• #6 – “Food. Sleep. HypeFriends.” with Dr. Ariana Hoet
    Aug 1 2025

    The doctor is in! This week, pediatric psychologist Dr. Ariana Hoet of The Kid’s Mental Health Foundation joins the hosts to discuss the urgency of the loneliness epidemic and emphasizes the importance of treating friendship as a core need just like food, sleep, and water.

    Join our friendship revolution, one HypeFriend (and one episode) at a time!

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    1 hr and 7 mins
  • #5 - "Seasons of Friendship" with Ashley Brown
    Jul 25 2025

    This episode, we bring on Broadway’s favorite, Ashley Brown (Broadway's original MARY POPPINS)! The hosts talk with Ashley about how they met, how connections are essential to get through difficult times, and how friendships have their seasons.

    Join us in our friendship revolution, one HypeFriend at a time!

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    1 hr and 7 mins
  • #4 – “Candor is Key” with Nikki M. James
    Jul 18 2025

    Join us for our second week of HypeFriend! This week, we welcome Tony Award-winning actress and Broadway star Nikki M. James to the neighborhood! The trio discusses how friendships evolve over time, how to accept these changes, and why candor is key to building lasting connections.

    Join us in our friendship revolution, one HypeFriend at a time!

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    54 mins
  • #3 - "Delivering Kindness" with Andrew Levitt aka Nina West
    Jul 11 2025

    HypeFriend’s third episode is here! Andrew Levitt or better known as Nina West, comes on the podcast to discuss keeping up your friendships through acts of kindness. Andrew goes into why he loves sending people mail and the significance of practicing your own love language.

    They then go into the challenges of being on stage and the value of creating safe spaces for others by simply offering your support.

    Join us in our friendship revolution, one HypeFriend at a time!

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    1 hr and 5 mins
  • #2 - "Building Connection" with Brett Iwan, voice of Mickey Mouse
    Jul 11 2025

    In our second episode ever, Ashley and Michael invite Brett Iwan (fourth and current voice of “Mickey Mouse”) to be the very first member of their neighborhood. They laugh, catch up, and joke about old times, but most importantly, they dive into how they all met and how to make genuine friends that last.

    Join us in our friendship revolution one HypeFriend at a time!

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    57 mins
  • #1 - The HypeFriend Origin Story
    Jul 11 2025

    In our very first episode of HypeFriend, childhood friends Ashley Eckstein (original voice of STAR WARS’ “Ahsoka Tano” and Michael James Scott (“The Genie” from Disney’s ALADDIN on Broadway) team up to discuss what it means to truly be a ‘friend’?

    In the lasting impacts of the mental health crisis from the 2020 pandemic, Ashley and Michael reflect on the past and discuss different ways to be there for the people that mean the most to you, and recognizing different moments when you can build and empower supportive relationships.

    Join us in our friendship revolution, one HypeFriend at a time!

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    43 mins
  • Welcome to HypeFriend!
    Jul 7 2025

    Childhood friends Ashley Eckstein (voice of “Ahsoka Tano” in Star Wars) and Michael James Scott (“The Genie” from Disney’s Aladdin on Broadway) team up for a weekly podcast with the singular mission of starting a friendship revolution, one “HypeFriend” at a time!

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    1 min