Why Is Everyone Obsessed With Hockey Romance? | Pause on the Headlines

Why Is Everyone Obsessed With Hockey Romance? | Pause on the Headlines

This week on Pause on the Headlines, we’re talking about the rise of hockey romance books, sports TV shows, and why emotionally available fictional athletes suddenly became the internet’s favorite fantasy. From BookTok favorites like Icebreaker and The Deal to the explosion of sports documentaries and cozy team-centered storytelling, we unpack what this trend might actually be saying about modern loneliness, dating exhaustion, masculinity, and the craving for emotional safety. Why are audiences gravitating toward stories about loyalty, teamwork, devotion, and people who consistently show up for each other? And why did hockey — of all sports — become the blueprint for the internet boyfriend? In this episode: * The rise of hockey romance on BookTok * Why sports-centered stories feel comforting right now * Fictional masculinity vs modern dating culture * The “emotionally safe man” phenomenon * Teamwork, belonging, and loneliness in pop culture * Why people are craving sincerity again * Sports documentaries as emotional comfort TV * The real fantasy behind hockey romance Referenced in this episode: * Icebreaker by Hannah Grace * The Deal by Elle Kennedy Because maybe this trend was never really about hockey at all. Follow along with The Honest Pause for more conversations about pop culture, emotional trends, identity, and the stories shaping how we live.

When You're Feeling Overwhelmed

When everything feels like too much, even the smallest thing can feel like the breaking point. In this episode, Maryam and Teryl talk about what overwhelm actually is — and why so many of us are living in a constant state of it. Overwhelm isn’t just having a full calendar or a long to-do list. It’s the feeling that everything is urgent, everything is loud, and your capacity to handle it all has run out. Together, they explore the difference between being busy and being overloaded, what happens inside your nervous system when it believes there’s “too much,” and why pushing through often makes the feeling worse instead of better. This conversation focuses on small, practical resets that help bring your system back to steadiness — from shrinking the scope of what you’re focusing on to lowering the invisible standards we place on ourselves. Because sometimes the goal isn’t to solve everything. It’s simply to come back to center and remember: you don’t have to carry everything at once. Stay Connected:  📸 Follow on Instagram: @TheHonestPause [https://www.instagram.com/thehonestpause] Connect with Teryl Rothery 🌐 Website: https://www.terylrothery.com [https://www.terylrothery.com/] 📸 Instagram: @terylrothery [https://www.instagram.com/terylrothery] 🧠 Book a Discovery Call [https://www.terylrothery.com/contact] at https://www.terylrothery.com/contact Connect with Maryam Taheri 💼 Everground Advisory: Coaching & Business Strategy [https://www.evergroundadvisory.com/] https://www.evergroundadvisory.com Book a Coaching Discovery Call:  https://www.evergroundadvisory.com/book

When You're Feeling Sad

There’s been a lot happening in the world lately. And if you’ve been feeling a little heavier, a little sadder, or just emotionally tired — you’re not alone. In this episode, we’re talking about what it means to feel sad in a world that often feels overwhelming. Sadness is often treated like something we need to fix, suppress, or move past as quickly as possible. But the truth is, sadness is a normal and healthy emotional response — especially when we care deeply about what’s happening around us. This conversation explores how we can hold the weight of the world while still allowing light in our own lives. Feeling sad doesn’t mean you’re broken, negative, or ungrateful. It means you’re human. We talk about why sadness shows up, why empathy can feel heavy, and how it’s possible to hold grief and gratitude at the same time. We also explore small ways to regulate our nervous systems when the world feels like too much — from reducing constant news intake to reconnecting with nostalgic things that bring comfort and joy. Because small joys aren’t denial. They’re anchors. Stay Connected:  📸 Follow on Instagram: @TheHonestPause [https://www.instagram.com/thehonestpause] Connect with Teryl Rothery 🌐 Website: https://www.terylrothery.com [https://www.terylrothery.com/] 📸 Instagram: @terylrothery [https://www.instagram.com/terylrothery] 🧠 Book a Discovery Call [https://www.terylrothery.com/contact] at https://www.terylrothery.com/contact Connect with Maryam Taheri 💼 Everground Advisory: Coaching & Business Strategy [https://www.evergroundadvisory.com/] https://www.evergroundadvisory.com Book a Coaching Discovery Call:  https://www.evergroundadvisory.com/book

We Who Will Die by Stacia Stark: Chapters 1-10

Welcome to the first episode of The Honest Pause Book Club. 📚 Our first pick is We Who Will Die by Stacia Stark — a Roman-inspired romantasy filled with vampires, magic, political power, and gladiator-style combat. The story follows Arvelle, a woman forced into a deadly tournament to join the emperor’s elite guard. But she isn’t just competing to survive — she’s secretly been tasked with assassinating the emperor himself. In this episode, we’re diving into Chapters 1–10. We won’t be able to cover everything, but we’re going to cover a lot — from the political structure of this vampire empire to the characters who immediately caught our attention. We talk about: * The powerful dedication to eldest daughters and how it reframes Arvelle’s motivations * Survival through strategy and why Arvelle refuses to be seen as prey * The magic system and the mysterious sigil-marked * The political control woven throughout the empire * Early character introductions including Carrick, Rorrick, and the emperor’s dangerous guard known as the Primus * Flashbacks to Arvelle’s past with a noble vampire named Tiernon * And the Chapter 10 reveal that changes everything By the end of these first ten chapters, what starts as political intrigue suddenly becomes deeply personal. And we have questions. Stay Connected:  📸 Follow on Instagram: @TheHonestPause [https://www.instagram.com/thehonestpause] Connect with Teryl Rothery 🌐 Website: https://www.terylrothery.com [https://www.terylrothery.com/] 📸 Instagram: @terylrothery [https://www.instagram.com/terylrothery] 🧠 Book a Discovery Call [https://www.terylrothery.com/contact] at https://www.terylrothery.com/contact Connect with Maryam Taheri 💼 Everground Advisory: Coaching & Business Strategy [https://www.evergroundadvisory.com/] https://www.evergroundadvisory.com Book a Coaching Discovery Call:  https://www.evergroundadvisory.com/book

Finding Joy & Having Fun (Yes, Even Now)

When was the last time you asked yourself: Am I having fun? In this episode of The Honest Pause, Maryam and Teryl talk about joy — not as a personality trait or a reward for productivity — but as something we’re allowed to access right now. In a world that feels heavy, serious, and urgent, fun can feel frivolous. But it’s not. It’s regulating. It’s healing. It reminds our nervous systems that we are safe enough to play. We explore how adulthood slowly conditions fun out of us, why joy can sometimes feel unfamiliar (or even uncomfortable), and how small moments of lightness are actually acts of resistance. In this episode, we talk about: * Why joy isn’t irresponsible * The difference between happiness and fun * How chronic stress dulls playfulness * Relearning what you actually enjoy * Tiny daily practices that invite more lightness You don’t need to earn joy. You don’t need to wait for everything to be perfect. Sometimes finding joy starts with simply asking: What feels good? What feels light? What feels like me? And giving yourself permission to follow it. Stay Connected:  📸 Follow on Instagram: @TheHonestPause [https://www.instagram.com/thehonestpause] Connect with Teryl Rothery 🌐 Website: https://www.terylrothery.com [https://www.terylrothery.com/] 📸 Instagram: @terylrothery [https://www.instagram.com/terylrothery] 🧠 Book a Discovery Call [https://www.terylrothery.com/contact] at https://www.terylrothery.com/contact Connect with Maryam Taheri 💼 Everground Advisory: Coaching & Business Strategy [https://www.evergroundadvisory.com/] https://www.evergroundadvisory.com Book a Coaching Discovery Call:  https://www.evergroundadvisory.com/book