Hearts and Handlebars
Hearts and Handlebars is a parenting podcast about real‑life school runs, motherhood and big feelings on a Dutch cargo bike. It’s made for parents and kids whose mornings look more like spilt coffee than green‑juice perfection. Hosted by BBC foreign correspondent and mum Anna Holligan and her 9‑year‑old daughter Zena, every short episode is recorded on the bike, in real time, on the way to school – made to be played on your own school run, during the bedtime wind‑down or with a much‑earned post drop‑off coffee. You’re riding along for big feelings, shifting identities, TikTok talk, friendship fallouts and the daily tightrope walk between paid work and care work. The same skills praised as “strategy, leadership and resilience” in workplaces show up here as the invisible graft of getting kids dressed, fed, emotionally held and delivered on time – Hearts and Handlebars is a gentle protest against that parenting labour, and you, staying unseen. This is not a vibe‑checked guide to perfect parenting. It’s messy, unfiltered, funny and disarmingly honest company for the mornings when you need proof you’re not the only mum, dad, carer or guardian spinning plates – and that you’re doing far better than it feels. You’ll also hear listeners’ stories and school‑run dramas, with Zena on hand to rate the chaos and offer kid‑level hot takes, plus all the sounds you never get in a studio: bike bells, traffic, Dutch weather and the kind of chatter that makes it feel like you’re actually in the bike lane with them. If you’re over glossy “having it all” content and want a kids & family show that sounds like your real life, not your algorithm, Hearts and Handlebars is your ride. Share your morning chaos (or enviably nailed routines) on Instagram @heartsandhandlebars – and, as Zena says, “STAY LOVIN!”.
Episodes
It's the last ride of Season 1 — and Anna has something to set the record straight. After a comment in the previous episode suggested she might have found her own mum's approach to motherhood "stifling," she's back on the cargo bike with Zena to correct the record: her mum is actually the blueprint.
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On this Hearts and Handlebars school run, Anna and Zena swap the cargo bike for Zena’s own wheels and road‑test what cycling proficiency really teaches kids – and all the crucial things it doesn’t.
From wobbling past colleges in the wind to ...
A school run, a missing orange cap and a hunt for seagull sounds turn into something much bigger in this episode of Hearts and Handlebars, a parenting podcast about modern motherhood and (double shift) working mums. As BBC journalist Anna Holligan and her daughter Zena pedal through The Hague, they talk about three generations of mums i...
It’s crazy hair day at school – but what happens when you’re the parent who forgets? Climb into the cargo bike for a chilly Dutch school run as Anna and Zena navigate pipe‑cleaner ponytails, Fuzetea bottle “juice hair” and the emotional gymnastics of getting everyone out the door on time.
Dutch kids are the happiest on earth, but the Netherlands is slipping down the global happiness charts. What goes wrong between the carefree bike years and doomscrolling teen life?
On this misty school run, we ride through the six “secret ingredients” of Dutch childhood—independence, bikes, low-pressure school, calm routines, community and strong policy—then slam into the teen years, social media, and a government flirting with ...
On this school run, Donald Trump takes a swipe at dyslexia during Neurodiversity Week – and my nine-year-old dyslexic daughter is having none of it.
We dive into how dyslexic brains really work, and why problem‑solving, empathy and a fierce sense of right and wrong are quiet superpowers. From Albert Einstein and Steve Jobs to a Charlotte’s Web casting twist, we unpack labels, stereotypes and what it means to feel different. There ...
On this ride, Anna and Zena start with hair, hurry and the tiny acts of independence that make or break a school‑run – and end up in a much bigger conversation about race, language and how kids learn what’s “ok” to say. They talk about why curly hair matters, why mums nag about not wasting a life on appearances, and the awkward classroom moments when “black”, “brown” and “rude” get tangled together. If you’re juggling emails, lunch...
On this bright, frosty school run in The Hague, Hearts and Handlebars dives into how to talk to kids about war, scary news and the US–Israel strikes on Iran—without crushing their sense of safety. From cherry blossom, new fringes and favourite flowers to forgotten mouthguards and school‑newspaper book reviews, journalist‑mum Anna Holligan uses a real‑time cargo‑bike ride with her nine‑year‑old to explain why Iran is in the headline...
A real‑time school‑run parenting conversation from our Dutch cargo bike in The Hague about dyslexia, neurodiversity and keeping your own creative dreams alive between lunch boxes and laundry.
A dead mouse, a Pringles‑box funeral plan and a d...
A misty, freezing school‑run parenting chat from our Dutch cargo bike in The Hague, all about gentle parenting, FAFO consequences and how kids actually experience our parenting styles.
Missing gloves and damp curls kick off a conversation ab...
A wet, freezing school‑run parenting chat from our Dutch cargo bike in The Hague – the exact opposite of those 5am green‑juice, perfect‑parenting reels – with a hidden dog, toilet emergencies and a nine‑year‑old “truth pixie” calling me out.
A freezing school‑run parenting chat from our Dutch cargo bike in The Hague, all about kids’ independence, safety and anxious parenting during the “Beast from the East” snow.
It’s snowing, it’s brutally cold, and on this real‑time ride we’re...
A freezing cold school‑run parenting chat from our Dutch cargo bike in The Hague, about kids’ friendship drama, Dutch cycling culture and what your job as a parent looks like when the weather – and the social dynamics – are freezing.
It’s ze...
This is the episode where Hearts and Handlebars gets real in ways we didn't plan.
Zena wakes up angry. She tells me straight: "I don't want to talk to you today." And she means it. What follows is a raw, unfiltered argument about rudeness, h...
It's 8am on the bike, and Zena is practicing her script about Scottish haggis for a class presentation – while we're having a surprisingly clever conversation about what a school newspaper should actually cover.
We dive into:
Real-time school run on the bike with a journalist and her daughter — toothbrush meltdowns, missing hairbands, a stolen rain cover and a cold, wet dash to school.
Zena answer kids’ questions, debates Dutch theme-park choices, while Anna recalls an encounter with a kind stranger offering to help with recycling, and reminds you that showing up exactly as you are is more than enough. Hit follow and join the ride.
Hearts and Handlebars is a school‑run parenting podcast recorded in real time on a Dutch cargo bike. BBC foreign correspondent and mum Anna Holligan and her nine‑year‑old daughter Zena share unscripted, honest conversations on the way to school – about parenting, work–life balance, kids’ emotions and everyday family life in The Hague.
<...Zena limps to school. Mum skips shower to save time. Join the morning chaos, hit follow, and ride along for imperfect routines, parenting moments, and everyday observations from the bike lane.
A frantic Dutch school run, a mum with 47% battery, and a daughter who turns a damp December bike ride into a conversation about fireworks bans, conscience and the pink‑and‑blue winter sky. In this pilot episode of Hearts and Handlebars, journalist Anna and her Year 5 co‑host Zena race to make the gates on time, talk about kids leaving ...
In this episode Anna prepares to visit a newborn to report on Dutch kraamzorg for the BBC, reflects on Zena's dramatic birth and reveals how a tragic air disaster still touches their lives — a reminder that imperfect routines and showing up are more than enough.
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