The Friend Zone

Dustin Ross, Francheska Medina (known online as Hey Fran Hey), and Assante Smith created The Friend Zone as a biweekly check-in on mental health, culture, and everything in between. With 514 episodes and a 4.8-star rating from over 5,600 reviews, the show has built a community that genuinely feels like the name suggests -- a friend zone in the best possible sense. The three hosts bring different perspectives: Francheska focuses on wellness and self-care, Dustin brings cultural commentary and humor, and Assante grounds discussions with thoughtful analysis. Topics range widely, from Black history and cultural preservation to true crime cases to technology and AI, and the transitions between serious and lighthearted feel natural rather than forced. What sets the show apart is the way listeners describe it -- multiple reviews mention that the hosts bring up topics within days of the listener thinking about those same things, which speaks to how attuned the show is to its audience. Recent episodes have covered Black-owned businesses, travel recommendations, and music deep-dives. The pacing is relaxed, more like an actual conversation than a produced segment. If you want a podcast that treats mental health as something worth maintaining (their tagline mentions "mental hygiene," which is perfect) and does it with warmth and cultural awareness, The Friend Zone is worth your time.