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Description
Hearts and Handlebars is a school‑run podcast for working parents whose mornings look more like spilt coffee than green‑juice perfection.
Hosted by BBC foreign correspondent Anna Holligan and her 9‑year‑old daughter Zena, each bite‑sized episode is recorded on the bike, in real time, on the way to school – made for parents to share with their kids on their own school run, as part of a bedtime wind‑down routine or with a fresh post drop-off coffee.
You’ll ride along for big feelings, evolving identities, trending topics and the constant effort to steer mum‑life and professional life in tandem while still chasing some kind of balance.
The same skills praised as “strategy, leadership and resilience” in boardrooms show up here as the uncredited labour of getting kids dressed, fed, motivated and delivered on time – Hearts and Handlebars is gentle pushback against the pressure to keep that work, and you, invisible.
This is not a vibe‑checked guide to perfect parenting; it’s messy, unfiltered, honest company for whenever you need proof that you’re not alone and you’re doing better than you think.
Listeners’ stories and school‑run dramas will pop up too, with Zena on hand to rate the chaos, and you’ll hear all the sounds you never get in a studio – traffic, weather and chatter that make it feel like you’re cycling alongside them.
If you crave relatable stories instead of another glossy performance of “having it all”, Hearts and Handlebars is your ride.
Share your morning chaos (or enviably nailed routines) on Instagram @heartsandhandlebars – and, as Zena says, “STAY LOVIN!”.
11 Episodes
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Ever watched those 5am green-juice, perfect-parenting reels and thought: absolutely not my life?
This episode is the opposite. It's a wet, freezing, totally real school run in The Hague – complete with a hidden dog, a desperate need for the toilet, and a nine-year-old "truth pixie" calling me out on everything from gender roles to my gym fails.
We talk about:
Parenting without babysitters and relying on bike lanes and other parents
What kids actually love about life in the Netherlands (spoiler: cycling and cheese)
Why talking to everyone the same – from head teacher to security guard – is a quiet act of teaching values
"Papa days," single parenting, and why showing up exactly as you are is more than enough
If your mornings are more chaos than curated, this one's for you.
🎧 Tap follow, share with a friend who gets it, and come say hi on Instagram @heartsandhandlebars.
It's snowing. The "Beast from the East" is here. And on this freezing school run through The Hague, we're talking about the complicated dance between letting your kid be independent and keeping them safe.
We cover:
Rule-breaker parent, rule-follower kid – how do kids end up the opposite of us?
Asking once, not ten times – why repeating yourself trains kids to stop listening
The guilt of always being there vs. the skills they build when you're not (but how do you know the balance is right?)
Granny soup in a flask, leg warmers, and why you absolutely should wear a hat even if you refuse
How one live radio interview made me realize my anxious parenting might actually be working
Independence vs. security – why this mum still won't leave her daughter alone at home (and other Dutch parenting moves that feel foreign)
If you're wondering whether you're getting the balance right between hovering and letting go, this one's for you.
🎧 Tap follow, share with a friend who gets it, and come say hi on Instagram @heartsandhandlebars.
It's zero degrees, pouring with rain, and Marley the dog has snuck into the cargo bike again (because Zena feels bad for him). On this brutally cold school run through The Hague, we talk about friendship fallouts, car gears, and why being soaked to the bone on a bike actually beats sitting in traffic.
We cover:
What to do when your kid's friendship falls out but their parents stay awkward – do you message or stay out of it?
Why cycling infrastructure makes all the difference (and Scotland vs. The Hague in the rain)
The difference between control in a car vs. a bike – why steering is simpler than gears
Zena's favorite subjects at school (DART, robotics, poetry in court cases – yes, really)
Why you wouldn't get an ear piercing when it's this cold (but should wait until Thursday)
Coffee intake, hyperactivity, and the chaos of layers in freezing weather
What your job as a parent looks like when your kid is surrounded by good friends vs. complicated ones
If you've ever wondered why Dutch parents cycle in weather that would keep most of us indoors, or how to navigate the minefield of kids' friendship drama without making it worse, this one's for you.
🎧 Tap follow, share with a friend, and come say hi on Instagram @heartsandhandlebars.
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, hypocrisy, and why she refuses to pretend everything's fine just because we're recording.
The conversation gets uncomfortable:
When a parent is rude and doesn't realize it
How perfectionism can kill authenticity (even on a "real" podcast)
The moment a nine-year-old calls out her mum for asking her to soften the edges
Why "just be yourself" can sound like code for "be yourself, but only the happy parts"
Forgiveness, journaling club, and the decision to try again
But here's the thing – this is exactly why Hearts and Handlebars exists. Because Zena was right: if we only shared the good moments, we'd just be another perfectly curated podcast. And she refused to let that happen.
By the end of the ride, we're okay. But we earned it.
🎧 Tap follow, share with a friend who gets that mornings are messy, and come say hi on Instagram @heartsandhandlebars.
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:
The Brooklyn Beckham Instagram drama: when celebrity family conflicts become a cautionary tale about brand, boundaries, and "inappropriate dancing"
What stories would actually interest a school community (spoiler: not just news)
Why a newspaper needs pets of the month, book reviews, puzzles, and feel-good pieces – not just hard news
How to format a student newspaper so different readers find something that captures them
Scripted vs. freestyle: why my daughter refuses to read from a script, and why she's probably right
Scottish facts that even confuse the Scots: which way do haggis really run?
The mum who can't dance appropriately (according to her nine-year-old)
If you're thinking about launching a school newspaper, or you just want to hear how a real journalist approaches storytelling with her daughter, this episode is for you.
🎧 Tap follow, share with a friend, and come say hi on Instagram @heartsandhandlebars.
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 podcast recorded in real time on a cargo bike.
Anna Holligan, a BBC foreign correspondent, and her nine-year-old daughter Zeno share unscripted, honest conversations on the way to school—covering parenting, work-life balance, emotions, and the everyday moments that matter.
No studio, no scripts: just curious, real-time relatable & often messy chats.
Follow @heartsandhandlebars for a ride-along reminder that showing up exactly as you are is more than enough.
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 early for cheaper flights, and wonder what it means to “do the right thing” when term‑time rules and real life collide.
You’ll hear real‑time faff — ugly caps, wobbly bike locks, dog wrangling and bakery FOMO — alongside big feelings about growing up, seasonal school parties and that strange in‑between stage of being not‑quite‑primary, not‑quite‑secondary. If your own mornings feel more chaos than green‑juice‑at‑5am, this is your invite to ride along and remember that showing up exactly as you are is more than enough.
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.
It's raining (Nibbles and Mac are only spitting, not fully peeing). Zena forgot her beloved troll at home. And on this chaotic school run through The Hague, we're plotting something sneaky – while also talking about privacy, trust, acting, and the unexpected magic of Dutch cycling culture.
We cover:
The negotiation: why Zena refuses to let me tell the parent group about annoying kids, and what happens when a nine-year-old sets the boundary instead
"Operation Troll Smuggle" – a real-time plan to sneak a toy into school in a snack box without the teacher noticing
The woman on the bike who's 80 years old and going relatively fast: why Dutch cycling infrastructure keeps people mobile for their entire lives
What would your great-grandmother have done if she could have ridden a bike instead of sitting in a chair?
ACT School – Zena's spontaneous idea for her mum's theater school project, and why acting builds both imagination and confidence
Why losing your special troll is genuinely important, and why a parent who listens to that matters
Meeting friends at statues, forgotten homework, and the beautiful chaos of making it work anyway
If you've ever snuck something into school, or you've wondered why Dutch people cycle in weather that seems impossible, or you want to hear what happens when a child draws a boundary that changes a parenting conversation, this one's for you.
🎧 Tap follow, share with a friend, and come say hi on Instagram @heartsandhandlebars.
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