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Love-ly: Exploring Modern Relationships

Immigrantly
  • 3.9 (34)
  • Relationships
  • Updated Weekly

What happens when cultural traditions collide with the whirlwind of modern dating? Welcome to Love-ly, the podcast where our host Mehak (@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 @whathemehak 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 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 info@immigrantlypod.com

  1. 3d ago

    What You Lose When You Always Leave

    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: info@immigrantlypod.com 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 info@immigrantlypod.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    46 min

  2. May 29

    Trad Wives and the Myth of Domestic Perfection with Jo Piazza (December 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. 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: ⁠info@immigrantlypod.com⁠ 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 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠info@immigrantlypod.com⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    53 min

  3. May 22

    Nobody Inconveniences Themselves Anymore

    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: info@immigrantlypod.com 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 info@immigrantlypod.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    50 min

  4. May 15

    Looksmaxxing Won't Make You Lovable with Fred Kutnick

    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 fredkutnicktherapy@gmail.com 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: info@immigrantlypod.com 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 info@immigrantlypod.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    51 min

  5. May 8

    What We Weren’t Taught About Intimacy: Love, Boundaries & Letting Go
(February 2025)

    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: info@immigrantlypod.com 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 info@immigrantlypod.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    52 min

  6. May 1

    Clayton Echard: The Work In Progress (Part 2)

    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: info@immigrantlypod.com 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 info@immigrantlypod.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    36 min

  7. Apr 24

    Clayton Echard: Before You Form An Opinion (Part 1)

    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: ⁠info@immigrantlypod.com⁠ 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 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠info@immigrantlypod.com⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    48 min

  8. Apr 17

    Decentering Parents Without Guilt: Finding Confidence & Independence with Shazmeera Qadri (September 2025)

    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: ⁠info@immigrantlypod.com⁠ 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 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠info@immigrantlypod.com⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    56 min
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3.9
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34 Ratings

About

What happens when cultural traditions collide with the whirlwind of modern dating? Welcome to Love-ly, the podcast where our host Mehak (@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 @whathemehak 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 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 info@immigrantlypod.com

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