Season 1 Finale: Nanas, Mums & The Women Who Came Before Us

It's the last ride of Season 1 — and Anna has something to set the record straight. After a comment in the previous episode suggested she might have found her own mum's approach to motherhood "stifling," she's back on the cargo bike with Zena to correct the record: her mum is actually the blueprint. In this cherry blossom-dusted season finale, Anna and Zena reflect on the women who shape us across generations — the reading voices, the acting games, the unconditional presence — and why grandmothers deserve far more credit than they get. Plus: the legendary story of Nana catching a poo to save a perfect bath, how Nana flew from Scotland to The Hague mid-labour and still made it to the hospital before Zena arrived, and the small, steady rituals that pass quietly from one generation to the next. Zena also reveals her Book Character Day costume (Jen from Real Friends), Uncle Nick is flying in from Texas, and Anna's jeans are... wet. Thank you for riding with us this season. Season 2 is coming. In this episode: Why Anna's mum is the reason she shows up for every school trip, presentation, and camp drop-off The intergenerational magic of reading aloud, acting games, and being taken seriously as a child Real talk on what it means to be "present" as a parent The chaos and warmth of school run life — cherry blossom, leaf blowers, dog interruptions and all Hearts and Handlebars is the podcast recorded live on the school run — a BBC journalist mum and her daughter, talking honestly about life, family and growing up from the back of a Dutch cargo bike. New episodes every Wednesday (starting again in Season 2). Subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts. #HeartsAndHandlebars #SchoolRun #MumPodcast #ParentingPodcast #Motherhood #Grandmothers #WorkingMums #CargoLife #CyclingWithKids #SeasonFinale #TheHague #FamilyPodcast