Love-ly: Exploring Modern Relationships

By Immigrantly Media

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 ... more

3.9

3434 ratings

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FAQs about Love-ly: Exploring Modern Relationships:

How many episodes does Love-ly: Exploring Modern Relationships have?

The podcast currently has 63 episodes available.

Love-ly: Exploring Modern Relationships episodes:

June 05, 2026 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: [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
...more
47min
May 29, 2026 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: ⁠[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
...more
53min
May 22, 2026Nobody 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: [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
...more
51min
May 15, 2026Looksmaxxing 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 [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
...more
52min
May 08, 2026 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: [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
...more
52min
May 01, 2026Clayton 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: [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
...more
37min
April 24, 2026Clayton 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: ⁠[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
...more
49min
April 17, 2026 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: ⁠[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
...more
57min
April 10, 2026No Foreplay, Just Comedy: Salma Hindy on Ayahuasca, Vaginismus, and Dating Younger
"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
...more
43min
April 03, 2026Why Narcissism Feels Like Love with Dr. Joy Berkheimer
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
...more
44min

FAQs about Love-ly: Exploring Modern Relationships:

How many episodes does Love-ly: Exploring Modern Relationships have?

The podcast currently has 63 episodes available.