Épisodes

  • Polyamory, Hierarchies & the Relationship Escalator: A Deep Dive with Leanne Yau
    Jul 18 2025
    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. In this episode of Love-ly, host Mehak sits down with Leanne Yau, British sex and relationship educator and the voice behind @polyphiliablog, to unpack the nuances of polyamory. From her first open relationship at 17 to living non-hierarchically with multiple partners, Leanne shares her journey, debunks common misconceptions (like “polyamory is just for people bad at monogamy”), and explains terms like relationship hierarchy, relationship escalator, and relationship anarchy. Whether you’re monogamish, poly-curious, or somewhere in between, this conversation offers a thoughtful and judgment-free look at how we define love, connection, and commitment. You can find Leanne's content on YouTube (@PolyPhilia) and Instagram (@polyphiliablog). Hosted by: Mehak @whatthemehak on TikTok and @whatthemehak_ 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 info@immigrantlypod.com. Follow us: @immigrantlypods (IG) |@immigrantly (TikTok) 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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    56 min
  • Love-ly Letters: Burn Bright, Fade Fast
    Jul 11 2025
    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 This week’s Love-ly episode is a real one—like, voice-memo-real. When listener and freelance podcast producer Teja Pallikonda reached out with a recent dating story, we knew we had to share it. It starts like a modern fairytale: hours-long phone calls, a dreamy first date, and the kind of potential that gets you hopeful. But then… came the slow ghost. Excuses. Cancellations. Confusion. Teja brings receipts — literally. She plays us the actual breakup voice memo she sent this Hinge man (yes, he heard it, and now so will you), and unpacks what it taught her about communication, self-worth, and managing dating anxiety. Our host, Mehak, offers her hot takes on why she never gives strangers the benefit of the doubt, and what it means to set standards in the age of soft boys and disappearing acts. Romance, realness, and voice notes? Hit play. Hosted by: Mehak @whatthemehak on TikTok and @whatthemehak_ 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 info@immigrantlypod.com Follow us: @immigrantlypods (IG) |@immigrantly (TikTok) 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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    40 min
  • Confessions, Confidence & Cringe Dates: A No Filter Chat with Uzi
    Jun 27 2025
    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 This week on Love-ly, Mehak sits down with the unapologetically charming Uzi for a wildly entertaining, refreshingly honest conversation about dating in the age of ghosting, rejection, and situationships. From chasing strangers by the waterfront to getting called out mid-flirt for shady texts, Uzi shares his unfiltered takes on confidence, emotional availability, and why being a “nice guy” sometimes backfires. They get into the real stuff: what women often misunderstand about men, how to approach someone in real life without being weird, and whether liking bikini pics while cuffed is ever okay. Plus, Uzi opens up about immigrant identity, therapy, fake-it-till-you-make-it confidence, and why he’s pressing pause on dating for now. If you've ever felt nervous shooting your shot or wondered if you’re too much or not enough, this episode is your sign to go for it. Hit play. Share with your group chat. Maybe even send it to your situationship! Hosted by: Mehak @whatthemehak on TikTok and @whatthemehak_ 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 info@immigrantlypod.com Follow us: @immigrantlypods (IG) |@immigrantly (TikTok) 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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    39 min
  • Snapchat Isn’t a Love Language (and 9 More Summer Truths)
    Jun 20 2025
    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 Ready to romanticize your single summer without the drama? In this solo episode, Mehak drops 10 must-hear reminders for anyone navigating love, loneliness, and Love Island obsessions. From dodging red flags in warm weather to why Snapchat is not a love language (seriously, stop), this is your emotional reset button. Whether you're solo or boo’d up, it’s time to pick peace, wear the bikini, eat the fries, and live your main character moment. Let’s make this the summer of you. Hosted by: Mehak @whatthemehak on TikTok and @whatthemehak_ 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 info@immigrantlypod.com Follow us: @immigrantlypods (IG) |@immigrantly (TikTok) 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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    26 min
  • Should I Stay or Should I Go? Love, Breakups & Emotional Truths with Laura Caruso
    Jun 13 2025
    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 This episode is brought to you by Zocdoc. Stop putting off those doctor appointments and visit Zocdoc.com/Lovely to find and instantly book a top-rated doctor today. Therapist and writer Laura Caruso joins our host Mehak for a raw, real-time conversation about heartbreak, emotional regulation, and the hard question we’ve all faced in relationships: “Should I stay or should I go?” Mehak and Laura unpack the fear of commitment, the empathy gap in modern love, and how to process breakups with clarity and compassion. Plus, a sneak peek into Laura’s upcoming book, “The Empathy Deficit”. Whether you're deep in the feels or thriving solo, this one will hit home. Hosted by: Mehak @whatthemehak on TikTok and @whatthemehak_ 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 info@immigrantlypod.com Follow us: @immigrantlypods (IG) |@immigrantly (TikTok) 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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    54 min
  • Infidelity, Red Flags, and Dating App Survival Guide
    Jun 6 2025
    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 This episode is brought to you by Zocdoc. Stop putting off those doctor appointments and visit Zocdoc.com/Lovely to find and instantly book a top-rated doctor today. This one has it all. Hot air balloons, missing luggage, toxic exes, hinge horror stories, and cheating scandals that broke the internet. This week on Love-ly, Mehak sits down with dating coach Genny Diehl to break down everything from early-stage dating mistakes to the viral! Wizard Liz cheating drama. Why do people cheat? Can you really avoid getting cheated on? How do you set boundaries on dating apps without sounding "too much"? And how do you protect your peace in the era of love bombing? Whether you're swiping, healing, or thriving solo, this episode is your cheat code for navigating modern dating with confidence. Plus, Mehak spills the wild story of how she found out her ex was cheating (spoiler: it involves Crave passwords). If you've ever had a pit in your stomach before a date, this one's for you. Tune in. Share with your besties. And always bet on yourself. Hosted by: Mehak @whatthemehak on TikTok and @whatthemehak_ 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 info@immigrantlypod.com Follow us: @immigrantlypods (IG) |@immigrantly (TikTok) 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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    50 min
  • Almost Relationships, Hinge Disasters, and Saying No Without Guilt
    May 23 2025
    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 On this episode of Love-ly, host Mehak sits down with TikTok creator and tech professional Jocelyn Chow for a refreshingly honest take on dating in NYC, from weird first dates and love bombing to why “almost relationships” can hurt more than real breakups. Jocelyn also opens up about growing up as the daughter of Burmese immigrants, unlearning people-pleasing, and how safety concerns often keep women from speaking up on dates. Together, Mehak and Jocelyn unpack how dating apps have changed, what to actually look for in a partner, and why third-wheeling your best friend might be the best relationship prep out there. Hosted by: Mehak @whatthemehak on TikTok and @whatthemehak_ 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 info@immigrantlypod.com Follow us: @immigrantlypods (IG) |@immigrantly (TikTok) Love-ly is an Immigrantly Media Production. For advertising inquiries, email ⁠⁠info@immigrantlypod.com⁠ This episode is brought to you by Zocdoc. Stop putting off those doctor appointments and visit Zocdoc.com/Lovely to find and instantly book a top-rated doctor today. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    45 min
  • Love, Trauma, and Sex: The Conversations We Are Not Having
    May 16 2025
    This episode is brought to you by Zocdoc. Stop putting off those doctor appointments and visit http://Zocdoc.com/Lovely to find and instantly book a top-rated doctor today. 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 In this deeply personal episode of Love-ly, host Mehak reconnects with licensed marriage and family therapist Samar Haroon, founder and clinical director of Therapy in Colour, a mental health collective centering on BIPOC and South Asian clients. The two first met as teenagers in Karachi, and now they sit down for their first real conversation, diving into topics such as therapy, bicultural identity, and generational trauma, as well as why dating today feels more complicated than ever. Samar shares how her upbringing, moving between the U.S. and Pakistan after 9/11, growing up in a single-parent household, and later navigating hyper-religious family dynamics informs her work. She and Mehak unpack the cultural shame around therapy in South Asian communities, the impact of the Me Too movement on gender dynamics, and why so many smart, accomplished women are struggling with connection, intimacy, and dating today. This episode is for anyone navigating love, healing, and identity across borders and expectations. Hosted by: Mehak @whatthemehak on TikTok and @whatthemehak_ 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 info@immigrantlypod.com Follow us: @immigrantlypods (IG) |@immigrantly (TikTok) 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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    49 min