Zena prepares for a school presentation, they take you zipping past other bikes while discussing what Brooklyn Beckham's mum Victoria "dancing inappropriately" would look like and come up with ideas for a proposed new school newspaper.

Candid, real-time school run by bike — abandoned coffee, morning rush and warm, unscripted conversations (Beckhams, haggis, tartan) imperfect, reassuring, and full of heart.

Have you ever seen those 5am “Green Juice” posts and thought, absolutely not my life? This episode of Hearts and Handlebars is the opposite: a raw, 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 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.

Have you ever seen those 5am Green Juice perfectly curated posts and thought, absolutely not my life? Hearts and Handlebars is the opposite: raw, on-the-bike school-run chats between a journalist and her daughter—real-time rush, a sprained ankle and cultural identity and dog poo.

Join the morning chaos, hit follow, and ride along for imperfect routines, parenting moments, and everyday observations from the bike lane.