I think is good in some ways, because I think sometimes it's too much pressure, but it's, like, finding people where they're at, because it's, like, I want people to see that, too. And I'm, like, I want you to care about that. I want you to do that. And so it's something that I'm actually growing in now is, like, okay, this person might not care about that, and that's okay. I don't have to put my expectations up myself on other people or even put those expectations that I have on myself so much all the time. Like, it's okay to chill. Yeah. And so that's something that I think was the difference between Eliza and I, that sometimes I was like, why don't you want to exercise? Or, like, Why don't you want to do this? And it's like, it's okay. Like, not everyone has to care about the same things that you care about.
Mary Liston: Yeah, I think it's really interesting because you guys have highlighted a lot of differences that you have. But correct me if I'm wrong. I feel like because you have such a strong bond when it comes to your faith and when it comes to just. Like. This trust that you have about your friendship and in one another. That those differences are not things that are like.
Eliza: Well.
Mary Liston: Now I can't relate to you at all. Because we don't see the same way about exercise or planning or whatever. I think that that's really beautiful that you guys are able to come together and also learn from each other and celebrate the differences that you have. I think that's really beautiful and very cool. So thank you for sharing those.
Eliza: I appreciate it.
Mary Liston: You guys have shared a lot of stories, which I love. Do you have any moments or conversations that you think of that you feel like encapsulate your friendship, where you're like, this is a moment that I just feel says it all, or I think of when I think of this friendship.
Daniela: I feel like there's not necessarily something, like a specific conversation, but there's a fun memory that I always think of of Eliza. And I think it's hilarious. But it was, like, her senior year is, like, the last week that her and Maddie, because it was the three of us that were rooming together, and they were leaving, and so we were, like, cleaning all the room and changing it back up. And for some reason, Eliza got on top of the closet, and there was a spider, and she started acting like an exterminator, and I don't know why. I think it was, like, such a funny memory for the whole like, we were all just laughing, and it was just so funny. But I think it reminds me of just, like, fellowship and how funny, despite everything that we've talked about, I feel like a lot of I talk about really serious things a lot all the time, but it's like, also the memories of just being stupid together that I'm like, it's just so funny. Like, it's a well rounded like, I think that it's. I don't know.
Eliza: That was such a weird story.
Daniela: Every year that my Snapchat memory brings that up, it's like.
Eliza: I love that. I remember a time where it was so I was meeting my then boyfriend at the time, who is not my husband, so I was meeting his parents at school, and I think it was Donny that convinced me to take a shot. I know we were under a different set of rules at our school, but.
Daniela: We took a shot.
Eliza: And right before I don't know why that was such a good idea at the time, and I totally went gone for it. Not stopping me, because I have Asian glow, so I cannot hide it when I take alcohol for any reason. I remember going down. It was like 30 minutes before I had to see my then boyfriend's parents at the time, and I was like, oh, my gosh, daddy, you got to fan me, got to give me water.
Daniela: Her face was like a tomato. And I think at the time, I forgot that she got that red. So I was like, yeah, come on, just relax. It will be fine. And then so she takes it, and all of a sudden, she's like, a tomato. And I'm like, this is not going to work. So I don't know if we even try to put makeup on you to try to make it look better, but it was just, like, straight panic in her eyes for, like, 30 minutes before she had to go.
Eliza: Yeah. So Donny has been saying, I've been wise, and stuff like that is absolutely not true.
Daniela: Oh, my gosh.
Eliza: Overall, we have, like, great yeah, we have just great conversations about just life in general, I think sprinkles in with those fun moments. But we love talking about God and how he's making our lives and the lives around us, and I think that's where we truly just get encouraged by one another in that.
Mary Liston: Yeah, I like that. All right, my last question for you all is, once again with the theme of celebrating friendship. What do you admire, or what is something that you admire the most about your friend? It doesn't have to be the one thing you admire the very most, but something you admire a lot about your friend.
Daniela: I think, along with everything I've said about wisdom and things. Something I really admire about Liza is her how honest she is with you and how she tells you how it is, but also she doesn't just let you stay where you're at. And so I feel like that's kind of one of the conversations too. When I was talking to her about God or a relationship that I had in the past, it was like I was really struggling about something, but she didn't just let me sit in that. She was like, okay, what are we going to do to move forward? What you're doing right now is not good, or whatever. She was honest with me about that and also pushed me for more. Like, she doesn't let you stay where you're at. And so that's something that I really admire about her. And when things happen in life, like, I know that she's someone that I can call and she will be honest with me. And if there's something I need to change, she will tell me. And so that's something that I admire about her and she will tell it to you gracefully most of the time.
Eliza: Wow. My cat.
Mary Liston: What's your cat's name?
Eliza: Moose. I'm actually so surprised he hasn't been crying throughout this whole thing. One of the things that I really admire about Dani is that she is just always hungry to be a better person. And I think she also gives a lot of room for people to speak because even before we got on this podcast. We were having a conversation about how she was talking. Some of the conversations that she was having with her coworkers. And even just that kind of conversations that she's willing to open up to people and ask people questions about where they're at and always try to learn about other people and their stories and give them to that. And I think that's awesome. Another thing that I really admire is that honestly, people love talking to Dotty. Every time I hear about her job or what she's doing, there's random people coming up to her and asking her these questions and trying to get to know what her opinion is. I'm like, there's no one that's coming up to me and asking about what my opinion is about something. But for some reason, I feel like there's a pull that Dani has that makes other people comfortable and are willing to share their stories with her and Dani is able to meet them where they're at, so then they have continual.
Daniela: Follow ups and things like that.
Eliza: So I think that's like a gift that she has. Yeah, I just don't have that. And perhaps I just have like, major RBF all the time, but all of a sudden while and she is awesome, I think, for that.
Mary Liston: Thank you all so much for sharing your friendship. I really appreciate it. It's been a pleasure to get to know you all. Yeah, thank you again. For taking the time. I really appreciate it.
Daniela: Yeah.
Eliza: Thank you so much.
Daniela: Thank you.
Mary Liston: I really enjoyed getting to know Daniela and Eliza through our conversation. They are really sweet friends and it's been really cool to hear how much their faith has bonded them together. What? The podcast between friends drops episodes every Friday. Except for the next few Fridays. The show is going to be going on a brief hiatus while the school year starts. For some of you who may not know, my day job is teaching and the beginning of the school year tends to be a little bit hectic. So I'm going to take the next few weeks to focus on that, but we will be back in your feeds shortly on Fridays. Until then, please check out our backlog of episodes. We have some really great conversations that you should listen to. I think that you would really enjoy them. You can find what's a Podcast Between Friends wherever you get your podcast. And you can also find us on Instagram @whatsapodcastbetweenfriends. And you can email us at whatsapodcastbetweenfriends@gmail.com. Please send us your feedback. Please let us know if you would like to be on the show or if you have friends that you think Should be on the show. You can contact us through either of those mediums and we would be happy to hear from you. Also, if you like what you hear, please leave a comment or a review or a rating. Wherever you listen to podcasts that helps other people see the show. Also tell a friend. It seems like one of the biggest ways that this podcast is getting heard is because people like you are listening, liking what you hear and telling a friend about it. So please continue to do that that and start doing that if you haven't already. Like I said, we will not be seeing you next week, but we will be catching up with you in a few weeks. We'll miss talking to you until then. I hope that you have a great couple of weeks. Bye friends.
