Hearts and Handlebars

About 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!”.

Publisher

Anna Holligan

Category

kids & family

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

12 Jan 2026

Latest episode

22 Apr 2026

Latest episodes

21 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   22 Apr 2026

   Season 1 Finale: Nanas, Mums & The Women Who Came Before Us

   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. In this cherry blossom-dusted season finale, Anna and Zena reflect on the women who shape us across generations — the reading voices, the acting games, the unconditional presence — and why grandmothers deserve far more credit than they get. Plus: the legendary story of Nana catching a poo to save a perfect bath, how Nana flew from Scotland to The Hague mid-labour and still made it to the hospital before Zena arrived, and the small, steady rituals that pass quietly from one generation to the next. Zena also reveals her Book Character Day costume (Jen from Real Friends), Uncle Nick is flying in from Texas, and Anna's jeans are... wet. Thank you for riding with us this season. Season 2 is coming. In this episode: Why Anna's mum is the reason she shows up for every school trip, presentation, and camp drop-off The intergenerational magic of reading aloud, acting games, and being taken seriously as a child Real talk on what it means to be "present" as a parent The chaos and warmth of school run life — cherry blossom, leaf blowers, dog interruptions and all Hearts and Handlebars is the podcast recorded live on the school run — a BBC journalist mum and her daughter, talking honestly about life, family and growing up from the back of a Dutch cargo bike. New episodes every Wednesday (starting again in Season 2). Subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts. #HeartsAndHandlebars #SchoolRun #MumPodcast #ParentingPodcast #Motherhood #Grandmothers #WorkingMums #CargoLife #CyclingWithKids #SeasonFinale #TheHague #FamilyPodcast

2. 

   15 Apr 2026

   School Run Wobbles: Cycling Proficiency & Unwritten Rules

   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 negotiating busy junctions and impatient cyclists behind them, they talk through the unwritten rules that quietly make everyday family cycling safer: being predictable, choosing when to stop or go around an obstacle, signalling clearly, and how to handle cars that suddenly block the bike lane. Along the way they share real‑life cautionary tales about feet in spokes, sticks in wheels, and why “no time for tricks” is sometimes the kindest rule on a bike path. If you’re cycling with kids to school, new to Dutch bike lanes, or just wondering how to turn basic cycling proficiency into real‑world confidence, this ride‑along episode is for you. Hop on for practical, kid‑level safety tips, a bit of role‑play, and a lot of love from the bike lane. #cycling#urbancycling #familycycling  #bikingwithkids #schoolrun#Netherlands  #TheHague  #parentingpodcast

3. 

   8 Apr 2026

   Motherhood, Careers and the Mental Load: Anna and Zena’s ‘Third Way’

   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 in their family – a great‑grandmother who worked only in her husband’s business, a Nana who stayed at home to raise four children, and a modern mum trying to balance being present with a career she loves. Together they ask what a “proper job” really is, why being a stay‑at‑home mum can be both beautiful and stifling, and whether there’s a “third way” of motherhood that keeps the playfulness and dedication of previous generations without losing women’s ambitions and careers. Along the way there are class reps, ducks on honeymoon, wishes on dandelion clocks and a vision for animals for Britain’s new coins – all woven into a candid conversation about motherhood, money, the mental load and what kind of parent today’s kids might want to be tomorrow. #heartsandhandlebars #parentingpodcast #motherhood #mumlife #modernmotherhood #parentingtips #sahm

Contact Hearts and Handlebars

Guest appearances

Does not typically book guests

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