I said a final goodbye to my friend Alison Kiehl Friedman on October 2, and on October 5, 2025 she passed away. It’s taken me this long to be able to summon words to share. Still now, doing so feels strange.
A friend described leaving Alison’s side — knowing it would be the last time seeing her, as “unnatural”.
Writing about her in the past tense feels equally as such. It also is also deeply intimidating because she was the best writer I have ever met. Brilliant beyond measure — Al’s gifts, and the drive she had to utilize them for good, will forever be an inspiration. As compassionate as she was smart, she was about action.
She fought cancer with a courage that through motherhood, I have become more familiar with — but Al, she always possessed it. In any darkness, she could point to the light.
Al and I met in college and I remember being together in class. She used the words that I wished I could summon to explain things that I often sensed, but couldn’t articulate. Or at least, not like Al.
She asked the best questions. She listened with intention. She had arms around big ideas, a heart for justice and pulled chairs up to every table she was at. She led without ego — but with an urgency of understanding, and unmatched wit.
She may have been the smartest in most rooms she was in, but part of her magic was the ability to see — and tell everyone she could about what made everyone else exceptional. In a world where women are so often expected to dim their light, defer credit, and not ask for what we want, Al refused to allow any of her friends to be swallowed by those pressures. She demanded we stand in the light.
I never would have imagined, through the 20+ years of knowing her and being in awe of all of who she was and what she accomplished, that her gifts would be on full display battling through 80 rounds of chemo, countless drug trials and experimental treatments in a fight against metastatic colon cancer. Not Al. She was healthy and strong and had no family history. She was the friend who took vitamins. When she was diagnosed at stage 4, we were not even old enough for a colonoscopy to be covered by insurance.
[con’t below]
Rounded home on the WBB CBA ➡️ Final Four ➡️ Free Agency ➡️ Portal ➡️ Draft gauntlet to deliver on a 5th Birthday for my favorite Saja Boy, @remicolas_
Thanks to our fav @nickcarnera 📷 !
This year’s Sundance Film Festival featured the world premiere of “The Brittney Griner Story.” Executive produced by Wasserman’s Lindsay Kagawa Colas and Brillstein’s Jon Liebman, the documentary takes a deep dive into what led BG to playing outside the U.S., BG’s heartbreaking detainment and the advocacy for her release.
Stay tuned for updates and the official release date.
Everyone can do something. Do it today.
From @bensheehan
FULL SCRIPT for calling your senators in one image. Call 202-224-3121. Ask to be connected to each of your two senators (two calls total). Read this or a version of it (feel free to riff). They’re voting THIS WEEK. I’ve shown what this looks like in a reel on my page (if you need more guidance). Thanks in advance — and if you want more actionable info without rage bait, follow this account 🙏 #usa #news #politics
THE PODCAST: What does inequity in sports really look like? Agent @kagawacolas talks about media gaps, resource disparities, and how the WNBA still shows up stronger than ever.
𝗚𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗧𝗡𝗘𝗦𝗦 𝗘𝗡𝗦𝗛𝗥𝗜𝗡𝗘𝗗👏
Maya Moore officially enters the Hall of Fame reminding us what true champion culture looks like. 🏆✨ #TeamWass
Wearing: @sergiohudson & @ingabeckham
Makeup: @facemaid
Hair: @cosmocash_tu
Building off of her profile in The Hollywood Reporter, Lindsay Kagawa Colas shares her takes on sports, branding, and some fun favorites. SWIPE ➡️🏀✨
#WeAreTheCollective
Celebrated 50 years of marriage for our lovebirds, Mama @bertcolas and Papa @manno1318 as a family on the Big Island. So lucky to have them and to be a part of this incredible, loving family. Savoring all the joy and memories. ❤️
You never changed, and that changed everything.
Thank you @dianataurasi . You are a true friend and I am forever grateful for your loyalty, your trust and for the selfless, stubborn spirit you have brought to what has turned into a career long — and career defining fight for more.
And thank you @katiebenderwynn for putting a story this big into three brilliant parts. With the heart of an athlete, the grit of a a mom and the touch of a true artist, you have brought one of the best stories in sport - about one of the very best humans, to the masses. And there has never been a more important time.
Special thanks to @skydance@sportsonprime@institute.pictures , my friends @jbweinbach and @johndskipper and @ptaylor1314 and the great @annietak , who all made this possible.
Watch TAURASI now on @primevideo
![I said a final goodbye to my friend Alison Kiehl Friedman on October 2, and on October 5, 2025 she passed away. It’s taken me this long to be able to summon words to share. Still now, doing so feels strange.A friend described leaving Alison’s side — knowing it would be the last time seeing her, as “unnatural”.Writing about her in the past tense feels equally as such. It also is also deeply intimidating because she was the best writer I have ever met. Brilliant beyond measure — Al’s gifts, and the drive she had to utilize them for good, will forever be an inspiration. As compassionate as she was smart, she was about action.She fought cancer with a courage that through motherhood, I have become more familiar with — but Al, she always possessed it. In any darkness, she could point to the light.Al and I met in college and I remember being together in class. She used the words that I wished I could summon to explain things that I often sensed, but couldn’t articulate. Or at least, not like Al.She asked the best questions. She listened with intention. She had arms around big ideas, a heart for justice and pulled chairs up to every table she was at. She led without ego — but with an urgency of understanding, and unmatched wit.She may have been the smartest in most rooms she was in, but part of her magic was the ability to see — and tell everyone she could about what made everyone else exceptional. In a world where women are so often expected to dim their light, defer credit, and not ask for what we want, Al refused to allow any of her friends to be swallowed by those pressures. She demanded we stand in the light.I never would have imagined, through the 20+ years of knowing her and being in awe of all of who she was and what she accomplished, that her gifts would be on full display battling through 80 rounds of chemo, countless drug trials and experimental treatments in a fight against metastatic colon cancer. Not Al. She was healthy and strong and had no family history. She was the friend who took vitamins. When she was diagnosed at stage 4, we were not even old enough for a colonoscopy to be covered by insurance.[con’t below]](https://sp1.picnob.com/p/pt_6729385165332116361919_0_fbbadf6caf0e2f3fef06fe08fc880ce5.jpg?o=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&h=9b7a0ec9cd21c8f2f8216d989a78f113)
