The Friend Lab
The Friend Lab is a curious, candid, and sometimes chaotic exploration of what it means to be human together.
Hosted by Liz McKean: coach, hypnotist, yoga teacher, and professional untangler of shame, and Bryce The Third: performing artist, recovery advocate, speaker, author, and all-around creative force; this show lives at the intersection of friendship, growth, and real-life transformation.
Liz and Bryce come from different worlds, but their chemistry is undeniable. Their creative partnership is rooted in honesty, humor, and a shared obsession with understanding why we connect the way we do.
Each episode is a deep dive into the messy, magical terrain of being a person:
•friendships that evolve
•identities that shift
•coping tools that help (and sometimes don’t)
•recovery and what it looks like beyond the clichés
•personal growth that feels exciting one day and overwhelming the next
•the courage it takes to stay authentic, even when it’s uncomfortable
They’ll talk about the things people think about but rarely say out loud: the awkwardness, the misunderstandings, the breakthroughs, the belly laughs, the spiritual moments, the self-awareness spirals, and the quiet truths that change us.
This is not a show about having it all figured out.
It’s a show about experimenting with what it means to belong to yourself and to each other, one honest conversation at a time.
Whether you’re navigating recovery, building healthier relationships, reimagining your life, or just craving a podcast that feels like sitting on the couch with two friends who are delighted to be spending time with you, welcome to The Friend Lab.
The Friend Lab
Making Friends Without Losing Yourself: Connecting Without Needing Approval
In this episode, Liz McKean and Bryce The Third take listeners behind the scenes of how The Friend Lab came to be, from early awkward misunderstandings to an airport meet-cute, from the “do we even know what we’re doing?” moments to the sparks of chemistry that kept pulling them back into creative collaboration.
This conversation is equal parts heartfelt and hilarious. Liz and Bryce talk about the excitement of creating something together with an experimental mindset (we are in the lab, after all). They explore how connection gets built not in perfection, but in the willingness to show up exactly as you are- messy edges, evolving identities, and all.
As the episode unfolds, they dig into the deeper threads of friendship: vulnerability, authenticity, miscommunication, self-awareness, and the way shared experiences carve out a bond that becomes richer over time. What started as two people trying to figure each other out has grown into a partnership rooted in trust, humor, creative tension, and genuine care.
This is an origin story episode… but it’s also a reminder that great friendships (and great podcasts) aren’t built from perfection… they’re built from connection.
Follow The Friend Lab on Instagram
About Liz McKean: Liz is a coach, hypnotist, yoga teacher, and creator of spaces where people can unshame their coping tools and build a life they don’t want to escape from.
About Bryce The Third: When it comes to the most authentic and impactful voices rising out of Detroit, Michigan, Bryce The Third is a name you can’t afford to leave out. Not just an artist, he’s an emotional engineer with a live show that a mix of performance art, storytelling, high level lyricism and community building. Not only does Bryce have a story to tell, when you witness it, you’ll wanna tell yours
Join The FriendLab Community! → https://substack.com/@friendlabpodcast
Call into the show to be featured → https://www.speakpipe.com/TheFriendLabPodcast
More about Liz → lizmckean.com
Follow Liz on Instagram → @starfishyoga
More about Bryce → BryceTheThird.com
Follow Bryce on Instagram → @brycethethird