HypeFriend
HypeFriend
Podcast Description
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” (and one episode!) at a time.
Podcast Insights
Content Themes
The podcast focuses on themes of friendship, kindness, and connection, with episodes exploring topics such as maintaining friendships through acts of kindness as discussed by Andrew Levitt (Nina West) and building lasting connections with guests like Brett Iwan (voice of Mickey Mouse), along with reflections on the mental health impacts of the pandemic in their first episode.

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” (and one episode!) at a time.
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 comparison in creative life
(01:28:52) One Last Thing!: How healthy conflict builds stronger friendships and fuels personal growth
Join us in our friendship revolution—one HypeFriend (and dance move) at a time!
Follow Luke and Paul here!
Follow HypeFriend here!
Michael J Scott here!
Ashley Eckstein here!
Sign up for Hypefriend news and updates here!

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