Love-ly: Exploring Modern Relationships

What happens when life changes you, but you still want to stay open to love? Mehak brings on Robin Ducharme, relationship educator, former matchmaker, and founder of Real Love Ready, who's spent years interviewing some of the biggest names in love about what it actually means to truly love someone. Robin opens up about her most recent breakup, three months out from losing her mother, and how partners show up — or don't — through grief. They talk about the importance of play in relationships, the "relational literacy" she learned growing up in a house with an open-door policy, and what she's really looking for on a first date: most importantly, being present and grounded in the moment. Mehak and Robin get into dating in your 30s and 40s, why it gets easier once you love yourself first, and Robin's early accidental career as a matchmaker for her best friend. Plus, they review Robin's new dating profile and close on a reminder that a relationship can be the best one you've ever been in — and still not built to last. You can follow Robin and Real Love Ready on Instagram @realloveready. Check out the Real Love Ready website for more information on her book, "Real Love Ready," and the In Bloom summit in Vancouver. Hosted by Mehak @whathemehak on TikTok Produced by Saadia Khan and Shei Yu. Written by Mehak. Theme music, sound design, and editing by Lou Raskin. Other music by Epidemic Sound. Cover art design by Josephine Chai. Executive Produced by Saadia Khan. Please share the love and leave us a review on Apple Podcasts and Spotify to help more people find us. Don't forget to subscribe. Follow us on IG @lovelythepod and @immigrantlypods. Twitter @Immigrantly_pod. TikTok @immigrantly. Subscribe to our Immigrantly Uninterrupted Channel for ad-free listening. Love-ly is an Immigrantly Media Production. For advertising inquiries, please email [email protected]. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jeffre Behm went on a first date from a dating app, drove to a mini golf course, and spent the whole night realizing neither of them actually wanted to be there. He didn't know her well enough to suggest something they'd both enjoy, so they defaulted to what they thought a "date" was supposed to look like. It's the kind of story that sounds small until you realize how many of us are doing the exact same thing. In this episode, Mehak sits down with Jeffre Behm, dating and relationship content creator, educator, and the founder of Love School, to ask why dating feels like a second job when we say we want love more than ever. They get into why Jeffre no longer believes in soulmates, the blurry and constantly shifting line between friend and romantic partner, and "practice dating," the trend of going out with people you'd normally swipe past just to lower the stakes. This one is a nudge to stop treating dating like a performance review and start treating it like getting to know a person. Also, a challenge: the next time you're in an elevator, say hi. You can find Jeffre on socials @jeffrebehm on Instagram and TikTok. Hosted by: Mehak @whathemehak on TikTok Producer: Shei Yu | Content Writers: Mehak | Executive Producer: Saadia Khan | Sound Designer & Editor: Lou Raskin | Love-ly Theme Music: Lou Raskin |Other Music: Epidemic Sound | Cover art design: Josephine Chai Please share the love and leave us a review on Apple Podcasts & Spotify to help more people find us! Don't forget to subscribe! Follow us on IG @lovelythepod & @immigrantlypods Twitter @Immigrantly_pod TikTok @immigrantly Subscribe to our Immigrantly Uninterrupted Channel for ad-free listening Love-ly is an Immigrantly Media Production For advertising inquiries, please email [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Summer's ending, everyone around you is coupling up, and suddenly "almost right" starts to feel right enough. Here's your reminder to get pickier, not less. This week, Mehak (@whathemehak) is joined by Evelyn Alvarez (@ripeness), a New York–based entrepreneur, doula, community leader, mother, and one of the tías on Project Pulso's matchmaking show, Tía's Choice. As the first-generation daughter of Guatemalan immigrants, Evelyn brings a rare mix of warmth, humor, and hard-won wisdom to conversations about dating, identity, and womanhood. Evelyn and Mehak get into dating for the story rather than the ending, diminishers vs. illuminators (and the red flag of a date who never asks a follow-up question), and what Tía's Choice reveals about what we're really after. Their advice? Have fun, be a little selfish, and get your confidence from your life — not male attention. Follow Evelyn @ripeness on Instagram. Hosted by: Mehak @whathemehak on TikTok | @whathemehak_ on IG Subscribe & Listen 🔗 Immigrantly Uninterrupted on Apple Podcasts — $3.99/month or $34.99/year for ad-free episodes and more 🔗 Subscribe to Hyphenly, our new newsletter with hot takes, heartfelt stories, and all the feels of living in between cultures. Come for the nuance, stay for the vibes. Leave a Review: If you enjoy the show, please leave a review on Apple Podcasts & Spotify — it helps more people find us. 💌 Share your thoughts: [email protected] Follow Us: 📸 @lovelythepod on IG | @immigrantly on TikTok Credits: Producer: Shei Yu | Content Writer: Mehak | Sound Designer & Editor: Lou Raskin | Love-ly Theme Music: Lou Raskin | Other Music: Epidemic Sound | Cover Art: Josephine Chai | Executive Producer: Saadia Khan Love-ly is an Immigrantly Media Production. For advertising inquiries, email [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Fresh off a wholesome, "emotionally regulated" Valentine’s Day with her friends, Mehak (@whathemehak) dives into a deep conversation about why romantic love has become a "performance of adulthood" and a "social status symbol" in 2026. Joining the conversation is content creator Alexa V. (@lifewithlex444), who discusses her decision to opt out of intentional dating in 2026. She opens up about her journey since being diagnosed with rumination OCD and shares a truly jaw-dropping dating horror story. Together, they unpack the exhaustion of modern dating and the freedom found in choosing yourself over a societal timeline. Connect with Alexa @lifewlex444 on Instagram and @lifewithlex444 on TikTok Hosted by: Mehak ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@whathemehak⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ on TikTok and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@whathemehak_⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ on IG Producers: Saadia Khan and Shei Yu | Content Writers: Mehak | Sound Designer & Editor: Lou Raskin I Love-ly Theme Music: Lou Raskin | Other Music: Epidemic Sound | Cover art design: Josephine Chai | Executive Producer: Saadia Khan 🔗 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe to Hyphenly⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠,  our new newsletter with hot takes, heartfelt stories, and all the feels of living in between cultures. Come for the nuance, stay for the vibes. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 👉 Please share the love and leave us a review on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Apple Podcasts⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ & ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to help more people find us!  Don’t forget to subscribe!  If you'd like to share your thoughts about this episode or any other episode, you can contact [email protected]. Follow us: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@immigrantlypods (IG)⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@immigrantly⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (TikTok) | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@love_lypod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Love-ly is an Immigrantly Media Production. For advertising inquiries, email ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode of Love-ly, ⁠⁠⁠⁠Mehak⁠⁠⁠⁠ sits down with psychotherapist and @well.guide founder Israa Nasir to discuss life as a third-culture kid and why she doesn’t feel guilty about not having children, despite parental expectations. Their conversation also turns to the future of digital mental health care, inspired by Israa’s essay, “Outsourcing Emotional Labor to ChatGPT,” and to how we should be using AI in therapy (hint: definitely not your Hinge replies). Hosted by: Mehak @whathemehak on TikTok | @whathemehak_ on IGCredits: Producer: Shei Yu | Content Writer: Mehak | Sound Designer & Editor: Lou Raskin | Love-ly Theme Music: Lou Raskin | Other Music: Epidemic Sound | Cover Art: Josephine Chai | Executive Producer: Saadia Khan Subscribe & Listen to Love-ly on Apple Podcasts — $3.99/month or $34.99/year for ad-free episodes and more. Leave a Review: If you enjoy the show, please leave a review on Apple Podcasts & Spotify — it helps more people find us. 🔗 Subscribe to Hyphenly, our new newsletter with hot takes, heartfelt stories, and all the feels of living in between cultures. Come for the nuance, stay for the vibes. 💌 Share your thoughts: [email protected] Follow Us: 📸 @lovelythepod on IG | @immigrantly on TikTok Love-ly is an Immigrantly Media Production. For advertising inquiries, email [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, no guest — just Mehak. After some health concerns forced her to slow down and put her phone down, she spent time reflecting on where she's headed — the woman she wants to become, the partner she wants to be, and the life she's trying to build. Mehak revisits the conversations she's had this year that have reshaped how she thinks about dating: Clayton Echard on nuance and rushing to judgment, Jessica Lanyadoo on remembering who you already are, Tim and Anna on what healthy love actually looks like, and Gracie Canaan on loneliness and the business of intimacy. Along the way, she unpacks the horror film Obsession as a cautionary tale about entitlement, shares notes from David Brooks on the stages of falling in love, and closes with a list of small, thoughtful gestures that would send low-effort men into a coma. Because maybe love isn't built on grand gestures — maybe it's built on hundreds of small decisions where two people keep choosing each other. Hosted by: Mehak @whathemehak on TikTok | @whathemehak_ on IGCredits: Producer: Shei Yu | Content Writer: Mehak | Sound Designer & Editor: Lou Raskin | Love-ly Theme Music: Lou Raskin | Other Music: Epidemic Sound | Cover Art: Josephine Chai | Executive Producer: Saadia Khan Subscribe & Listen to Love-ly on Apple Podcasts — $3.99/month or $34.99/year for ad-free episodes and more. Leave a Review: If you enjoy the show, please leave a review on Apple Podcasts & Spotify — it helps more people find us. 🔗 Subscribe to Hyphenly, our new newsletter with hot takes, heartfelt stories, and all the feels of living in between cultures. Come for the nuance, stay for the vibes. 💌 Share your thoughts: [email protected] Follow Us: 📸 @lovelythepod on IG | @immigrantly on TikTok Love-ly is an Immigrantly Media Production. For advertising inquiries, email [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, Mehak sits down with Gracie Canaan—comedian, writer, actress, and OnlyFans creator—to go inside the world of digital intimacy from both sides of the screen. We love to judge the women who sell intimacy online, but who's really creating the demand? As one half of the six-part investigative podcast OnlyFantasy (made with journalist Leon Neyfakh), Gracie has spent a lot of time thinking about the harder questions this platform raises. Gracie explains how she branded herself the "professional girlfriend," and why she now chooses late-night OnlyFans conversations over Hinge dates. She sets the record straight on the roughly 90% of OF subscribers who are married, her half-joking mission to "save men," and why the real ick isn't being on the platform — it's being cheap on it. Plus, Mehak and Gracie disagree on whether OnlyFans counts as cheating, and the bigger lesson underneath it all: that inconvenience is the price of community, and rebuilding it starts with strengthening the social muscles we let atrophy. You can find Gracie @savegraciecanaan on Instagram, and catch her live shows and tour dates at graciecanaan.com/subscribe Listen to OnlyFantasy on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Audible, or Amazon Music. Hosted by: Mehak @whathemehak on TikTok | @whathemehak_ on IG Credits: Producer: Shei Yu | Content Writer: Mehak | Sound Designer & Editor: Lou Raskin | Love-ly Theme Music: Lou Raskin | Other Music: Epidemic Sound | Cover Art: Josephine Chai | Executive Producer: Saadia Khan Subscribe & Listen to Love-ly on Apple Podcasts — $3.99/month or $34.99/year for ad-free episodes and more. Leave a Review: If you enjoy the show, please leave a review on Apple Podcasts & Spotify — it helps more people find us. 🔗 Subscribe to Hyphenly, our new newsletter with hot takes, heartfelt stories, and all the feels of living in between cultures. Come for the nuance, stay for the vibes. 💌 Share your thoughts: [email protected] Follow Us: 📸 @lovelythepod on IG | @immigrantly on TikTok Love-ly is an Immigrantly Media Production. For advertising inquiries, email [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We're bringing back a previous conversation where Mehak sits down with sex educator and pleasure expert Danielle Bezalel—host of Sex Ed with DB. Together, they unpack the motifs that shape our earliest understandings of intimacy: immigrant households where sex was whispered, cultures that mistake silence for safety, and school systems that replace curiosity with misinformation. From Danielle’s Afghan Jewish upbringing to Mehak’s own cultural reflections, this episode explores how identity, religion, shame, and generational expectations influence the way we date, desire, and perceive ourselves. Danielle also shares the turning point that led her into public health and sex education, the emotional stakes of bad sex ed in the U.S., and why pleasure still feels like a radical act—especially for women of color. We end with a Love-ly signature: a modern dating detour into why everything—including romance—feels so aesthetic now, and what it would mean to return to our bodies instead of performing our lives for the camera. This is an episode about unlearning, reclaiming, and finally giving ourselves permission to want what we truly desire. Check out Sex Ed With DB @sexedwithdbpodcasts on IG and on the website, www.sexedwithdb.com Hosted by: Mehak ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@whathemehak⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ on TikTok and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@whathemehak_⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ on IG Credits: Producer: Shei Yu | Content Writer: Mehak | Sound Designer & Editor: Lou Raskin | Love-ly Theme Music: Lou Raskin | Other Music: Epidemic Sound | Cover Art: Josephine Chai | Executive Producer: Saadia Khan Subscribe & Listen to Love-ly on Apple Podcasts — $3.99/month or $34.99/year for ad-free episodes and more. Leave a Review: If you enjoy the show, please leave a review on Apple Podcasts & Spotify — it helps more people find us. 🔗 Subscribe to Hyphenly, our new newsletter with hot takes, heartfelt stories, and all the feels of living in between cultures. Come for the nuance, stay for the vibes. 💌 Share your thoughts: [email protected] Follow Us: 📸 @lovelythepod on IG | @immigrantly on TikTok Love-ly is an Immigrantly Media Production. For advertising inquiries, email [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, Mehak sits down with her close friend Yana — Ukrainian artist and former midnight ballerina— to unpack the two and a half years she spent working at one of downtown Toronto's most iconic strip clubs, and everything that chapter taught her about men, money, and herself. Yana sets the record straight on the women behind the stage, recounts the one boundary that was violated once and never again, and explains how she could be the "bitchiest bitch" to men at the club—because why wouldn't she be?? She opens up about how former partners reacted to her past — and why she now treats it as a privilege not everyone earns the right to know. Plus, how she’s dating now, celibacy as discipline, de-centering men, and the lesson she's still learning: you'll always get more love from within than from seeking it in someone else. You can find Yana @yanamyart on Instagram Hosted by: Mehak @whathemehak on TikTok | @whathemehak_ on IG Credits: Producer: Shei Yu | Content Writer: Mehak | Sound Designer & Editor: Lou Raskin | Love-ly Theme Music: Lou Raskin | Other Music: Epidemic Sound | Cover Art: Josephine Chai | Executive Producer: Saadia Khan Subscribe & Listen to Love-ly on Apple Podcasts — $3.99/month or $34.99/year for ad-free episodes and more. Leave a Review: If you enjoy the show, please leave a review on Apple Podcasts & Spotify — it helps more people find us. 🔗 Subscribe to Hyphenly, our new newsletter with hot takes, heartfelt stories, and all the feels of living in between cultures. Come for the nuance, stay for the vibes. 💌 Share your thoughts: [email protected] Follow Us: 📸 @lovelythepod on IG | @immigrantly on TikTok Love-ly is an Immigrantly Media Production. For advertising inquiries, email [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jessica Lanyadoo was getting dressed for a solstice party when her spirit guides told her: don't wear pants, wear a skirt. That night she met the man she's now been with for 14 and a half years. In this episode, Mehak sits down with Jessica Lanyadoo, humanistic astrologer, psychic medium, animal communicator, and host of Ghost of a Podcast, to talk about what astrology can (and can't) tell us about love. Jessica explains why she never checks the birth chart of a crush, why sun-sign compatibility is a fancy way of blocking intimacy, and what a full chart actually reveals — from your sleeping patterns to how you fight. She shares the stories she'll never forget: a message from a client's late mother that saved a man's life, and a street dog who begged her to translate for his human. Then Mehak gets a live mini-reading of her own — Saturn square sun, old dating patterns, and the verdict on her new situationship: either he's your husband, or he's your lesson. Follow Jessica @jessicalanyadoo on Instagram, listen to Ghost of a Podcast, and visit lovelanyadoo.com for weekly horoscopes, classes, and her book Astrology for Real Relationships. Hosted by: Mehak @whathemehak on TikTok | @whathemehak_ on IG Credits: Producer: Shei Yu | Content Writer: Mehak | Sound Designer & Editor: Lou Raskin | Love-ly Theme Music: Lou Raskin | Other Music: Epidemic Sound | Cover Art: Josephine Chai | Executive Producer: Saadia Khan Subscribe & Listen to Love-ly on Apple Podcasts — $3.99/month or $34.99/year for ad-free episodes and more. Leave a Review: If you enjoy the show, please leave a review on Apple Podcasts & Spotify — it helps more people find us. 🔗 Subscribe to Hyphenly, our new newsletter with hot takes, heartfelt stories, and all the feels of living in between cultures. Come for the nuance, stay for the vibes. 💌 Share your thoughts: [email protected] Follow Us: 📸 @lovelythepod on IG | @immigrantly on TikTok Love-ly is an Immigrantly Media Production. For advertising inquiries, email [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Anna Gold and Tim Utting's love story began at a Halloween party in 1987: hours of conversation, one missed meeting, and a note that said: you have one more chance. He called. The rest is 39 years of history. In this episode, Mehak sits down with Anna and Tim, IMAGO practitioners and co-founders of Replenish Relationships, to talk about what it really takes to communicate across differences. They break down the Turtle and the Hailstorm dynamic, why opposites attract but struggle to stick, and why the messy, uncomfortable, "ugly" stages of a relationship might actually be where the growth happens. Mehak gets personal about her own situationship, and Anna and Tim offer the reminder we all probably need: you don't have to have it figured out. You just have to stay curious. Follow Anna and Tim @replenishrelationships on Instagram and visit replenishrelationships.com to learn more about their workshops and retreats. Hosted by: Mehak @whathemehak on TikTok | @whathemehak_ on IG Credits: Producer: Shei Yu | Content Writer: Mehak | Sound Designer & Editor: Lou Raskin | Love-ly Theme Music: Lou Raskin | Other Music: Epidemic Sound | Cover Art: Josephine Chai | Executive Producer: Saadia Khan Subscribe & Listen to Love-ly on Apple Podcasts — $3.99/month or $34.99/year for ad-free episodes and more. Leave a Review: If you enjoy the show, please leave a review on Apple Podcasts & Spotify - it helps more people find us. 🔗 Subscribe to Hyphenly, our new newsletter with hot takes, heartfelt stories, and all the feels of living in between cultures. Come for the nuance, stay for the vibes. 💌 Share your thoughts: [email protected] Follow Us: 📸 @lovelythepod on IG | @immigrantly on TikTok Love-ly is an Immigrantly Media Production. For advertising inquiries, email [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Is it ever too late to start dating? In an earlier conversation, Mehak sits down with Aidan Taylor (host of Banterly) to unpack what it really means to be a “late bloomer” in the chaotic world of modern dating. They talk about first dates, ghosting, gay bar drama (yes, including a bathroom incident), dating as a person of color in NYC, and what it's like to feel "behind" when everyone around you is getting engaged. It's funny, heartfelt, and full of the kind of real talk we all need more of. If you're queer, single in your 20s, or just tired of dating timelines, this one's for you. Follow Aidan @aidan.w.taylor on Instagram and @diannaslaygron on TikTok. Hosted by: Mehak @whathemehak on TikTok | @whathemehak_ on IG Subscribe & Listen 🔗 Immigrantly Uninterrupted on Apple Podcasts — $3.99/month or $34.99/year for ad-free episodes and more 🔗 Subscribe to Hyphenly, our new newsletter with hot takes, heartfelt stories, and all the feels of living in between cultures. Come for the nuance, stay for the vibes. Leave a Review: If you enjoy the show, please leave a review on Apple Podcasts & Spotify — it helps more people find us. 💌 Share your thoughts: [email protected] Follow Us: 📸 @lovelythepod on IG | @immigrantly on TikTok Credits: Producer: Shei Yu | Content Writer: Mehak | Sound Designer & Editor: Lou Raskin | Love-ly Theme Music: Lou Raskin | Other Music: Epidemic Sound | Cover Art: Josephine Chai | Executive Producer: Saadia Khan Love-ly is an Immigrantly Media Production. For advertising inquiries, email [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's Pride Month. Mikey is back. And this week, Mehak (@whathemehak) and Mikey are doing what they do best: spilling the tea. They get into what Pride actually feels like when you're still coming out at work, a full Love Island debrief (TLDR: Sol is a witch, Sincere is a liar, and Zach is everything), and a recent podcast guest story that has to be heard to be believed. Pull up a chair. Happy Pride 🌈  Follow Mikey @mikeylotfio on Instagram. Hosted by: Mehak @whathemehak on TikTok | @whathemehak_ on IG Subscribe & Listen 🔗 Love-ly on Apple Podcasts — $3.99/month or $34.99/year for ad-free episodes and more 🔗 Subscribe to Hyphenly, our new newsletter with hot takes, heartfelt stories, and all the feels of living in between cultures. Come for the nuance, stay for the vibes. Leave a Review: If you enjoy the show, please leave a review on Apple Podcasts & Spotify — it helps more people find us. 💌 Share your thoughts: [email protected] Follow Us: 📸 @lovelythepod on IG | @immigrantly on TikTok Credits: Producer: Shei Yu | Content Writer: Mehak | Sound Designer & Editor: Lou Raskin | Love-ly Theme Music: Lou Raskin | Other Music: Epidemic Sound | Cover Art: Josephine Chai | Executive Producer: Saadia Khan Love-ly is an Immigrantly Media Production. For advertising inquiries, email [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Josef Andrew Miklavc grew up everywhere and from nowhere — born in Mexico, raised across six countries before he was 14, the son of an Austrian father and an Indonesian mother, who never quite fit the passport he was handed. He built a corporate career in Australia, then walked away from it, and now spends his days chasing dry seasons between Vietnam and Thailand, building community in places he'll eventually leave. In this episode, Mehak (⁠@whathemehak⁠) and Josef (⁠@josefwho⁠) trace the thread from a nomadic childhood to a grown man finally learning how to stay: in a city, in a conversation, in something that might become a relationship. They talk about what it actually means to be free when freedom has been your whole personality. Along the way, they get into the paradox of choice, why fewer people are choosing love, what men and women get wrong about each other, and why the most radical thing you can do right now might just be to stop leaving. Follow Josef @josefwho on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube. Hosted by: Mehak @whathemehak on TikTok | @whathemehak_ on IG Subscribe & Listen 🔗 Immigrantly Uninterrupted on Apple Podcasts — $3.99/month or $34.99/year for ad-free episodes and more 🔗 Subscribe to Hyphenly, our new newsletter with hot takes, heartfelt stories, and all the feels of living in between cultures. Come for the nuance, stay for the vibes. Leave a Review: If you enjoy the show, please leave a review on Apple Podcasts & Spotify — it helps more people find us. 💌 Share your thoughts: [email protected] Follow Us: 📸 @lovelythepod on IG | @immigrantly on TikTok Credits: Producer: Shei Yu | Content Writer: Mehak | Sound Designer & Editor: Lou Raskin | Love-ly Theme Music: Lou Raskin | Other Music: Epidemic Sound | Cover Art: Josephine Chai | Executive Producer: Saadia Khan Love-ly is an Immigrantly Media Production. For advertising inquiries, email [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What is a trad wife, really? What are they selling—and what are we not seeing? This week on Love-ly, Mehak sits down with bestselling author, journalist, and podcaster Jo Piazza, widely considered one of America’s sharpest observers of women, motherhood, and the influencer economy. Together, they unpack the increasingly visible and controversial world of “trad wives”—women who embrace and promote full-time homemaking on social media. Mehak and Jo explore why the aesthetic is so magnetic, what’s intentionally left out of the picture-perfect narrative, and how domesticity is often repackaged as empowerment. Piazza opens up about the realities of feminist choice, financial independence, and how her own views on marriage and partnership have shifted over time. Pulling from her years of reporting and her latest book, Everyone Is Lying to You, the conversation dives into shifting gender roles, the pressure cooker of modern womanhood, and the glossy myths social media keeps feeding us. Hosted by: Mehak ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@whathemehak⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ on TikTok | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@whathemehak_⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ on IG Subscribe & Listen 🔗 Immigrantly Uninterrupted on ⁠Apple Podcasts⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ — $3.99/month or $34.99/year for ad-free episodes and more 🔗 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe to Hyphenly⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠,  our new newsletter with hot takes, heartfelt stories, and all the feels of living in between cultures. Come for the nuance, stay for the vibes. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Leave a Review: If you enjoy the show, please leave a review on Apple Podcasts & Spotify — it helps more people find us. 💌 Share your thoughts: ⁠[email protected]⁠ Follow Us: 📸 ⁠⁠⁠@lovelythepod⁠ on IG | ⁠@immigrantly⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ on TikTok Credits: Producer: Shei Yu | Content Writer: Mehak | Sound Designer & Editor: Lou Raskin I Love-ly Theme Music: Lou Raskin | Other Music: Epidemic Sound | Cover Art: Josephine Chai | Executive Producer: Saadia Khan Love-ly is an Immigrantly Media Production. For advertising inquiries, email ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Almost 10 years together. One year married. In an era of "leave him," Danish and Junior are proof that something worthwhile is possible. This week, Mehak (@whathemehak) is joined by two of her closest friends, Danish and Junior, a married couple based in Toronto whose relationship spans nearly a decade, two continents, a music festival in Montreal, and one very persistent sister named Harriet. The conversation begins with how they met and delves into immigrant identity, growing up in a Pakistani household, building a chosen family, and what it truly takes to stay together when the world constantly tells you to optimize your way out of discomfort. This episode covers: How a stranger at Osheaga set off a chain of events that changed everything Growing up between cultures: Danish's childhood split between Islamabad and Canada, and Junior's interracial family roots in Ghana, Newfoundland, and Brampton Coming out as gay and Pakistani — the phone call, the fallout, and what emotional blackmail from family actually looks like Why chosen family isn't a consolation prize — it's the whole point Are humans experiencing zoochosis? Mehak's theory on why modern life is making connection harder Why nobody inconveniences themselves anymore — and what that's costing us in love and friendship What Danish and Junior do for each other that would "send a low-effort couple into a coma" Mehak downloads Hinge and immediately has five complaints Their takes on what Mehak is doing wrong in dating Follow Danish & Junior on Instagram Hosted by: Mehak @whathemehak on TikTok | @whathemehak_ on IG Subscribe & Listen 🔗 Immigrantly Uninterrupted on Apple Podcasts — $3.99/month or $34.99/year for ad-free episodes and more 🔗 Subscribe to Hyphenly, our new newsletter with hot takes, heartfelt stories, and all the feels of living in between cultures. Come for the nuance, stay for the vibes. Leave a Review: If you enjoy the show, please leave a review on Apple Podcasts & Spotify — it helps more people find us. 💌 Share your thoughts: [email protected] Follow Us: 📸 @lovelythepod on IG | @immigrantly on TikTok Credits: Producer: Shei Yu | Content Writer: Mehak | Sound Designer & Editor: Lou Raskin | Love-ly Theme Music: Lou Raskin | Other Music: Epidemic Sound | Cover Art: Josephine Chai | Executive Producer: Saadia Khan Love-ly is an Immigrantly Media Production. For advertising inquiries, email [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We've spent years removing friction from everything. But desire doesn't thrive in a frictionless world. Chemistry, curiosity, and connection can't be optimized. So what happens when we try? This week, Mehak (@whathemehak) is joined by Fred Kutnick (@freddi_g_), a Brooklyn-based therapist specializing in DBT and mindfulness, whose practice focuses on men in their 20s and 30s navigating dating, identity, and emotional regulation. The conversation begins with Esther Perel and goes deep into looksmaxxing, the manosphere, male loneliness, and why the pursuit of a perfect life might be exactly what's keeping people from a meaningful one. This episode covers: Why optimization culture is burning men out — and what they're actually looking for underneath it Looksmaxxing: where self-improvement ends, and self-rejection begins The manosphere, Clavicular, and why Fred believes most "lost" men are closer to finding their way back than we think Mehak explains "Catching print" Why men are jealous of female friendships The difference between safety as men experience it vs. women, especially in dating Why getting out of your house and being a little weird might be the most underrated relationship advice out there Follow Fred @freddi_g_ on Instagram or reach out via email at [email protected] Hosted by: Mehak @whathemehak on TikTok | @whathemehak_ on IG Subscribe & Listen 🔗 Immigrantly Uninterrupted on Apple Podcasts — $3.99/month or $34.99/year for ad-free episodes and more 🔗 Subscribe to Hyphenly, our new newsletter with hot takes, heartfelt stories, and all the feels of living in between cultures. Come for the nuance, stay for the vibes. Leave a Review: If you enjoy the show, please leave a review on Apple Podcasts & Spotify — it helps more people find us. 💌 Share your thoughts: [email protected] Follow Us: 📸 @lovelythepod on IG | @immigrantly on TikTok Credits: Producer: Shei Yu | Content Writer: Mehak | Sound Designer & Editor: Lou Raskin | Love-ly Theme Music: Lou Raskin | Other Music: Epidemic Sound | Cover Art: Josephine Chai | Executive Producer: Saadia Khan Love-ly is an Immigrantly Media Production. For advertising inquiries, email [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What does real intimacy look like? And how often do we mistake control for care? Mehak (@whathemehak) gets personal about love, entitlement, and learning to walk away from relationships that don’t feel safe. She shares her own experiences with intimacy—both the kind that left her questioning herself and the kind that finally made her feel seen. Then, she sits down with sexuality educator Justine Ang Fonte (@imjustineaf), a leading voice in consent and boundaries, to unpack how cultural expectations shape our understanding of love. Together, they explore the immigrant lens on intimacy, dating while unlearning, and what it truly means to choose yourself. If you've ever felt love was something you had to earn, this episode is for you. Follow Justine on Instagram @imjustineaf and her ghostwriting services at @_good.byes_. You can also find her work on her website here. Hosted by: Mehak ⁠@whathemehak⁠ on TikTok | ⁠@whathemehak_⁠ on IG Subscribe & Listen 🔗 Immigrantly Uninterrupted on Apple Podcasts — $3.99/month or $34.99/year for ad-free episodes and more 🔗 Subscribe to Hyphenly, our new newsletter with hot takes, heartfelt stories, and all the feels of living in between cultures. Come for the nuance, stay for the vibes. Leave a Review: If you enjoy the show, please leave a review on Apple Podcasts & Spotify — it helps more people find us. 💌 Share your thoughts: [email protected] Follow Us: 📸 @lovelythepod on IG | @immigrantly on TikTok Credits: Producer: Shei Yu | Content Writer: Mehak | Sound Designer & Editor: Lou Raskin | Love-ly Theme Music: Lou Raskin | Other Music: Epidemic Sound | Cover Art: Josephine Chai | Executive Producer: Saadia Khan Love-ly is an Immigrantly Media Production. For advertising inquiries, email [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If Part 1 was about the battle Clayton fought in public, Part 2 is about the one he's still fighting inside. This week, Mehak (@whathemehak) continues her conversation with Clayton Echard (@claytonechard), and things get real fast. What does it actually look like to unlearn years of seeking validation, stop performing for the people around you, and start showing up as the person you actually are? Clayton's still figuring it out. And he's not pretending otherwise. He opens up about stepping away from dating apps, learning to be around women without an agenda, and why the more self-aware you become, the smaller — and more honest — your dating pool gets. This episode covers: Why Clayton went "rogue" from dating apps and what the gym taught him about his own validation addiction The moment he realized he was performing for women instead of being himself What "radical honesty" looks like in practice — including the story of the blocked Instagram stories Why white lies might be more dangerous than big ones The Esther Perel quote that stopped Mehak in her tracks: romantic consumerism and the fear of settling for good What Clayton actually wants in a partner and why he's looking for "one in a billion" Why a shrinking dating pool might actually be a sign you're leveling up The "hang out" text decoded: Clayton pulls back the curtain on male tactics Follow Clayton @claytonechard on Instagram, TikTok, and his website. Hosted by: Mehak ⁠@whathemehak⁠ on TikTok | ⁠@whathemehak_⁠ on IG Subscribe & Listen 🔗 Immigrantly Uninterrupted on Apple Podcasts — $3.99/month or $34.99/year for ad-free episodes and more 🔗 Subscribe to Hyphenly, our new newsletter with hot takes, heartfelt stories, and all the feels of living in between cultures. Come for the nuance, stay for the vibes. Leave a Review: If you enjoy the show, please leave a review on Apple Podcasts & Spotify — it helps more people find us. 💌 Share your thoughts: [email protected] Follow Us: 📸 @lovelythepod on IG | @immigrantly on TikTok Credits: Producer: Shei Yu | Content Writer: Mehak | Sound Designer & Editor: Lou Raskin | Love-ly Theme Music: Lou Raskin | Other Music: Epidemic Sound | Cover Art: Josephine Chai | Executive Producer: Saadia Khan Love-ly is an Immigrantly Media Production. For advertising inquiries, email [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If you know Clayton Echard, you probably have an opinion about him. Sit with that — because that's exactly what this episode is about. This week, Mehak (⁠@whathemehak⁠⁠) is joined by Clayton Echard (⁠@claytonechard⁠), the Season 26 Bachelor, to hear the story you think you already know — straight from him. Clayton has been at the center of one of the most public and painful legal battles in recent memory. In short: a false pregnancy claim, a years-long harassment campaign, and a world that had already decided he was guilty before the facts came out. But Part 1 goes deeper than the courtroom. We talk about growing up in conservative Missouri, chasing the NFL and The Bachelor for all the wrong reasons, and what happens when the version of yourself you've been performing finally falls apart. This episode covers: The religious childhood that shaped him (and why the 7th-grade version of Clayton still shows up today) How a hunger for validation quietly drove him from the NFL all the way to The Bachelor The Love Trapped case: the harassment, the tactics, and everything that played out in the courtroom What it meant to not be believed — especially as a man The #JusticeforClayton movement: how a community rallied around something far bigger than one person Where the legal battle stands right now Why his definition of "victim" had to be rebuilt from scratch Part 2 drops next Friday. Listen to Love Trapped on iHeartRadio here r/JusticeForClayton subreddit link Follow Clayton @claytonechard on Instagram, TikTok, and his website. Hosted by: Mehak ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@whathemehak⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ on TikTok | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@whathemehak_⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ on IG Subscribe & Listen 🔗 Immigrantly Uninterrupted on ⁠Apple Podcasts⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ — $3.99/month or $34.99/year for ad-free episodes and more 🔗 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe to Hyphenly⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠,  our new newsletter with hot takes, heartfelt stories, and all the feels of living in between cultures. Come for the nuance, stay for the vibes. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Leave a Review: If you enjoy the show, please leave a review on Apple Podcasts & Spotify — it helps more people find us. 💌 Share your thoughts: ⁠[email protected]⁠ Follow Us: 📸 ⁠⁠⁠@lovelythepod⁠ on IG | ⁠@immigrantly⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ on TikTok Credits: Producer: Shei Yu | Content Writer: Mehak | Sound Designer & Editor: Lou Raskin I Love-ly Theme Music: Lou Raskin | Other Music: Epidemic Sound | Cover Art: Josephine Chai | Executive Producer: Saadia Khan Love-ly is an Immigrantly Media Production. For advertising inquiries, email ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What does it take to walk away from cultural expectations and finally choose yourself? Mehak (@whathemehak) sits down with TikTok creator and confidence coach Shazmeera Qadri (@shazmeeraqadri). From growing up in a Pakistani immigrant household to navigating a toxic marriage and reclaiming her independence, Shazmeera shares how she rebuilt her life with courage and self-respect. She unpacks the guilt immigrant daughters carry, why decentering family opinions isn’t disrespect—it’s self-respect—and the power of surrounding yourself with confident women. If you’ve ever questioned whether you can rewrite your story, this conversation will show you that you can. Hosted by: Mehak ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@whathemehak⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ on TikTok | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@whathemehak_⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ on IG Subscribe & Listen 🔗 Immigrantly Uninterrupted on ⁠Apple Podcasts⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ — $3.99/month or $34.99/year for ad-free episodes and more 🔗 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe to Hyphenly⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠,  our new newsletter with hot takes, heartfelt stories, and all the feels of living in between cultures. Come for the nuance, stay for the vibes. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Leave a Review: If you enjoy the show, please leave a review on Apple Podcasts & Spotify — it helps more people find us. 💌 Share your thoughts: ⁠[email protected]⁠ Follow Us: 📸 ⁠⁠⁠@lovelythepod⁠ on IG | ⁠@immigrantly⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ on TikTok Credits: Producer: Shei Yu | Content Writer: Mehak | Sound Designer & Editor: Lou Raskin I Love-ly Theme Music: Lou Raskin | Other Music: Epidemic Sound | Cover Art: Josephine Chai | Executive Producer: Saadia Khan Love-ly is an Immigrantly Media Production. For advertising inquiries, email ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

"No foreplay. We're literally just going straight in." That's how comedian Salma Hindy describes her experience on @subwaytakes. And honestly? It's the perfect way to kick off this week's episode. Salma grew up the daughter of an imam in Toronto, enforcing the rules harder than anyone. Then, somewhere between removing her hijab, quitting engineering, moving to New York, and being disowned by her father, she had to figure out who she actually was and how to start dating. This week, Mehak (@whathemehak) sits down with Salma (@salma.hindy) for one of those conversations that really just goes there. We get into: Being estranged and disowned by her father Two years of celibacy and what finally prompted it Why vaginismus is NOT a vagina Christmas (it's quite the opposite) How ayahuasca helped her heal her relationship with men Why she always dates younger What a "chuckle fucker" is Her biggest pet peeve in modern dating Living by design vs. living seeking permission Connect with Salma Website: salmahindy.com | Instagram: @salma.hindy | TikTok: @salma.hindy Podcast: The Secret Sex Lives of Muslim Women Hosted by: Mehak ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@whathemehak⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ on TikTok | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@whathemehak_⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ on IG Subscribe & Listen 🔗 Immigrantly Uninterrupted on ⁠Apple Podcasts⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ — $3.99/month or $34.99/year for ad-free episodes and more 🔗 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe to Hyphenly⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠,  our new newsletter with hot takes, heartfelt stories, and all the feels of living in between cultures. Come for the nuance, stay for the vibes. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Leave a Review: If you enjoy the show, please leave a review on Apple Podcasts & Spotify — it helps more people find us. 💌 Share your thoughts: ⁠[email protected]⁠ Follow Us: 📸 ⁠⁠⁠@lovelythepod⁠ on IG | ⁠@immigrantly⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ on TikTok Credits: Producer: Shei Yu | Content Writer: Mehak | Sound Designer & Editor: Lou Raskin I Love-ly Theme Music: Lou Raskin | Other Music: Epidemic Sound | Cover Art: Josephine Chai | Executive Producer: Saadia Khan Love-ly is an Immigrantly Media Production. For advertising inquiries, email ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What if the love you grew up with wasn't love at all — it was control? This week, Mehak (@whathemehak) sits down with Dr. Joy Berkheimer, licensed marriage and family therapist, for an honest and frankly, jaw-dropping conversation. Dr. Joy doesn't just talk about narcissism from behind a clipboard — she lived it. From growing up in a Caribbean-American household where perfectionism was survival, to marrying a narcissist without realizing it, to discovering an affair when her daughter was just seven months old. In this episode: The Summer House Amanda & Wes situation — instamacy or betrayal What "instamacy" is and why it feels like a soulmate connection What narcissism actually looks like in a family system Why marriage has historically not benefited women What sexual liberation actually looks like vs. performing confidence Why modern dating feels so dry and what Dr. Joy required before saying yes to a date Connect with Dr. Joy: Website: joyberkheimer.com | Instagram: @glowyourgoddess Hosted by: Mehak ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@whathemehak⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ on TikTok | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@whathemehak_⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ on IG Subscribe & Listen 🔗 Immigrantly Uninterrupted on ⁠Apple Podcasts⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ — $3.99/month or $34.99/year for ad-free episodes and more 🔗 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe to Hyphenly⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠,  our new newsletter with hot takes, heartfelt stories, and all the feels of living in between cultures. Come for the nuance, stay for the vibes. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Leave a Review: If you enjoy the show, please leave a review on Apple Podcasts & Spotify — it helps more people find us. 💌 Share your thoughts: ⁠[email protected]⁠ Follow Us: 📸 ⁠⁠⁠@lovelythepod⁠ on IG | ⁠@immigrantly⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ on TikTok Credits: Producer: Shei Yu | Content Writer: Mehak | Sound Designer & Editor: Lou Raskin I Love-ly Theme Music: Lou Raskin | Other Music: Epidemic Sound | Cover Art: Josephine Chai | Executive Producer: Saadia Khan Love-ly is an Immigrantly Media Production. For advertising inquiries, email ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week's episode is a feed drop from Dateable: Your insider's look into modern dating and relationships! Have you ever felt so burnt out on dating that you wanted to give up? This may sound counterintuitive, but Dateable hosts Yue and Julie are talking about how decentering men and dating could be the key to removing this dating exhaustion – and ultimately finding your person. They talk with comedian Allison Goldberg about how she shifted her dating strategy to staying open to meeting someone but not making her whole life centered around it. They discuss the difference between decentering vs not trying at all, how to avoid slipping into the line of heterofatalism, and tangible ways you can build an incredible life that someone is only so lucky to join. Enjoy! To learn more about Allison and to go to a Love Isn't Blind show near you, go to https://loveisntblind.com/ Check out the Dateable website for more content. Follow @dateablepocast on Instagram. 🔗 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe to Hyphenly⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠,  our new newsletter with hot takes, heartfelt stories, and all the feels of living in between cultures. Come for the nuance, stay for the vibes. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 👉 Please share the love and leave us a review on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Apple Podcasts⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ & ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to help more people find us!  Don’t forget to subscribe!  If you'd like to share your thoughts about this episode or any other episode, you can contact [email protected]. Follow us: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Instagram: @immigrantlypods | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@lovelythepod TikTok: @immigrantly | @whathemehak Love-ly is an Immigrantly Media Production. For advertising inquiries, email ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, Mehak (@whathemehak) sits down with comedian Tommy Mellor (@tommymellor) for a conversation that's equal parts funny and surprisingly candid about love across cultures. Tommy shares the story of how a one-kilometer Bumble radius led him to his now-wife, a Pakistani woman who initially agreed to the date, thinking a comedian might make for a good story to tell her friends. That story turned into a cross-cultural love story that took him all the way to Lahore for a three-day wedding — where he got his shoes stolen, was fed sweets by strangers, signed a marriage certificate behind a curtain, and somehow ended his first night as a married man sleeping next to his cousin. Along the way, Tommy gets into converting to Islam twice — once at a comedy club, once at a mosque — navigating the early days of dating someone whose parents were simultaneously arranging meetings with engineers and Tesla-driving prospects, and what it's like to walk into a Pakistani restaurant as the only white guy in the room. Plus: camel riding in Karachi, learning Urdu badly but earnestly, and why being 30 in Pakistan apparently makes you a very easy sell to future in-laws. Connect with Tommy here. Hosted by: Mehak ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@whathemehak⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ on TikTok and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@whathemehak_⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ on IG Producers: Saadia Khan and Shei Yu | Content Writers: Mehak | Sound Designer & Editor: Lou Raskin I Love-ly Theme Music: Lou Raskin | Other Music: Epidemic Sound | Cover art design: Josephine Chai | Executive Producer: Saadia Khan 🔗 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe to Hyphenly⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠,  our new newsletter with hot takes, heartfelt stories, and all the feels of living in between cultures. Come for the nuance, stay for the vibes. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 👉 Please share the love and leave us a review on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Apple Podcasts⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ & ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to help more people find us!  Don’t forget to subscribe!  If you'd like to share your thoughts about this episode or any other episode, you can contact [email protected]. Follow us: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Instagram: @lovelythepod TikTok  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@immigrantly⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Love-ly is an Immigrantly Media Production. For advertising inquiries, email ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, Mehak (⁠⁠@whathemehak⁠⁠) sits down with Baji from Dear Baji (@leveluponepercent), a free Muslim matchmaking service, to ask the question nobody wants to answer honestly: are you even your type's type? Baji breaks down what she actually sees running her matchmaking platform: people with lists of requirements who've never stopped to ask what they bring to the table or whether the person they want would even want them back. Baji reveals the patterns she sees as a matchmaker: how people get trapped by their own lists while ignoring the one thing that actually leads to compatibility—brutal, honest self-awareness. They also revisit the age-old discussion about men as providers: what it means in Islam, how expectations have shifted, and whether it's a dealbreaker or just one piece of a bigger compatibility puzzle. Also, why looks matter more than people admit, what rigid height preferences actually reveal, and why your "non-negotiables" might be working against you. If you've ever wondered why dating feels so hard, this episode might have an uncomfortable but useful answer. Connect with Baji @leveluponepercent on TikTok and Instagram. Hosted by: Mehak ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@whathemehak⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ on TikTok and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@whathemehak_⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ on IG Producers: Saadia Khan and Shei Yu | Content Writers: Mehak | Sound Designer & Editor: Lou Raskin I Love-ly Theme Music: Lou Raskin | Other Music: Epidemic Sound | Cover art design: Josephine Chai | Executive Producer: Saadia Khan 🔗 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe to Hyphenly⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠,  our new newsletter with hot takes, heartfelt stories, and all the feels of living in between cultures. Come for the nuance, stay for the vibes. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 👉 Please share the love and leave us a review on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Apple Podcasts⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ & ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to help more people find us!  Don’t forget to subscribe!  If you'd like to share your thoughts about this episode or any other episode, you can contact [email protected]. Follow us: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Instagram: @lovelythepod TikTok  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@immigrantly⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Love-ly is an Immigrantly Media Production. For advertising inquiries, email ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mehak (⁠@whathemehak⁠) shares a Ramadan and dating update — including her hot take that divorce is actually chic — before sitting down with Toronto's own Allie Zheng (@itsyourlocaltorontogirlie) to talk all things love, heartbreak, and what it really means to be a lover girl. Allie gets real about her dating patterns: falling too fast, chasing intensity, and taking shortcuts to intimacy — and what she's had to unlearn. She breaks down two relationships that had the internet talking: "Vancouver man," who she met at a Toronto speed-dating event, and whose lies about his age only came out after the breakup; and a four-month relationship that ended when his parents couldn't get on board with her openness about mental health, right as they were planning to move in together. They also get into the questions every girl in her dating era is asking — how many dates is too many, what to do when a guy orders for you, and how to actually slow down when your whole personality is going all in. Plus: Allie's breakup healing routine, surviving Reddit and TikTok hate, and the lessons she's taking into her next chapter. Connect with Allie @itsyourlocaltorontogirlie⁠ on TikTok. Hosted by: Mehak ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@whathemehak⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ on TikTok and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@whathemehak_⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ on IG Producers: Saadia Khan and Shei Yu | Content Writers: Mehak | Sound Designer & Editor: Lou Raskin I Love-ly Theme Music: Lou Raskin | Other Music: Epidemic Sound | Cover art design: Josephine Chai | Executive Producer: Saadia Khan 🔗 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe to Hyphenly⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠,  our new newsletter with hot takes, heartfelt stories, and all the feels of living in between cultures. Come for the nuance, stay for the vibes. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 👉 Please share the love and leave us a review on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Apple Podcasts⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ & ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to help more people find us!  Don’t forget to subscribe!  If you'd like to share your thoughts about this episode or any other episode, you can contact [email protected]. Follow us: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Instagram: @lovelythepod TikTok  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@immigrantly⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Love-ly is an Immigrantly Media Production. For advertising inquiries, email ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, we're featuring an episode from Small Talk With Sheila. Imagine Bridget Jones had a self-help podcast, and you’re pretty close to the charming chaos that is Sheila’s world. In this episode, Sheila gets candid about the dating rules that are keeping her friends single. From waiting to be pursued, to overanalyzing texts and emojis, to treating dating like a job interview, she breaks down the mistakes holding women back from finding real love. Sheila shares personal stories, playful rants, and a reminder that romance is meant to be messy, fun, and unpredictable. If you’ve been stuck in “single-ville,” this one is for you. Where to Find Sheila: IG: @smalltalkwith_sheila YouTube: @SmallTalkWithSheila 🔗 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe to Hyphenly⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠,  our new newsletter with hot takes, heartfelt stories, and all the feels of living in between cultures. Come for the nuance, stay for the vibes. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 👉 Please share the love and leave us a review on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Apple Podcasts⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ & ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to help more people find us!  Don’t forget to subscribe!  If you'd like to share your thoughts about this episode or any other episode, you can contact [email protected]. Follow us: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Instagram: @immigrantlypods | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@lovelythepod TikTok: @immigrantly | @whathemehak Love-ly is an Immigrantly Media Production. For advertising inquiries, email ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's Lovely's first anniversary! 🎉 To celebrate, Mehak (⁠⁠@whathemehak⁠⁠) sits down with Talia Koren, creator of the Dating Intentionally podcast, to discuss what it really means to date with purpose. Talia shares her unconventional dating journey—150 dates with 64 people in 10 months—and the surprising patterns she discovered by tracking every single one in her Notes app. From navigating political alignment in today's climate to unlearning toxic dating advice, this episode rethinks common assumptions you thought you knew about dating. In this episode: How to ask about political values without turning dates into debates Why tracking your dates can reveal your self-sabotaging patterns The text-first debate: does it really matter who reaches out after the date? Why expecting your partner to meet every need sets relationships up to fail Whether you're actively dating, taking a break, or just curious about relationships, this conversation will make you rethink what "dating intentionally" actually means. Connect with Talia: @datingintentionally on Instagram and at www.datingintentionallypod.com Hosted by: Mehak ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@whathemehak⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ on TikTok and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@whathemehak_⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ on IG Producers: Saadia Khan and Shei Yu | Content Writers: Mehak | Sound Designer & Editor: Lou Raskin I Love-ly Theme Music: Lou Raskin | Other Music: Epidemic Sound | Cover art design: Josephine Chai | Executive Producer: Saadia Khan 🔗 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe to Hyphenly⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠,  our new newsletter with hot takes, heartfelt stories, and all the feels of living in between cultures. Come for the nuance, stay for the vibes. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 👉 Please share the love and leave us a review on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Apple Podcasts⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ & ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to help more people find us!  Don’t forget to subscribe!  If you'd like to share your thoughts about this episode or any other episode, you can contact [email protected]. Follow us: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@immigrantlypods (IG)⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@immigrantly⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (TikTok) | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@love_lypod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Love-ly is an Immigrantly Media Production. For advertising inquiries, email ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What happens when a viral TikTok about Toronto’s "struggle" dating scene turns into a deep dive on the evolution of the modern man and woman? In this episode of Love-ly, host Mehak (⁠@whathemehak⁠) brings actor Thomas Darya (@thomas_darya) into the studio to dissect the growing sentiment that women are rapidly outpacing men in both professional drive and personal growth. Thomas pulls from his experience as an immigrant and a creative to explain why the traditional roadmap for romance has been torn up, leaving a generation of daters wondering where they fit in. The conversation gets raw as they explore "beauty currency" and the ripple effects of OnlyFans on how we value ourselves and our partners. Mehak and Thomas challenge the polarizing rhetoric seen online, instead focusing on the delicate balance of masculine and feminine energies and the pursuit of a life that is actually fulfilling, not just "aesthetic." Hosted by: Mehak ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@whathemehak⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ on TikTok and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@whathemehak_⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ on IG Producers: Saadia Khan and Shei Yu | Content Writers: Mehak | Sound Designer & Editor: Lou Raskin I Love-ly Theme Music: Lou Raskin | Other Music: Epidemic Sound | Cover art design: Josephine Chai | Executive Producer: Saadia Khan 🔗 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe to Hyphenly⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠,  our new newsletter with hot takes, heartfelt stories, and all the feels of living in between cultures. Come for the nuance, stay for the vibes. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 👉 Please share the love and leave us a review on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Apple Podcasts⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ & ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to help more people find us!  Don’t forget to subscribe!  If you'd like to share your thoughts about this episode or any other episode, you can contact [email protected]. Follow us: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@immigrantlypods (IG)⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@immigrantly⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (TikTok) | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@love_lypod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Love-ly is an Immigrantly Media Production. For advertising inquiries, email ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Is your dating life a lived experience, or just a curated performance? In this episode of Love-ly, Mehak (@whathemehak) sits down with somatic therapist and scholar Julia Sutherland (@JoyfullyJuliaa) to unpack the psychological toll of viewing ourselves from the "outside-in." Together, they unpack the concept of "self-objectification" and why women in particular tend to monitor their external appearances over their internal comfort. From the influence of religious upbringings to the relentless gaze of social media, Julia explains why so many of us feel like we are observing our lives from the outside rather than living them from within. She shares the insights gained from her own 7-day mirror detox, revealing how our self-worth can transform when we stop scrutinizing our reflection and start feeling our existence. Follow along Julia's somatic journey on TikTok and YouTube. Hosted by: Mehak ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@whathemehak⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ on TikTok and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@whathemehak_⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ on IG Producers: Saadia Khan and Shei Yu | Content Writers: Mehak | Sound Designer & Editor: Lou Raskin I Love-ly Theme Music: Lou Raskin | Other Music: Epidemic Sound | Cover art design: Josephine Chai | Executive Producer: Saadia Khan 🔗 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe to Hyphenly⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠,  our new newsletter with hot takes, heartfelt stories, and all the feels of living in between cultures. Come for the nuance, stay for the vibes. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 👉 Please share the love and leave us a review on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Apple Podcasts⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ & ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to help more people find us!  Don’t forget to subscribe!  If you'd like to share your thoughts about this episode or any other episode, you can contact [email protected]. Follow us: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@immigrantlypods (IG)⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@immigrantly⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (TikTok) | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@love_lypod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Love-ly is an Immigrantly Media Production. For advertising inquiries, email ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, we're featuring an episode from Dating Intentionally, a podcast dedicated to making dating more enjoyable. Dating coach Erika Ettin joins Talia Koren to break down the mindset shifts that make dating feel calmer, clearer, and more intentional. You’ll learn about dating NATO (not attached to outcome), avoiding pen-pal dynamics, reading texting patterns, and staying open without over-investing too early. At the end, they dive into a text support question from a listener about a promising first date that turns into confusing texting, and how to handle it. Where to Find Talia: IG: https://www.instagram.com/dating.intentionally Podcast: https://pod.link/1645453880 Website: https://www.datingintentionallypod.com Community: datingintentionallypod.com/community Where to Find Erika: IG: https://www.instagram.com/alittlenudge Podcast: https://sowemetonline.com/ Website: https://www.alittlenudge.com/ 🔗 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe to Hyphenly⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠,  our new newsletter with hot takes, heartfelt stories, and all the feels of living in between cultures. Come for the nuance, stay for the vibes. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 👉 Please share the love and leave us a review on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Apple Podcasts⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ & ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to help more people find us!  Don’t forget to subscribe!  If you'd like to share your thoughts about this episode or any other episode, you can contact [email protected]. Follow us: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@immigrantlypods (IG)⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@immigrantly⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (TikTok) | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@love_lypod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Love-ly is an Immigrantly Media Production. For advertising inquiries, email ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We’re officially in 2026, and the vibe is… intentional. After spending the holidays recovering from a flu-from-hell, Mehak (@whathemehak) is back in the studio for a solo deep dive into the trends and transitions defining the start of the year. This episode covers everything from personal dating updates to the rise of "Friction-maxxing"—the radical art of choosing the inconvenient path for the sake of deeper relationships and a life that actually feels real. We also dissect why the internet is collectively losing it over Tamara’s 365 Buttons project and how a simple jar of crafts became the ultimate symbol of staying in your own lane. To wrap it all up, Mehak explains why Heated Rivalry is the only thing on her FYP right now and why its portrayal of male intimacy is striking such a deep chord with everyone watching. Equal parts reflective and lighthearted, this episode is your personal guide to finding your own 2026 obsession. Grab a drink, get cozy, and let’s get into the first real conversation of the year. Hosted by: Mehak ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@whathemehak⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ on TikTok and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@whathemehak_⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ on IG Producers: Saadia Khan and Shei Yu | Content Writers: Mehak | Sound Designer & Editor: Lou Raskin I Love-ly Theme Music: Lou Raskin | Other Music: Epidemic Sound | Cover art design: Josephine Chai | Executive Producer: Saadia Khan 🔗 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe to Hyphenly⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠,  our new newsletter with hot takes, heartfelt stories, and all the feels of living in between cultures. Come for the nuance, stay for the vibes. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 👉 Please share the love and leave us a review on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Apple Podcasts⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ & ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to help more people find us!  Don’t forget to subscribe!  If you'd like to share your thoughts about this episode or any other episode, you can contact [email protected]. Follow us: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@immigrantlypods (IG)⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@immigrantly⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (TikTok) | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@love_lypod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Love-ly is an Immigrantly Media Production. For advertising inquiries, email ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this holiday special, Love-ly closes out 2025 with a cozy, unfiltered yap session between three friends. Host Mehak (@whathemehak) is joined by former guests Erik (@erikhruszowy) and Waleed (@wearswali) to reflect on the year and share holiday hot takes—keeping things funny, warm, and very real. The conversation ranges from holiday dating do’s and don’ts to how a double Gucci belt nearly brought Mehak to tears, Waleed’s hot takes on therapy, and Erik’s take on Santa capitalism. Along the way, they share holiday memories and encourage listeners—especially singles—to decenter others’ opinions and focus on what actually brings them fulfillment. Equal parts reflective and lighthearted, this episode is perfect holiday listening for singles, offering laughter, comfort, and a thoughtful send-off as the trio sets intentional words and looks ahead to 2026. Hosted by: Mehak ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@whathemehak⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ on TikTok and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@whathemehak_⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ on IG Producers: Saadia Khan and Shei Yu | Content Writers: Mehak | Sound Designer & Editor: Lou Raskin I Love-ly Theme Music: Lou Raskin | Other Music: Epidemic Sound | Cover art design: Josephine Chai | Executive Producer: Saadia Khan 🔗 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe to Hyphenly⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠,  our new newsletter with hot takes, heartfelt stories, and all the feels of living in between cultures. Come for the nuance, stay for the vibes. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 👉 Please share the love and leave us a review on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Apple Podcasts⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ & ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to help more people find us!  Don’t forget to subscribe!  If you'd like to share your thoughts about this episode or any other episode, you can contact [email protected]. Follow us: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@immigrantlypods (IG)⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@immigrantly⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (TikTok) | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@love_lypod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Love-ly is an Immigrantly Media Production. For advertising inquiries, email ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What is a trad wife, really? What are they selling—and what are we not seeing? This week on Love-ly, Mehak sits down with bestselling author, journalist, and podcaster Jo Piazza, widely considered one of America’s sharpest observers of women, motherhood, and the influencer economy. Together, they unpack the increasingly visible and controversial world of “trad wives”—women who embrace and promote full-time homemaking on social media. Mehak and Jo explore why the aesthetic is so magnetic, what’s intentionally left out of the picture-perfect narrative, and how domesticity is often repackaged as empowerment. Along the way, Mehak and Jo discuss a viral TikTok from @cortneygetsfit, a stay-at-home mom navigating life post-divorce after years of financial dependence on her husband. Piazza opens up about the realities of feminist choice, financial independence, and how her own views on marriage and partnership have shifted over time. Pulling from her years of reporting and her latest book, Everyone Is Lying to You, the conversation gets into shifting gender roles, the pressure cooker of modern womanhood, and the glossy myths social media keeps feeding us. Hosted by: Mehak ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@whathemehak⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ on TikTok and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@whathemehak_⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ on IG Producers: Saadia Khan and Shei Yu | Content Writers: Mehak | Sound Designer & Editor: Lou Raskin I Love-ly Theme Music: Lou Raskin | Other Music: Epidemic Sound | Cover art design: Josephine Chai | Executive Producer: Saadia Khan 🔗 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe to Hyphenly⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠,  our new newsletter with hot takes, heartfelt stories, and all the feels of living in between cultures. Come for the nuance, stay for the vibes. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 👉 Please share the love and leave us a review on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Apple Podcasts⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ & ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to help more people find us!  Don’t forget to subscribe!  If you'd like to share your thoughts about this episode or any other episode, you can contact [email protected]. Follow us: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@immigrantlypods (IG)⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@immigrantly⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (TikTok) | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@love_lypod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Love-ly is an Immigrantly Media Production. For advertising inquiries, email ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week on Love-ly, Mehak sits down with sex educator and pleasure expert Danielle Bezalel—host of Sex Ed with DB. Together, they unpack the motifs that shape our earliest understandings of intimacy: immigrant households where sex was whispered, cultures that mistake silence for safety, and school systems that replace curiosity with misinformation. From Danielle’s Afghan Jewish upbringing to Mehak’s own cultural reflections, this episode explores how identity, religion, shame, and generational expectations influence the way we date, desire, and perceive ourselves. Danielle also shares the turning point that led her into public health and sex education, the emotional stakes of bad sex ed in the U.S., and why pleasure still feels like a radical act—especially for women of color. We end with a Love-ly signature: a modern dating detour into why everything—including romance—feels so aesthetic now, and what it would mean to return to our bodies instead of performing our lives for the camera. This is an episode about unlearning, reclaiming, and finally giving ourselves permission to want what we truly desire. Check out Sex Ed With DB @sexedwithdbpodcasts on IG and on the website, www.sexedwithdb.com Hosted by: Mehak ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@whathemehak⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ on TikTok and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@whathemehak_⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ on IG Producers: Saadia Khan and Shei Yu | Content Writers: Mehak | Sound Designer & Editor: Lou Raskin I Love-ly Theme Music: Lou Raskin | Other Music: Epidemic Sound | Cover art design: Josephine Chai | Executive Producer: Saadia Khan 🔗 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe to Hyphenly⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠,  our new newsletter with hot takes, heartfelt stories, and all the feels of living in between cultures. Come for the nuance, stay for the vibes. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 👉 Please share the love and leave us a review on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Apple Podcasts⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ & ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to help more people find us!  Don’t forget to subscribe!  If you'd like to share your thoughts about this episode or any other episode, you can contact [email protected]. Follow us: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@immigrantlypods (IG)⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@immigrantly⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (TikTok) | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@love_lypod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Love-ly is an Immigrantly Media Production. For advertising inquiries, email ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How are substance addiction and love addiction connected? In this episode of Love-ly, host ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Mehak⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ welcomes licensed therapist Kendall Bierman, who shares her personal journey through anxiety, substance addiction, and the path to sobriety. She reflects on the influence of her family dynamics, competitive upbringing, and the turning points that led her to pursue a career in therapy. The discussion dives into dating while sober, attachment styles, and the cultural pressures that shape our choices. Kendall also offers professional insights on cultivating emotional resilience and overcoming self-sabotage. Hosted by: Mehak ⁠⁠⁠⁠@whathemehak⁠⁠⁠⁠ on TikTok and ⁠⁠⁠⁠@whathemehak_⁠⁠⁠⁠ on IG Producers: Saadia Khan and Shei Yu | Content Writers: Mehak | Sound Designer & Editor: Lou Raskin I Love-ly Theme Music: Lou Raskin | Other Music: Epidemic Sound | Cover art design: Josephine Chai | Executive Producer: Saadia Khan 🔗 ⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe to Hyphenly⁠⁠⁠⁠,  our new newsletter with hot takes, heartfelt stories, and all the feels of living in between cultures. Come for the nuance, stay for the vibes. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 👉 Please share the love and leave us a review on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Apple Podcasts⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ & ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to help more people find us!  Don’t forget to subscribe!  If you'd like to share your thoughts about this episode or any other episode, you can contact [email protected]. Follow us: ⁠⁠⁠⁠@immigrantlypods (IG)⁠⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠⁠@immigrantly⁠⁠⁠⁠ (TikTok) | ⁠⁠⁠⁠@love_lypod⁠⁠⁠⁠ Love-ly is an Immigrantly Media Production. For advertising inquiries, email ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week on Love-ly, we’re sharing some sage wisdom from Sex Ed with DB — your go-to show for smart, science-backed sex education. Each episode delivers trusted insights from top experts on sex, sexuality, and pleasure. In this episode, DB talks with Dr. Lexx about the many different kinds of pleasure — and how to keep pleasure centered in a long-term monogamous relationship. It’s not always just about sex; pleasure can come from all parts of our lives, our senses, and our connections with others. ✨ Enjoy this convo, and tune in next week for a brand-new episode of Love-ly. SEX ED WITH DB  Creator, Host & Executive Producer: Danielle Bezalel (DB) (she/her) | Communications Lead: Cathren Cohen (she/her) | Growth Marketing Manager and Producer: Wil Williams (they/them) | Theme Music: Hook Sounds | Background Music: Bright State by Ketsa | Ad Music: Soul Sync by Ketsa; Always Faithful by Ketsa; Soul Epic by Ketsa. Instagram: ⁠@sexedwithdbpodcast⁠ | TikTok: ⁠@sexedwithdb⁠ | Twitter: ⁠@sexedwithdb⁠ | Threads: ⁠@sexedwithdbpodcast⁠ |YouTube: ⁠Sex Ed with DB ⁠Email: [email protected] LOVE-LY Producers: Saadia Khan and Shei Yu | Content Writers: Mehak | Sound Designer & Editor: Lou Raskin I Love-ly Theme Music: Lou Raskin | Other Music: Epidemic Sound | Cover art design: Josephine Chai | Executive Producer: Saadia Khan 🔗 ⁠⁠⁠Subscribe to Hyphenly⁠⁠⁠,  our new newsletter with hot takes, heartfelt stories, and all the feels of living in between cultures. Come for the nuance, stay for the vibes. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 👉 Please share the love and leave us a review on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Apple Podcasts⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ & ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to help more people find us!  Don’t forget to subscribe!  If you'd like to share your thoughts about this episode or others, you can contact [email protected]. Follow us: ⁠⁠⁠@immigrantlypods (IG)⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠@immigrantly⁠⁠⁠ (TikTok) | ⁠⁠⁠@love_lypod⁠⁠⁠ Love-ly is an Immigrantly Media Production. For advertising inquiries, email ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode of Love-ly, ⁠⁠⁠⁠Mehak⁠⁠⁠⁠ sits down with psychotherapist and @well.guide founder Israa Nasir to discuss life as a third-culture kid and why she doesn’t feel guilty about not having children, despite parental expectations. Their conversation also takes a turn into the future of digital mental health care, inspired by Israa’s essay, “Outsourcing Emotional Labor to ChatGPT,” and how we should be using AI for in therapy (hint: definitely not your Hinge replies). Hosted by: Mehak ⁠⁠⁠@whathemehak⁠⁠⁠ on TikTok and ⁠⁠⁠@whathemehak_⁠⁠⁠ on IG Producers: Saadia Khan and Shei Yu | Content Writers: Mehak | Sound Designer & Editor: Lou Raskin I Love-ly Theme Music: Lou Raskin | Other Music: Epidemic Sound | Cover art design: Josephine Chai | Executive Producer: Saadia Khan 🔗 ⁠⁠⁠Subscribe to Hyphenly⁠⁠⁠,  our new newsletter with hot takes, heartfelt stories, and all the feels of living in between cultures. Come for the nuance, stay for the vibes. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 👉 Please share the love and leave us a review on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Apple Podcasts⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ & ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to help more people find us!  Don’t forget to subscribe!  If you'd like to share your thoughts about this episode or others, you can contact [email protected]. Follow us: ⁠⁠⁠@immigrantlypods (IG)⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠@immigrantly⁠⁠⁠ (TikTok) | ⁠⁠⁠@love_lypod⁠⁠⁠ Love-ly is an Immigrantly Media Production. For advertising inquiries, email ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Why is building human connection so difficult in modern dating? This week on Lovely, ⁠⁠Mehak⁠⁠ talks to Aubrey Aust, researcher and podcast host of Hint of Trauma, to decode the complexities of modern relationships. They explore how cultural norms have warped our perceptions of love (and boyfriends) and dive deep into the cycles of hyper-independence versus people-pleasing. This episode is a masterclass on why vulnerability is the essential, non-negotiable key to building truly secure connections. Aubrey shares her personal journey of navigating non-traditional relationships, offering a path to finding fulfillment and relational trust in today's hyperconnected digital age. Don't miss this must-listen guide to understanding what human connection is actually all about. Listen to Hint of Trauma and follow Aubrey's work at www.aubreyaust.com. Hosted by: Mehak ⁠⁠@whathemehak⁠⁠ on TikTok and ⁠⁠@whathemehak_⁠⁠ on IG Producers: Saadia Khan and Shei Yu | Content Writers: Mehak | Sound Designer & Editor: Lou Raskin I Love-ly Theme Music: Lou Raskin | Other Music: Epidemic Sound | Cover art design: Josephine Chai | Executive Producer: Saadia Khan 🔗 ⁠⁠Subscribe to Hyphenly⁠⁠,  our new newsletter with hot takes, heartfelt stories, and all the feels of living in between cultures. Come for the nuance, stay for the vibes. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 👉 Please share the love and leave us a review on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Apple Podcasts⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ & ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to help more people find us!  Don’t forget to subscribe!  If you'd like to share your thoughts about this episode or others, you can contact [email protected]. Follow us: ⁠⁠@immigrantlypods (IG)⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠@immigrantly⁠⁠ (TikTok) | ⁠⁠@love_lypod⁠⁠ Love-ly is an Immigrantly Media Production. For advertising inquiries, email ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this week's episode, Mehak opens up about being in her “in-between era,” a space where she’s rediscovering herself. After a recent breakup, she reflects on emotional maturity, intuition, and the lessons that come with letting go. From unlearning survival habits to recognizing relationship patterns, Mehak shares what it means to stop romanticizing potential and start honoring her inner voice. She also gets candid about reentering the dating world — including her experience on the exclusive app Raya — and the performative side of modern dating. This episode is about slowing down, growing alone, and finding comfort in your own company before diving back into love. Hosted by: Mehak ⁠@whathemehak⁠ on TikTok and ⁠@whathemehak_⁠ on IG Producers: Saadia Khan and Shei Yu | Content Writers: Mehak | Sound Designer & Editor: Lou Raskin I Love-ly Theme Music: Lou Raskin | Other Music: Epidemic Sound | Cover art design: Josephine Chai | Executive Producer: Saadia Khan 🔗 ⁠Subscribe to Hyphenly⁠,  our new newsletter with hot takes, heartfelt stories, and all the feels of living in between cultures. Come for the nuance, stay for the vibes. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 👉 Please share the love and leave us a review on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Apple Podcasts⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ & ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to help more people find us!  Don’t forget to subscribe!  If you'd like to share your thoughts about this episode or others, you can contact [email protected]. Follow us: ⁠@immigrantlypods (IG)⁠ | ⁠@immigrantly⁠ (TikTok) | ⁠@love_lypod⁠ Love-ly is an Immigrantly Media Production. For advertising inquiries, email ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode of Love-ly, Mehak sits down with Samir Mourani, host of Gent's Talk, to explore masculinity, men’s mental health, and emotional healing. Samir shares his personal journey breaking the stigma around male vulnerability, how his divorce reshaped his views on manhood, and the role of self-awareness and male friendships in his growth. Together, they unpack how men heal—and how women can support without taking on all the responsibility. Hosted by: Mehak @whathemehak on TikTok and @whathemehak_ on IG Producers: Saadia Khan and Shei Yu | Content Writers: Mehak | Sound Designer & Editor: Lou Raskin I Love-ly Theme Music: Lou Raskin | Other Music: Epidemic Sound | Cover art design: Josephine Chai | Executive Producer: Saadia Khan 🔗 Subscribe to Hyphenly,  our new newsletter with hot takes, heartfelt stories, and all the feels of living in between cultures. Come for the nuance, stay for the vibes. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 👉 Please share the love and leave us a review on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Apple Podcasts⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ & ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to help more people find us!  Don’t forget to subscribe!  If you'd like to share your thoughts about this or other episodes, you can contact [email protected]. Follow us: @immigrantlypods (IG) | @immigrantly (TikTok) | @love_lypod Love-ly is an Immigrantly Media Production. For advertising inquiries, email ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Subscribe to Hyphenly,  our new newsletter with hot takes, heartfelt stories, and all the feels of living in between cultures. Come for the nuance, stay for the vibes. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://hyphenly.beehiiv.com What happens when TikTok’s Dumb Blonde Diary Lara Simonot brings her wildest dating stories to Love-ly? From Ukrainian roots to Toronto nightlife, Lara shares how she balances independence, music, and the chaos of modern dating. We delve into her "league" of men, her Bahamas love story, a concert first-kiss moment, and why being single can be a powerful experience. Additionally, we discuss confidence, cringe culture, and her brand new country single, Shoulda Been Mine If you’ve ever laughed through a late-night debrief, questioned dating apps, or wondered how to spot a green flag in a partner, this episode is for you.  Stream now for relatable dating chaos, Toronto hot spots, and a reminder that being “too confident” is never too much. Hosted by: Mehak @whathemehak on TikTok and @whathemehak_ on IG Producers: Saadia Khan and Shei Yu | Content Writers: Mehak | Sound Designer & Editor: Lou Raskin I Love-ly Theme Music: Lou Raskin | Other Music: Epidemic Sound | Cover art design: Josephine Chai | Executive Producer: Saadia Khan  Please share the love and leave us a review on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Apple Podcasts⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ & ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to help more people find us!  Don’t forget to subscribe!  If you'd like to share your thoughts about this or other episodes, you can contact [email protected]. Follow us: @immigrantlypods (IG) |@immigrantly (TikTok) Love-ly is an Immigrantly Media Production. For advertising inquiries, email ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Subscribe to Hyphenly,  our new newsletter with hot takes, heartfelt stories, and all the feels of living in between cultures. Come for the nuance, stay for the vibes. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://hyphenly.beehiiv.com What does it take to walk away from cultural expectations and finally choose yourself? In this raw and empowering episode of Love-ly, host Mehak sits down with TikTok creator and confidence coach Shazmeera Qadri. From growing up in a Pakistani immigrant household to navigating a toxic marriage and reclaiming her independence, Shazmeera shares how she rebuilt her life with courage and self-respect. She unpacks the guilt immigrant daughters carry, why decentering family opinions isn’t disrespect—it’s self-respect—and the power of surrounding yourself with confident women.  If you’ve ever questioned whether you can rewrite your story, this conversation will show you that you can. Hosted by: Mehak @whathemehak on TikTok and @whathemehak_ on IG Producers: Saadia Khan and Shei Yu | Content Writers: Mehak | Sound Designer & Editor: Lou Raskin I Love-ly Theme Music: Lou Raskin | Other Music: Epidemic Sound | Cover art design: Josephine Chai | Executive Producer: Saadia Khan  Please share the love and leave us a review on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Apple Podcasts⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ & ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to help more people find us!  Don’t forget to subscribe!  If you'd like to share your thoughts about this or other episodes, you can contact [email protected]. Follow us: @immigrantlypods (IG) |@immigrantly (TikTok) Love-ly is an Immigrantly Media Production. For advertising inquiries, email ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Subscribe to Hyphenly,  our new newsletter with hot takes, heartfelt stories, and all the feels of living in between cultures. Come for the nuance, stay for the vibes. ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://immigrantlys-newsletter.beehiiv.com/subscribe⁠⁠ Why do we shy away from conflict when it might actually bring us closer?? This week, Mehak (@whathemehak) sits down with conflict resolution expert Dr. Jen Fry (jenfrytalks.com) to explore how disagreements—whether in families, romantic relationships, or the workplace—can be powerful tools for growth and intimacy. Dr. Fry shares personal stories from her upbringing that shaped her views on boundaries and communication, along with practical strategies for handling tough conversations in professional settings. Through their conversation, Mehak and Dr. Fry reveal how conflict—when faced head-on—doesn’t have to pull us apart. Instead, it can deepen trust, spark transformation, and open the door to stronger relationships and authentic love. _______ Hosted by: Mehak @whathemehak on TikTok and @whathemehak_ on IG Producer: Saadia Khan and Shei Yu | Content Writers: Mehak I Editorial Review: Saadia Khan I Sound Designer & Editor: Lou Raskin I Love-ly Theme Music: Lou Raskin | Other Music: Epidemic Sound | Cover art design: Josephine Chai | Executive Producer: Saadia Khan  Please share the love and leave us a review on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ApplePodcasts⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ & ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to help more people find us!  Don’t forget to subscribe!  If you want to share your thoughts about this or other episodes, reach out at [email protected]  Follow us: @love_lypod & @immigrantlypods (IG) |@immigrantly (TikTok) Love-ly is an Immigrantly Media Production. For advertising inquiries, email ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Subscribe to Hyphenly,  our new newsletter with hot takes, heartfelt stories, and all the feels of living in between cultures. Come for the nuance, stay for the vibes. ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://immigrantlys-newsletter.beehiiv.com/subscribe⁠⁠ Love-ly host Mehak sits down with relationship therapist and content creator Laura Caruso in one of the show’s most memorable conversations; it’s so powerful, it’s being re-released. Recorded while Laura was in the middle of a breakup, literally waiting on a text that could end her relationship, the episode captures the raw emotions behind the timeless question: Should I stay or should I go? This re-release offers listeners both vulnerability and hope, with an inspiring update on where Laura is now. For anyone navigating love, loss, or the messy process of healing, Mehak’s conversation with Laura is a reminder that endings can also be beginnings. Hosted by: Mehak @whathemehak on TikTok and @whathemehak_ on IG Producer: Saadia Khan and Shei Yu | Content Writers: Mehak I Editorial Review: Saadia Khan I Sound Designer & Editor: Lou Raskin I Love-ly Theme Music: Lou Raskin | Other Music: Epidemic Sound | Cover art design: Josephine Chai | Executive Producer: Saadia Khan  Please share the love and leave us a review on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ApplePodcasts⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ & ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to help more people find us!  Don’t forget to subscribe!  If you want to share your thoughts about this or other episodes, reach out at [email protected]  Follow us: @immigrantlypods (IG) |@immigrantly (TikTok) Love-ly is an Immigrantly Media Production. For advertising inquiries, email ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Subscribe to Hyphenly,  our new newsletter with hot takes, heartfelt stories, and all the feels of living in between cultures. Come for the nuance, stay for the vibes. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://hyphenly.beehiiv.com In this episode, host Mehak explores the complexities of adult friendships with journalist and author Anna Goldfarb, whose work has appeared in The New York Times, The Atlantic, Time, The Cut, and more. Anna’s latest book, “Modern Friendship: How to Nurture Our Most Valued Connections,” offers a practical toolkit for building stronger, more intentional relationships. Mehak and Anna discuss why friendships can feel so fragile, the tiers of intimacy that shape our social lives, and how to show up with more clarity and wholeheartedness for the people who matter most. Hosted by: Mehak @whathemehak on TikTok and @whathemehak_ on IG Producer: Saadia Khan and Shei Yu | Content Writers: Mehak | Sound Designer & Editor: Lou Raskin I Love-ly Theme Music: Lou Raskin | Other Music: Epidemic Sound | Cover art design: Josephine Chai | Executive Producer: Saadia Khan  Please share the love and leave us a review on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Apple Podcasts⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ & ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to help more people find us!  Don’t forget to subscribe!  If you'd like to share your thoughts about this or other episodes, you can contact [email protected]. Follow us: @immigrantlypods (IG) |@immigrantly (TikTok) Love-ly is an Immigrantly Media Production. For advertising inquiries, email ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Subscribe to Hyphenly,  our new newsletter with hot takes, heartfelt stories, and all the feels of living in between cultures. Come for the nuance, stay for the vibes. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://hyphenly.beehiiv.com Dating in 2025 feels harder than ever; apps are exhausting, hookup culture dominates, and rejection is everywhere. In this episode of Love-ly, host Mehak sits down with her friend Eric, a former competitive figure skater turned entrepreneur, to talk about love, dating, and connection in today’s world. Eric shares his journey growing up as an only child, coming out, navigating family expectations, and why he’s waited for the right relationship instead of settling. Together, Mehak and Eric unpack the complexities of hookup culture, the allure of long-distance sparks, self-awareness in love, and why saying hello to strangers feels nearly impossible in modern dating. If you’ve ever felt like the dating bar is “in hell” but still crave authentic connection, this heartfelt and funny conversation will remind you what love can look like in 2025. Hosted by: Mehak @whathemehak on TikTok and @whathemehak_ on IG Producer: Saadia Khan and Shei Yu | Content Writers: Mehak | Sound Designer & Editor: Lou Raskin I Love-ly Theme Music: Lou Raskin | Other Music: Epidemic Sound | Cover art design: Josephine Chai | Executive Producer: Saadia Khan  Please share the love and leave us a review on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Apple Podcasts⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ & ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to help more people find us!  Don’t forget to subscribe!  If you want to share your thoughts about this or other episodes, reach out at [email protected]. Follow us: @immigrantlypods (IG) |@immigrantly (TikTok) Love-ly is an Immigrantly Media Production. For advertising inquiries, email ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Subscribe to Hyphenly,  our new newsletter with hot takes, heartfelt stories, and all the feels of living in between cultures. Come for the nuance, stay for the vibes. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://hyphenly.beehiiv.com What do Pedro Pascal, a bad Hinge date, and the rom-com Materialists have in common? They all expose the messy math of modern love. In this solo episode of Love-ly, Mehak spills on the good, the cringe, and the downright bizarre of dating in 2025, from men asking for exclusivity after a single dinner to the exhausting cycle of deleting and redownloading apps. Along the way, she breaks down Materialists (starring Pascal, Dakota Johnson, and Chris Evans) and why movies keep trapping women in false binaries between money and passion, stability and desire. Spoiler: the real power move isn’t choosing him, it’s choosing yourself. Funny, raw, and painfully relatable, this episode is for anyone who’s ever thought “if he wanted to, he would” and then realized capacity matters more than desire. Hosted by: Mehak @whathemehak on TikTok and @whathemehak_ on IG Producer: Saadia Khan and Shei Yu | Content Writers: Mehak | Sound Designer & Editor: Lou Raskin I Love-ly Theme Music: Lou Raskin | Other Music: Epidemic Sound | Cover art design: Josephine Chai | Executive Producer: Saadia Khan  Please share the love and leave us a review on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Apple Podcasts⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ & ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to help more people find us!  Don’t forget to subscribe!  If you want to share your thoughts about this or other episodes, reach out at [email protected]. Follow us: @immigrantlypods (IG) |@immigrantly (TikTok) Love-ly is an Immigrantly Media Production. For advertising inquiries, email ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Feeling tired, moody, or breaking out for no reason? We thought it was just burnout—until we tried Function Health. Function tracks over 160 biomarkers, including hormones, stress, Vitamin D, and more, to help users understand what’s going on inside. Learn more at ⁠⁠⁠⁠www.functionhealth.com/LOVELY⁠⁠⁠⁠. She’s back and she’s bringing the truth bombs! In her return to Love-ly, attorney, comedian, and Muslim Matchmaker star Yasmin Elhady sits down with Mehak for a hilarious, heartfelt, and brutally honest conversation about modern love. From dismantling silly dating “icks” to exposing overconfidence, Yasmin shares how self-trust, spirituality, and the “three A’s” attraction, admiration, and adoration shape healthy relationships. She opens up about protecting your energy, setting standards without closing your heart, and why confident women attract exactly the kind of partners they deserve. Whether you’re single, dating, or just here for the laughs, this one’s a must-listen. Hosted by: Mehak @whathemehak on TikTok and @whathemehak_ on IG Producer: Saadia Khan and Shei Yu | Content Writers: Mehak | Sound Designer & Editor: Lou Raskin I Love-ly Theme Music: Lou Raskin | Other Music: Epidemic Sound | Cover art design: Josephine Chai | Executive Producer: Saadia Khan  Please share the love and leave us a review on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Apple Podcasts⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ & ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to help more people find us!  Don’t forget to subscribe!  If you want to share your thoughts about this or other episodes, reach out at [email protected]. Follow us: @immigrantlypods (IG) |@immigrantly (TikTok) Love-ly is an Immigrantly Media Production. For advertising inquiries, email ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠ Subscribe to Hyphenly,  our new newsletter with hot takes, heartfelt stories, and all the feels of living in between cultures. Come for the nuance, stay for the vibes. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://hyphenly.beehiiv.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices