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 practical insights from honest conversations about relationships, Queerness, sex, connection, and community. The podcast aims to provide a space for candid and vulnerable discussions about what it means to form meaningful bonds today. It also promotes a Substack newsletter for further engagement.
Episodes
PRIDE SHOW with Ben Greene - on How to Make New Friends, Finding Joy & Whimsy, & What Pride Means in 2026
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
Gay Shame Researcher - on the Male Gaze, Sex with Your Friends, and how Compulsive Dating is Actually a Shame Response
If you find yourself stuck in endless cycles of bad dating, unfulfilling friendships, and bad sex, this episode will help you get untangled. 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 com
Love & Connection Expert - on Why Gay Dating Feels so Hard, Modern Relations & Hinge's 2026 LGBTQ DATE Report
If you're fed up with modern dating, this episode is for you. 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 relations
Steven Rowley - on Gay Aging, Reinvention, and Aliens!
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. 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 la
Gay Money Expert — How the Gays Afford Their Trips, Surprising Side Hustles, and Shame Spending
If you're constantly worrying about money and wondering how you're going to make it through the summer without maxing out your cards, this episode's for you. In it, I sit down with finance guru Nick Wolny, author of Money Proud, as he teaches you and me his seven words to generate wealth. We also explore how shame makes us spend beyond our means, why Grindr is designed to make you so miserable, th
Lesbian Bar Historian — on Windows as Protest, Queer Bar Gentrification, and How You Can Save Them
If a gay bar you love has ever shut down, you must listen to this episode. In this episode, Rachel Karp and I get into her incredible road trip where she visited every lesbian bar in the country with her wife and best friend. She takes us on a tour of Queer bar history, complete with a legal fight to wear pants, how windows are actually a sign of progress, the difference between blue state bars an
Gay Bulge Expert (on Performance Anxiety, Holetox, & Sexting Pitfalls)
If you've ever avoided sex because you were scared of what might happen, this episode is for you. In this episode, nurse aesthetician and founder of Lushful Aesthetics, Chris Bustamante, and I explore all things dick-related. We get into why performance anxiety happens, what your testosterone is doing in your body, how your porn habits might be affecting sex, and why your sexting habits might need
3 Lessons To Make You Happier with JP Brammer
If you're tired of all the noise and want three simple tips to find a little more happiness, this is the episode for you. Today, you and I are sitting down with JP Brammer as he reveals three lessons that are making him genuinely happier right now. We learn how to ask for what you need, why you need to wash your thoughts like dishes, why you might feel lonely in a group of gays, the corrosive effe
Bi Sex Columnist: How Rejection Leads to Sexual Shame
If you're tired of missing out on opportunities for fear of rejection, this episode is for you. Today, you and I are sitting down with Zachary Zane to discuss how rejection rules our lives and ends up turning into shame. We get into so much juicy stuff like how rejection lives in the body, the nuances of bisexuality, how to overcome shame and embrace your kinky side, the lessons Zach has learned f
Gay Political Strategist: How to Talk Politics At Brunch
If you've turned off the news and feel guilty about it, this episode's for you. In today's episode, you and I are getting close with Brian Derrick. We discuss the complexities of political engagement, why we're all politically burnt out, why liberals keep losing, and how to turn politics from a hobby to an actionable lifestyle. Brian Derrick is a political strategist, activist, and Founder and CEO
Sexual Liberation Therapist (on Reconnecting with Your Body and Desire)
If you're feeling overstimulated and disconnected, this episode's for you. In it, we connect with Keanu Jackson, a sex therapist, to explore the complexities of desire, consent, and online sexuality in our modern world. Keanu Jackson is a Brooklyn, NY-based Sex Therapist, Content Creator, & Founder of Homebody Psychotherapy, a therapy practice that centers on supporting queer folks in building mor
Poly-Kink Therapist: Have this Conversation & Forever Change How You Communicate
Today's episode will change how you communicate. How do I know? Because it changed how I did. In this episode, I sit down with Ruffus, affectionately known on socials as the Poly-Kink Therapist, to discuss communication, sexual agency, and the vital lessons we can learn from the kink community. If you've ever had scripts in your head that tell you what you can and can't ask for, what is and is not
My Husband & Broadway Star: How to Break the Patterns Holding You Back
If you have a little voice in the back of your mind saying, you should really break that habit, this episode is for you. We all have coping mechanisms that help us get through the day, but when do we know if those coping mechanisms have turned into unhealthy patterns, and if so, how can we break them? In this episode, my husband Casey (and y'all's most requested return guest) sits back down with m
Gay Ass Podcast Host: The Gay Ass Art of A Good Question
If you've ever sat in an awkward silence, wondering what to ask next, or left a conversation wishing you'd known how to go deeper, this episode will change how you talk to people. In this episode, Eric Williams joins us to explore what separates a good question from a bad one, why our digital world is making us worse at curiosity, and how the way you ask questions shapes everything from your first
Trans Thought Leader: The Complex Politics of Being a Man
What can gay men learn from trans men? In this episode of Getting Close, I sit down with my friend Sandy for a very vulnerable conversation about how trans men and cis men exist within the gay community. We dive into masculinity, privilege, and what compassionate inclusion can look like in our spaces. Sandy Gooen is a published and produced writer. He's currently developing a musical called Twink
Gay Intimacy Researcher: The Hidden Rules of Hookup Culture
How has the internet changed gay s*x, consent, and intimacy? In this episode, Andrew Restieri joins me to discuss the complexities of digital intimacy within gay culture. We discuss how everyone has differing rules about consent, the economy of nude photos, who owns a nude once it's sent, the rise of hookup apps, and how they affect our in-person experiences. Andrew Restieri is a PhD candidate at
Poly-Queer Therapist: How Your Discomfort is Key to Happier Relationships
What if I told you discomfort was the secret to better relationships? In this episode, Rachel Wright joins me to talk about the fascinating way that discomfort can help you have better relationships of any structure. We explore the nuances of modern friendship, letting people down, secret patterns running our relationships, monogamy unlearnings, and the unique way gay couples are more likely to be
Queer Broadway Author: How Queer Storytelling Can Change You
If you could go back in time to Queer, 1996, New York, would you? In this episode, Andrew Keenan-Bolger joins me to do just that through his debut novel Limelight. We unpack why telling queer stories is urgent in this political climate, the importance of chosen family, banned books, magical realism, and what we owe our Queer ancestors. Andrew Keenan-Bolger is an actor, director, author, and filmma
Gay Relationship Coach: If You're Feeling Stuck with Dating, Listen to This!
Are you fed up with modern dating? In this episode, that's not just for singles, Trevor Kuhn discusses the challenges of modern courtship, why conflict is essential for relationships, the pitfalls of AI in dating, and why expectations are keeping you single. Trevor Kuhn is a love and relationship coach and matchmaker for gay and queer men. He helps them shift old patterns and build deeper, more in
My Husband: How to Build an Open Relationship That Works
My husband CASEY GARVIN and I dive deep into our own relationship, answering questions from listeners about our journey, our love, and our openness over the past eight years. On this episode, we get deep about: * The unique ways that we navigate and heal from conflict. * Who proposed to whom. * How we planned our atypical wedding. * How we learned to embrace jealousy in our open relationship. * Wh
Top Epstein Investigator: How to Find The Truth and Build Community Through Independent Journalism!
Top Epstein Investigator ELLIE LEONARD explains how she dissects every page of the Epstein files, how she balances being a parent amidst the chaos, and how she builds a community of like-minded truth seekers that YOU can be a part of. Ellie Leonard is an author, editor, small-business owner, and contributor for Blue Amp Media. Recently, she's made a name for herself as she pores over every documen
Historic Tony Award Winner: How to Balance Faith and Queerness with Joy
Nonbinary icon J HARRISON GHEE reveals how they balance queerness, religion, and spirituality, the power of finding grace and joy in challenging times, and how you can show up authentically even when everyone is telling you to be someone else. J Harrison Ghee is a Tony and Grammy Award winner who made history as the first nonbinary performer to win in a leading individual performance category. The
Sex & Relationships Expert: How to Connect Better in Bed & in Life
Hi friends, and welcome back to Getting Close! The response from y'all this whole past week has been so beautifully moving. Thank you to everyone who reached out, shared, Restacked, reviewed, etc. As I wrote here, putting something like this out into the world is so vulnerable, and you all have lifted me up in the most encouraging way. I really think this project is going to do incredible things,
Gay Fitness Founder: How to Make Healthy Habits Stick for Life!
Hello friends, and welcome to the very first episode of Getting Close! In this episode, fitness expert and tech entrepreneur Sam Leicht reveals how to make sustainable habits that stick, feel more comfortable in the gym, find community through fitness, connect with your body, and remember the importance of challenge in our modern world of ease. Sam Leicht is the founder of PrideFit, a LGBTQ+ fitne
Introducing: Getting Close
Aidan Wharton introduces his new podcast, 'Getting Close,' all about connection. With an incredible mix of guests, the show focuses on how to revive connection in our digitally disconnected world. Launching on January 13th. When connection feels far, we start by getting close. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit get
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