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

Getting Close is a health podcast hosted by Aidan Wharton, with 25 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80. PitchCentric scores this show on Booking Probability, Listen Score, and live audience signals refreshed every 24 hours.

Aidan Wharton hosts Getting Close, a health show with 25 episodes published.

Our AI reads these to draft pitches. Use them as grounding for a pitch that cites a real guest and a specific topic.

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  Episode #24

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

  Jun 23, 202659 minS1

  <p>HAPPY PRIDE! This is the last episode before we take our summer break, and I couldn't be more excited to share this one with you. It's perfect for Pride, perfect for summer, perfect for friendship, and perfect for you!</p> <p>In this episode, Ben and I talk about how happiness is different from joy, but joy is what keeps us going, why you should fight in a British accent, whimsy, new friendship, Pride as a mile marker, and how we're navigating our budding new friendship.</p> <p>After coming out at 15 in a small town, Ben Greene has...

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  Episode #24

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

  Jun 23, 202659 minS1

  HAPPY PRIDE! This is the last episode before we take our summer break, and I couldn't be more excited to share this one with you. It's perfect for Pride, perfect for summer, perfect for friendship, and perfect for you! In this episode, Ben and I talk about how happiness is different from joy, but joy is what keeps us going, why you should fight in a British accent, whimsy, new friendship, Pride as a mile marker, and how we're navigating our budding new friendship. After coming out at 15 in a small town, Ben Greene has devoted his career to spreading empathy, education, and storytelling around the trans experience. Whether it's for NASA, Johnson & Johnson, or over 200 PFLAG chapters, Ben leads with joy. He is the author of the Substack "Good Queer News", as well as the book "My Child is Trans, Now What? A Joy Centered Approach to Support". He has been nominated for a GLAAD media award and is passionate about leading with joy and educating others from a place of compassion—no matter where they're starting from. In this episode, we get curious about: How pride is a mile marker that we have the honor of passing by Why you should fight in a British accent Concrete ways to bring more whimsy into your life How he and I are navigating our own new friendship Ben's brilliant two similarities tip on where to find new friends Why you may not always be able to choose happiness, but you can always choose joy And how we stay hopeful in these trying times Links Good Queer News: https://www.goodqueernews.com/ Ben on IG: https://www.instagram.com/pseudo.bro/ Aidan on IG: https://www.instagram.com/aidanwharton Getting Close on IG: https://www.instagram.com/aidanwharton Chapters (00:00) Celebrating Pride and Connection (02:49) The Meaning of Pride (06:00) Joy vs. Happiness (08:48) Joy as a Tool for Resistance (11:58) Building Connections and Community (14:46) Navigating Vulnerability and Earnestness (18:01) Creating Whimsy in Relationships (29:35) Habit Stacking with Joy (34:23) The Paradox of Choice (38:56) Finding Hope in Despair (45:55) Embracing Discomfort for Growth (52:50) The Power of Community and Change

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  Episode #23

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

  Jun 16, 202655 minS1

  <p>If you find yourself stuck in endless cycles of bad dating, unfulfilling friendships, and bad sex, this episode will help you get untangled.</p> <p>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.</p> <p>Jordan Gonsalves is a journalist who reports on shame and the host of a new podcast called Unshaming, coming...

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  Episode #22

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

  Jun 9, 202656 minS1

  <p>If you're fed up with modern dating, this episode is for you.</p> <p>In it you and I sit down with Hinge's Love & Connection Expert Moe Ari Brown to bring you actionable data from Hinge's 2026 LGBTQ+ D.A.T.E. Report! We talk about what dating looks like in 2026, why dating feels so hard for so many gay men, what the data can tell us to make dating easier, what people are actually looking for in relationships these days, and so much more.</p> <p>Moe Ari Brown is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist with over a d...

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  Episode #21

  Steven Rowley - on Gay Aging, Reinvention, and Aliens!

  Jun 2, 202657 minS1

  <p >If you've ever felt behind in life, like you aren't quite measuring up to your peers, or perhaps you have no clue what you're doing. If that's the case, this is the episode for you.</p> <p>In this episode, Steven Rowley and I sit down to discuss his incredible career and how he became a bestselling author after he turned 45. We unpack what it felt like to take that leap of faith and why it's never too late to reorient your life and start chasing your dreams. We also get vulnerable about the challenges of long-term relationships, our...

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