Love-ly: Exploring Modern Relationships cover art

Love-ly: Exploring Modern Relationships

Love-ly: Exploring Modern Relationships

Written by: Immigrantly Media
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About this listen

 What happens when cultural traditions collide with the whirlwind of modern dating? Welcome to Love-ly, the podcast where our host (@whathemehak) explores the beautifully messy, deeply personal stories of love, identity, and connection. From first and second-generation immigrants balancing family expectations to Gen Z navigating dating apps and “situationships,” Love-ly dives into the heart of what it means to love in today’s tech-driven world. Every Friday, tune in for heartfelt conversations that remind us of one universal truth: no matter where you’re from or what your relationship status is, everyone has a lovely story worth telling. Hosted by: Mehak @whatthemehak on TikTok 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! Follow us on IG @love_lypod & @immigrantlypods Twitter @Immigrantly_pod TikTok @Immigrantly Subscribe to our Patreon Love-ly is an Immigrantly Media Production For advertising inquiries, please email at info@immigrantlypod.com Relationships Social Sciences
Episodes
  • Friction-Maxxing & Finding Your 2026 Obsession

    Friction-Maxxing & Finding Your 2026 Obsession
    Jan 9 2026
    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 info@immigrantlypod.com. Follow us: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@immigrantlypods (IG)⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@immigrantly⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (TikTok) | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@love_lypod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Love-ly is an Immigrantly Media Production. For advertising inquiries, email ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠info@immigrantlypod.com⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    22 mins
  • A Holiday Yap Session: Dating, Discernment, and Delusion

    A Holiday Yap Session: Dating, Discernment, and Delusion
    Dec 19 2025
    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 info@immigrantlypod.com. Follow us: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@immigrantlypods (IG)⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@immigrantly⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (TikTok) | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@love_lypod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Love-ly is an Immigrantly Media Production. For advertising inquiries, email ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠info@immigrantlypod.com⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    38 mins
  • Trad Wives and the Myth of Domestic Perfection with Jo Piazza

    Trad Wives and the Myth of Domestic Perfection with Jo Piazza
    Dec 12 2025
    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 info@immigrantlypod.com. Follow us: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@immigrantlypods (IG)⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@immigrantly⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (TikTok) | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@love_lypod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Love-ly is an Immigrantly Media Production. For advertising inquiries, email ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠info@immigrantlypod.com⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
    Show More Show Less
    47 mins
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