Wholehearted

In the bizarre in-between of the past year, Hannah has been especially grateful for and inspired by lifelong friendships. Over the next few episodes of Wholehearted, she is excited to share a series on friendship, starting with Hannah and her longest-lasting friend, Kameron...You can access a transcript for this episode here and check out the rest of our episodes at wholeheartedpodcast.com.WHOLEARTED IGWHOLEHEARTED PATREON

What does it mean to truly be a romantic? Is it yearning for potential human connection? Is it about loving attention? Is it about declaring to the world, hey, someone picked me? In this episode of Wholehearted, we explore what it’s all about...You can access a transcript for this episode here and check out the rest of our episodes at wholeheartedpodcast.com.WHOLEARTED IGWHOLEHEARTED PATREON 

Happy New Year from Hannah and the Wholehearted team. New episodes coming in the new year, we promise.

A reshare of a gem from season one of Wholehearted— from the age-old gamer boy/attention-starved girlfriend trope, to relationships heavily rooted in shared nerd culture, and partnerships where nerdiness pays the bills— like in the case of Gibi ASMR and her husband— how important is it that the fantasy realms you wholeheartedly adore are taken seriously by your partner? And how important is it for them to experience those worlds with you?

For better or for worse, The Phantom of the Opera is a foundational text of Hannah’s very existence. In this episode, she investigates the psychological impact of Phantom on fans too young to love it with even an ounce of irony. 

Mermaids, with their long, luscious hair, iridescent tails, and fabled siren song, have captured the imaginations of humankind for hundreds of years. And although they’re normally highly elusive and mysterious, today we are talking with a real life mermaid— Mermaid Aziza, also known as Danielle Houston.Make sure to follow Mermaid Aziza here!You can support Danielle's dreams of starting her own swim school by donating here!Follow Wholehearted on Instagram here.Keep up with all the innerworkings of Wholehearted by signing up for the newsletter here!Support Wholehearted on Patreon here!Access a transcript for this episode here!You can catch up on all episodes of Wholehearted on our website. 

Megan Elk was known throughout Cleveland for her larger-than-life cabaret performances as Miss Alexandra Huntington, a dame who loved singing songs about men who had wronged her.  But now that she's been truly unlucky in love... she had to kill Miss A off. A story about queerness, bisexual erasure, discovering and rediscovering identity through trauma, and good ol' fashioned betrayal. The intrigue! Life is nothing if not a performance. Megan's new project, Plated with Pride, can be found here. Follow Wholehearted on Instagram here.Keep up with all the innerworkings of Wholehearted by signing up for the newsletter here!Support Wholehearted on Patreon here!Access a transcript for this episode here!You can catch up on all episodes of Wholehearted on our website. 

Jada Taylor, the CEO and designer behind the Cleveland-based line Mixd Fashion, is only 24 years old and has already had an incredible career as an on-set clothing tailor for big-budget Hollywood movies. But her latest venture— and the project she believes in most wholeheartedly— is her very own clothing line, and she’s here to tell us all about it.Follow Wholehearted on Instagram here!Keep up with all the innerworkings of Wholehearted by signing up for the newsletter here!Support Wholehearted on Patreon here!Access a transcript for this episode here!You can catch up on all episodes of Wholehearted on our website. 

Gates McFadden— best known as Dr. Beverly Crusher on Star Trek: The Next Generation— and I are essentially strangers. But we have one big thing in common: we both loved her mother, Ronne. This is their story, from Gates herself. Follow Wholehearted on Instagram here!Keep up with all the innerworkings of Wholehearted by signing up for the newsletter here!Support Wholehearted on Patreon here!Access a transcript for this episode here!

Season 2 of Wholehearted is here, people... and what a time to be alive. The first episode of Wholehearted season 2, a conversation with Gates McFadden of Star Trek: The Next Generation, airs Wednesday, August 15th.

We wholeheartedly believe that Black lives matter. Non-Black people— particularly white people— people, it's time to fully commit to a lifelong unlearning and championing for racial justice. If you're interested in attending a biweekly workshop for white people to educate one another, talk through action steps, and unpack internal biases, the next session is on Friday, June 26th, 2020 at 7pm EST. Here is the link directly to the zoom session!Our story editor, Isabel, has put together a ton of anti-racist media resources in a doc, organized by topic. Here it is."You have to act as if it were possible to radically transform the world. And you have to do it all the time.”  - Angela Davis

Did you have a defining high school crush? Did you ever tell them how you felt? What do you wish you could say to them now? In this suburban ode to baby queers, 23-year-old Hannah does what her 14-year-old self was always too scared to do: confront her best friend-turned-crush-turned-distant enemy, Nick, about their old secrets. A story about the joys (and the terrors!) of high school  friendships, what it means to be a good friend, and the fatalistic framework of first love. (EPISODE 1 UPDATE with new music by Josh Perelman-Hall! Follow him on social media at @josh_isnt for more!) 

How are you doing inside? Send your thoughts, big and small, to Hannah via email by (sending a message to hannah [at] wholeheartedpodcast.com) or DM her at wholeheartedpodcast. 

A serial entrepreneur and CEO. An astro-memelord with half a million followers. An operations project manager for a prestigious restaurant group. An indie audio producer. What do all these people have in common? An intimate and idiosyncratic relationship with “The Grind.”

In the often-boring world of adulthood, there are few things that bring such primal joy as a good old-fashioned dose of drama. Whether it be reality TV, a confrontational text conversation, or eavesdropping on fighting strangers in public, why is it that gossip, rumors, and bad decisions give us so much life?  Click here to leave a review for Wholehearted, you angel!

In 2020, emo is the subject of a renaissance. Events like "Emo Night" dance parties are selling out across the country. Bands like My Chemical Romance and Fall Out Boy are dramatically reuniting or have already successfully transitioned into the pop megafame. In this episode of Wholehearted, Hannah wants to know why fans have stayed so invested in this genre and aesthetic over the years and what emo fandom looks like in a subculture more intertwined with the Internet than ever before.

From the age-old gamer boy/attention-starved girlfriend trope, to relationships heavily rooted in shared nerd culture, and partnerships where nerdiness pays the bills— like in the case of Gibi ASMR and her husband— how important is it that the fantasy realms you wholeheartedly adore are taken seriously by your partner? And how important is it for them to experience those worlds with you?

Once upon a lazy summer in Ohio, Hannah did something unabashedly reckless with someone less-than-ideal. She wholeheartedly believes that the spirit of chanteuse Lana Del Rey compelled her to do it.

Michael Weber, The Midwest's crown prince of rock and roll, wholeheartedly believes in the power of an earth-shaking guitar solo and a hand-dyed sport coat. But what lies beneath his otherwordly performance persona and unbelievably excellent branding? 

Balloons. Presents. Shots. Tiaras. Passive-aggressive behavior. Crying in public. Dragging friends around the zoo. Join Hannah as she embarks on a journey into the psyche into one of the modern world's most fascinating personality types... the Birthday Bitch.

Sixteen-year-old Hannah wholeheartedly believed that she and her best friend Nick were meant to be. Although that never happened, twenty-four-year-old Hannah believes that she still doesn't understand what happened between them. Thankfully, Nick is here to clarify. A story about first love, growing up, and what it means to be a good friend.

What do you wholeheartedly believe in? A new podcast about full-bodied commitment to the people, places, things, and ideas we believe in, for better or for worse. Created by Hannah Rae Leach. Premieres October 30th.