It’s giving season finale energy meets Friendsgiving vibes as beloved neighbors Andrew Levitt (aka Nina West), Lesli Margherita, and Josh Dela Cruz crash the Neighborhood Block Party—complete with our first-ever HypeFriend BINGO, a surprise singing telegram from Josh Strickland, and drop-ins from James Monroe Iglehart and Ashley Brown. But being a HypeFriend isn’t about winning BINGO (or is it?). No, it’s about gratitude! And that theme shines through in these conversations as Ashley and Michael celebrate everything from the day-one leap to the full-season finish line, hyping up their friends and family, and look ahead to Season 2!

(00:00:18) "TGIF" season finale vibes + manifesting the new HypeFriend neon sign and merch drops

(00:03:38) Welcome! “Taking the leap!” – From Comic-Con to HypeFriend

(00:06:11) Ashley’s final bake of season 1 packs a vegan (bunch-a-) crunch!

(00:09:00) Husband Hypes – Michael and Ashley celebrate their partners and the power of “nightly notes”

(00:11:12) The block party begins! Andrew Levitt, Lesli Margherita and Josh Dela Cruz crash the podcast!

(00:15:10) HypeFriend BINGO!

(00:18:28) A surprise singing telegram from Josh Strickland

(00:26:05) "Snope" vs. "Snoke" (STAR WARS villain vs real-world season villain)

(00:28:34) James Monroe Inglehart on FOMO, family, and finding creative balance

(00:33:51) “Christmas music already?!” Andrew Levitt's seasonal gripe

(00:36:11) Michael × Lesli: the case for year-round holiday trees

(00:38:30) Daylight savings gripe: Lesli pulls no punches when it comes to time

(00:39:26) Ashley Brown's Hypes & Gripes: stormy-day shelter + college roomie nostalgia

(00:41:32) Nutella: The stuff the heals

(00:43:52) NYC Walking Etiquette: texters, walkers, and Ashley Eckstein

(00:47:06) “Sexy CPAP machine” (hi Josh Dela Cruz!)

(00:52:45) Michael’s (temporary) win!

(00:54:20) Ashley’s brush with the law

(00:56:49) Good Gossip – Questlove’s game nights + a quick celebrity lesson for Ashley

(01:00:24) Set visit: a peek at the new Muppet movie

(01:07:42) One Last Thing! – gratitude for our guests, listeners, crew, and the neighborhood

Join us in our friendship revolution—one HypeFriend (and one season) at a time!

Follow Andrew Levitt here!

Follow Lesli Margherita here!

Follow Josh Dela Cruz here!

Follow Josh Strickland here!

Follow James Monroe Iglehart here!

Follow Ashley Brown here!

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Michael J Scott here!

Ashley Eckstein here!

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Two-time Tony and Grammy Award-winner Stephen Oremus takes us behind the sound of the modern musical—WICKED, THE BOOK OF MORMON, KINKY BOOTS, FROZEN, and AVENUE Q—and the friendships that power it. We trace how opening doors for others can build careers (including the story of Stephen bringing Michael into THE BOOK OF MORMON, what it really takes to juggle “five dream jobs,” and why he likes to conduct with a pencil in hand (to capture fixes in real time!). Stephen talks family, fatherhood, and making work that resonates with your kid’s generation—plus a little pop‑culture joy (a South Park cameo and some Cynthia Erivo birthday magic). But first, Dr. Ariana Hoet kicks things off with a deeper look at the Elphaba-Glinda friendship at the heart of WICKED, with some tips on challenging tired stereotypes about female friendships (including a rant from Angry Bubbles!). If you love a peek behind the Broadway curtain and a little (green) magic, this is the episode for you!

(00:01:30) A “Wicked” Welcome! to HypeFriend!

(00:02:49) Ashley’s recurring Broadway anxiety-inspired theater nightmares

(00:07:07) Hypes + Gripes: Baking inspiration, moviegoing adventures, family visits, and breaking negative stereotypesthe “mean girls” stereotype

(00:07:28) A listener goes on a fudge-filled baking binge thanks to Ashley’s inspiration!

(00:09:05) Ashley’s family is hyped about seeing ‘Wicked: For Good’ in theaters

(00:11:43) Snack Battle – What’s the best thing to eat at the movies?

(00:13:04) Michael becomes the unofficial spokesperson for Buncha Crunch

(00:16:32) Michael on family trips that make you feel like your childhood self again

(00:20:53) Ashley goes “Angry Bubbles” mode while unpacking the “mean girls” stereotype

(00:24:17) Neighborhood Drop-In: Dr. Ariana Hoet on the origins of stereotypes and how they appear across genders

(00:25:29) Dr. Hoet explains the psychology of a bully

(00:29:08) The power of admitting when you’re wrong

(00:29:53) Can kindness be taught?

(00:30:38) Mean Girls in film vs. “mean girls” in real life

(00:33:25) How male friendships differ from female friendships + finding true friendship in romantic relationships

(00:36:06) Conflict resolution and the magic of unlikely friendship pairs

(00:41:06) Neighborhood Drop-In – Stephen Oremus joins the conversation!

(00:43:18) How Michael met two-time Tony Award winner Stephen Oremus during his first Broadway show, All Shook Up

(00:45:48) What “HypeFriend” means to Stephen and how musical theatre builds lasting bonds

(00:46:18) How Stephen brought Michael into the cast of The Book of Mormon

(00:49:51) Opening doors for friends who take the leap – and the relationships that lifted Stephen’s career

(00:51:46) Stephen’s work on the second national tour of RENT

(00:52:25) Stephen Oremus on the highs and lows of juggling five dream jobs at once

(01:05:27) Oremus at the podium – conducting while taking notes

(01:07:34) Family lessons from Stephen’s emotional New Jersey Italian household

(01:13:12) Fatherhood & fandom – creating work that resonates with your child’s generation

(01:16:51) Cynthia Erivo’s surprise birthday sleepover magic

(01:21:24) Digging deeper into the meaning of Wicked

(01:28:21) Stephen Oremus’ South Park cameo

(01:31:18) One last thing – make your friends want to be great!

Join us in our friendship revolution—one HypeFriend (and gravity-defying high note) at a time!

Follow Dr. Ariana Hoet here!

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Creator duo TWiNSAUCE—Paul & Luke Harwerth—join HypeFriend for a joy-baked, Disney-dusted, double-powered episode to talk about how twin chemistry becomes community. Plus a quick bonus drop‑in from friend of the show Bret Iwan (the official voice of Mickey Mouse) to celebrate his new Expedition Mickey Mouse collection! The whole crew is together in person, and to celebrate, Ashley Bakes up for “The Great HypeFriend Baking Show,” serving up gluten-free, vegan delights like pumpkin donuts, lemon icebox pie, and a mouthwatering mac and cheese ASMR moment. Bret joins the hosts for some “Hypes & Gripes” that reach new heights with an improvised scene about self-checkout struggles. And TWiNSAUCE drops by to talk about sibling connection, creativity before social media, and how they turned their childhood neighborhood into a real-life HypeSquad.

(00:00:00) A “nonspoiler” Star Wars spoiler from Ashley Eckstein

(00:01:09)Cold Open: Behind-the-scenes banter and laughter between takes

(00:01:37) Welcome: Unboxing epic coaster swag and teasing a joy-filled, treat-packed episode“hidden Mickey” Frenchie coasters

(00:06:04) Neighborhood Drop-In: official voice of Mickey Mouse’s modern voice, Bret Iwan, returns to the mic

(00:07:19) Food allergy friendship fun, the twin guessing game, and “Great British Bake Off” personality picks

(00:09:30) The Return of Ashley Bakes!: A three-dish baking extravaganza

(00:09:46) Ashley’s Signature Bake: Gluten-free, vegan cinnamon sugar pumpkin cake donuts steal the show

(00:12:14) Secret Ingredient Alert: Ashley’s garbanzo flour twist revealed (hint: it’s a bean donut)

(00:13:04) Ashley’s Technical Bake: Gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free comfort food - cornbread and vegan mac & cheese

(00:13:44) ASMR Moment: The irresistible sound of creamy vegan mac & cheese

(00:19:52) Ashley’s Showstopper Bake: A zesty lemon icebox pie; gluten-free and vegan perfection

(00:25:34) Hypes + Gripes!: The ultimate Email vs. Text showdown

(00:28:55) Bret Iwan hypes his husband’s cutting-edge design studio

(00:30:56) Michael and Ashley vent about self-checkout chaos

(00:35:17) Fashion Magic: Bret Iwan’s new Expedition Mickey Mouse fashion line collection and the HypeFriend collab that brought it to life

(00:39:54) Neighborhood Drop-In: Meet the creative powerhouse twins of TWiNSAUCE

(00:42:00) D23 Deep Dive: The “Influencer Olympics” of Disney fandom

(00:44:02) Twin Science: Exploring the unique connection and invisible “force” between twins

(00:47:04) Home-school life, sibling rivalries, and surviving the middle-twin experience

(00:50:32) From block to HypeSquad: How TWiNSAUCE transformed their childhood neighborhood into a creative HypeSquadturning their childhood neighborhood into their creative crew

(00:52:41) Celebrating the (literal) clowns of the family—the importance of laughter and support

(00:54:26) The pre-social media magic of childhood creativity

(00:56:10) Shoutout to the loyal HypeFriends who cheer you on—even when they don’t fully get it

(00:57:54) Why influencers crave real connection in a filtered world

(00:59:15) From college dreams to career milestones: The TWiNSAUCE success journey

(01:02:11) Staying optimistic when business, family, and friendship collide

(01:05:06) Gym HypeSquad mode: motivating each other through every rep

(01:07:26) From “awesome sauce” origin story ofto TWiNSAUCE—the moniker’s origin story (and their favorite hot sauces!)

(01:13:20) TWiNSAUCE turns the tables: Ashley opens up about Star Wars, Ahsoka, and her animation beginnings

(01:15:42) Facing fears: Learning conflict resolution and the art of compartmentalizing

(01:21:20) Body image honesty: Navigating weight changes and constant...