Getting Close

About Getting Close

Getting Close is an intimate exploration of how we connect, love, and build relationships in the modern world. Each week, host Aidan Wharton sits down with culture-shaping voices to give you practical insights from honest conversations about relationships, Queerness, sex, connection, and community. gettingclosepod.substack.com

Publisher

Aidan Wharton

Category

health & fitness · health & fitness

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

7 Jan 2026

Latest episode

23 Jun 2026

Latest episodes

6 of 25 episodes have a transcript.

1. 

   23 Jun 2026TRANSCRIPT

   PRIDE SHOW with Ben Greene - on How to Make New Friends, Finding Joy & Whimsy, & What Pride Means in 2026

   Host Aidan Wharton interviews Ben Greene, author and advocate, exploring how to find joy, build new friendships, and understand Pride's evolving meaning.

2. 

   16 Jun 2026

   Gay Shame Researcher - on the Male Gaze, Sex with Your Friends, and how Compulsive Dating is Actually a Shame Response

   If you find yourself stuck in endless cycles of bad dating, unfulfilling friendships, and bad sex, this episode will help you get untangled. In this episode, you and I sit down with Jordan Gonsalves to talk about the hidden impact of shame on all of our lives. We dive deep into Jordan's journey with shame, how shame shows up in relationships and dating, self-worth and aging, practical tools to combat shame, and Jordan's new podcast Unshaming. Jordan Gonsalves is a journalist who reports on shame and the host of a new podcast called Unshaming, coming out June 17th. He's interviewed over a hundred people on how shame has kept them from finding love, from being happy with their body, from being happy with their lives, and how they've overcome it. His goal is to teach you that the shame we carry isn't ours to begin with. We Get Curious About How the opposite of shame is actually belonging How compulsive dating is a shame avoidance strategy Why you need to grieve the past chapters of your life How to combat any compulsive behaivors How learning your virtues can help you find community. Links Unshaming: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/unshaming/id1495535622 Jordan on Substack: https://jordangonsalves.substack.com/ Jordan on IG: https://www.instagram.com/jor_gonsalves/ Aidan on IG: https://www.instagram.com/aidanwharton Getting Close on IG: https://www.instagram.com/gettingclosepod/ Chapters (00:00) Understanding Shame and Its Impact (02:51) Jordan's Journey with Shame (05:44) The Roots of Shame in Childhood (09:07) Shame and Validation in the LGBTQ+ Community (11:56) Compulsive Behaviors and Escaping Shame (14:50) Dating and the Role of Shame (18:06) Grief, Vulnerability, and Healing Shame (20:57) Overcoming Shame: Steps to Acceptance (27:40) Embracing Self-Worth and Acceptance (32:59) The Power of Belonging and Community (40:04) Aging and the Gift of Life (46:14) Curiosity and Connection in the Modern World

3. 

   9 Jun 2026TRANSCRIPT

   Love & Connection Expert - on Why Gay Dating Feels so Hard, Modern Relations & Hinge's 2026 LGBTQ DATE Report

   Host Aidan Wharton interviews Hinge's Love & Connection Expert Moe Ari Brown about actionable data from the 2026 LGBTQ+ D.A.T.E. Report to make modern dating easier.

Inside a recent episode

PRIDE SHOW with Ben Greene - on How to Make New Friends, Finding Joy & Whimsy, & What Pride Means in 2026

Published 23 Jun 2026 · Transcript excerpt

[…] So I do a lot of work with parents of trans kids. And I've done over 200 PFLAG presentations. So I've really gotten to learn what parents are struggling with, especially right in the beginning. And so often they come in and it's all about fear and despair. Even if they love their kid tremendously, I'm here to support my trans kid because I don't want them to kill themselves. And I think that's sort of writ large for a lot of queer parents in general. Yes. No matter what, it's a fear of, I don't want your life to be harder. I don't want you to die, especially like for gay men. It was, I don't want you to get AIDS. […]

Who has been a guest on Getting Close

Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.

• Ben Greene
• Moe Ari Brown
• Steven Rowley
• Nick Wolny
• Rachel Karp

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Apple Podcasts (US)

5.0 / 5

114 ratings

Contact Getting Close

Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.

Questions about Getting Close