On the Radar: 4inthe5
If you’ve spent any time on TikTok recently, chances are you’ve come across 4inthe5.
The New York-based content collective consists of Yvanna Bollanga, Madisen Suell, Drew Townsel, and Gabriela Sade Harris—four women in their twenties documenting everything from corporate careers and creative projects to dinner reservations, strategy meetings, and girls’ nights out. What started as a group chat and a single video has quickly evolved into one of the internet’s newest obsessions.
At first glance, their content doesn’t seem particularly revolutionary. There are no elaborate challenges, overproduced skits, or dramatic storylines. Instead, viewers are invited into a friendship. They watch the girls navigate New York City together, celebrate each other’s wins, exchange advice, and pursue ambitious goals side by side.
And yet, that’s exactly what makes 4inthe5 interesting.
In a social media landscape where audiences have become increasingly skeptical of carefully manufactured personalities, 4inthe5 feels refreshingly genuine. The group’s popularity isn’t being driven solely by aesthetics, algorithms, or viral moments. If anything, their appeal seems to come from something much simpler: people believe them.
A few days ago, I had the opportunity to hear the group speak at a networking event hosted by some creative agency and PR Girl Manifesto. While the discussion covered content creation, branding, and entrepreneurship, one theme surfaced repeatedly throughout the conversation: friendship.
Not friendship as a marketing strategy, but as a foundation.
One of the most surprising takeaways from the panel was how often the women emphasized their relationships with one another as individuals rather than as members of a collective. Long before there was a shared platform, separate friendships were developing at different points across New York City. Some met through mutual friends, others through chance encounters, apartment searches, and professional opportunities. What eventually became 4inthe5 was not a group assembled around content creation. It was a friendship that later became content.
That distinction may seem small, but I think it’s central to understanding why audiences have connected with them so quickly.
When discussing what keeps them connected, Drew spoke about her appreciation for slow-burn friendships and her desire to help the people she loves achieve their goals. Rather than describing success as an individual pursuit, the conversation repeatedly returned to the desire to see one another win. The women spoke less about competition and more about encouragement, accountability, and trust.
In an era where many people feel disconnected despite being constantly online, it’s not difficult to see why that message resonates. The conversation became even more interesting when the discussion shifted from friendship to ambition.
One of the challenges of spending time around highly ambitious people is that ambition is often misunderstood. We tend to picture it as a solitary pursuit—someone working long hours, sacrificing relationships, and relentlessly chasing the next goal. What stood out about 4inthe5 was that their version of ambition seemed collective.
When asked what made this particular group work, Madisen explained that each member genuinely wants to see the others succeed. More importantly, they refuse to let one another settle for less than what they are capable of achieving. It was one of the most memorable moments of the panel.
The message wasn’t simply that supportive friends cheer you on. It was the right friends who challenged you. They push you toward the things you say you want, even when those goals feel intimidating or uncomfortable.
As someone who spends a lot of time thinking about personal growth, I found that idea especially compelling. We often hear advice to cut negative people out of our lives, but we talk far less about the value of surrounding ourselves with people who expect more of us.
Throughout the discussion, the women repeatedly described success as something shared rather than individual. There was a genuine sense that one person’s win strengthened the entire group rather than threatening it.
That mindset feels increasingly rare.
Perhaps that’s because social media often encourages comparison. Success is presented as a competition for attention, opportunities, and relevance. Yet sitting in that room, the dynamic I observed felt very different. Their conversations reflected abundance rather than scarcity.
Just as important as their ambition, however, was the trust that seemed to exist underneath it.
One of the panel’s most revealing moments came during a discussion about creative decision-making. Like any group of strong personalities, the women acknowledged that they don’t always agree. In fact, some members initially had reservations about ideas that later became successful projects. What impressed me wasn’t the disagreement itself. It was their willingness to trust one another’s judgment.
Gabriela shared that when conversations about expanding into YouTube began, she and Madisen weren’t immediately convinced. Yet rather than viewing the difference in opinion as conflict, she described it as an opportunity to trust the strengths of the people around her.
That level of trust is difficult to build and even harder to maintain.
Many collaborations fail because people become attached to being right. What I observed during the panel was a group of women who appeared more invested in the collective’s success than in receiving individual credit.
The more they spoke, the more it became clear that trust is not simply a byproduct of their friendship. It is one of the reasons the friendship continues to work. Perhaps that’s the real reason audiences have connected with 4inthe5 so quickly.
Yes, the content is entertaining, and the girls are charismatic. But after hearing them speak in person, I left convinced that their greatest advantage isn’t something that can be replicated through an algorithm. It’s chemistry.
Not the kind that can be manufactured through strategic partnerships or carefully planned collaborations. The kind that develops slowly through multiple shared experiences, mutual respect, and a genuine desire to see one another succeed.
Each woman had a distinct presence that somehow translates through the screen and into real life. Madisen was every bit as polished and magnetic as she appears online. Gabriela’s smile lit up the room before she even said a word. Yvanna carried herself with an effortless confidence that made her seem completely at ease in any environment. And Drew, perhaps surprisingly, was the one who intimidated me the most—not because she was unfriendly, but because she carried herself with a quiet certainty that immediately commanded attention.
I fell in love with 4inthe5 back in April, when they first posted on TikTok. At the time, I didn’t think much of it. I clicked on one video, then another, then another. Before long, I found myself waiting for new uploads the way I used to wait for episodes of my favorite shows growing up. It wasn’t because they were doing anything outrageous. It was because they reminded me of something that feels increasingly rare online: women rooting for one another without irony.
Seeing that there was no visible shift between “content creator mode” and “real life mode” made me believe my gut sense of them was right. The teasing, encouragement, laughter, and support they displayed on stage felt natural rather than performative. As someone who has spent enough time online to know that not everything is what it seems, I found myself paying attention to those small moments.
The quick glances when one person was speaking. The way they built upon each other’s answers. The confidence they seemed to have in one another. More importantly, the trust. After that panel, what stayed with me wasn’t their growth strategy or their brand partnerships. It was the friendship.
At a time when so much online content feels increasingly curated, audiences seem to be searching for something real. Whether intentionally or not, 4inthe5 has built a platform around exactly that. Their content may have built the audience, but it’s the friendship that keeps people coming back.
If you’re unfamiliar with 4inthe5, I recommend starting with one of their early live streams. The clip below captures much of what I’ve been describing throughout this article: the humor, chemistry, and friendship that have made so many women gravitate toward their content.
