Podcast · Health

Maintenance Phase

by Aubrey Gordon & Michael Hobbes · English · Health

Debunking the junk science behind health fads, wellness scams and nonsensical nutrition advice.

New episodes: Monthly
Typical length: 1 hr 6 min
Latest: 21 Sep 2026
Language: English

Latest episode

21 Sep 2026 · 1 hr 20 min

RFK Jr.'s Buckwild Belief That HIV Doesn't Cause AIDS

The rise, fall and rise of the most nonsensical conspiracy theory we've ever heard. Thanks to Gregg Gonsalves for helping us fact-check this episode! Support us: Hear bonus episodes on PatreonWatch Aubrey's documentaryBuy Aubrey's bookListen to Mike's other podcastGet Maintenance Phase T-shirts, stickers and more Links! Denying AIDS: Conspiracy Theories and Pseudoscience in a Post-COVID WorldImpure Science: AIDS, Activism, and the Politics of KnowledgeThe Duesberg PhenomenonAIDS Denial...

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Earlier episodes 29 most recent

27 Jul 2026 · 1 hr 13 min

Why Don't We Have a Surgeon General?

We’re nearly halfway through Trump's second term and we still don’t have a Surgeon General. What gives? Support us: Hear bonus episodes on PatreonWatch Aubrey's documentaryBuy Aubrey's bookListen to Mike's other podcastGet Maintenance Phase T-shirts, stickers and more Links! White House withdraws nomination of Janette NesheiwatTrump’s Surgeon General Pick Distorted Key Parts of Her Résumé Dr. Janette Nesheiwat takes role at Walter Reed treating Havana SyndromeWhen Did RFK Jr Start List...
10 Jun 2026 · 53 min

Salt

In the 1980s, a low-sodium diet was seen as the gold standard for healthy behavior. In 2026, salt has been repackaged as “electrolytes” and is now cast as a core component of wellness. How did we get here? Also, an important correction: One pound of butter to one pound of potatoes is Joel Robuchon’s recipe. Support us: Hear bonus episodes on PatreonWatch Aubrey's documentaryBuy Aubrey's bookListen to Mike's other podcastGet Maintenance Phase T-shirts, stickers and moreLinks! The 25 Saltiest R...
16 Apr 2026 · 1 hr 8 min

Tim Ferriss’s "The 4-Hour Body" (feat. Peter Shamshiri)

We're joined by Mike's If Books Could Kill co-host to revisit a biohacking diet book for the boys. Support us: Hear bonus episodes on PatreonWatch Aubrey's documentaryBuy Aubrey's bookListen to Mike's other podcastGet Maintenance Phase T-shirts, stickers and moreLinks! The 4-Hour BodyDoes Glycemic Index Matter for Weight Loss? An Examination of the Evidence New! Improved! Shape Up Your Life! The 4-Hour Body: The Real App You Are Working On Is An App Called YourselfThanks to Doctor ...
1 Apr 2026 · 1 hr 7 min

Russell Brand Part 2

What do you do when you've flamed out as a Hollywood actor, a political commentator and a wellness guru? You make a YouTube channel. Support us: Hear bonus episodes on PatreonWatch Aubrey's documentaryBuy Aubrey's bookListen to Mike's other podcastGet Maintenance Phase T-shirts, stickers and moreLinks! Russell Brand accused of rape, sexual assaults and abuseExposing Russell BrandRussell Brand And The Conspiracy GriftRussell Brand on revolutionCelebrity Capital in the Political Field: Russell ...
17 Mar 2026 · 1 hr 14 min

Russell Brand Part 1

Tracing the left-to-right political trajectory of the unfunniest man in British comedy. Support us: Hear bonus episodes on PatreonWatch Aubrey's documentaryBuy Aubrey's bookListen to Mike's other podcastGet Maintenance Phase T-shirts, stickers and moreLinks! Russell Brand accused of rape, sexual assaults and abuseExposing Russell BrandRussell Brand And The Conspiracy GriftRussell Brand on revolutionCelebrity Capital in the Political Field: Russell Brand’s migration from stand-up comedy to New...
12 Feb 2026 · 57 min

The Diet Crimes of Metabolife

The rags-to-riches tale of how an illegal methamphetamine manufacturer became a legal methamphetamine manufacturer. Support us: Hear bonus episodes on PatreonWatch Aubrey's documentaryBuy Aubrey's bookListen to Mike's other podcastGet Maintenance Phase T-shirts, stickers and moreLinks! How the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994 Weakened the FDAMad About MetabolifeStimulant Propels Diet EmpireThe dangers of the herb ephedra - Harvard Health An Historical Review of Steps a...
13 Nov 2025 · 1 hr 6 min

Raw Milk

Once widely banned, raw milk consumption is on the rise and states are repealing their bans. No one’s happier about that than the far right. How did we get here? NOTE: In the retelling of Pasteur’s early pasteurization, Aubrey misspoke! The culprit wasn’t lactic yeast, it was lactic acid bacteria. Sorry for the slip up! Support us: Hear bonus episodes on PatreonWatch Aubrey's documentaryBuy Aubrey's bookListen to Mike's other podcastGet Maintenance Phase T-shirts, stickers and moreLinks! Milk...
25 Sep 2025 · 53 min

The Food Babe

One blogger bravely pushes back against Starbucks, Subway and basic scientific facts. Support us: Hear bonus episodes on PatreonWatch Aubrey's documentaryBuy Aubrey's bookListen to Mike's other podcastGet Maintenance Phase T-shirts, stickers and more Links! Taking On the Food Industry, One Blog Post at a TimeHow the ‘Food Babe’ Went From Obama Ally to Trump CrusaderActivist or Capitalist? How the 'Food Babe' Makes MoneyLatest Food Scare: What Is The 'Yoga Mat' Chemical - And Why Is It In Yo...
26 Aug 2025 · 1 hr 19 min

Seed Oils

Why are you, as a man, afraid of sunflowers. Support us: Hear bonus episodes on PatreonWatch Aubrey's documentaryBuy Aubrey's bookListen to Mike's other podcastGet Maintenance Phase T-shirts, stickers and moreLinks! The O6-O3 ratio: A critical appraisalSeed Oils: Are They Actually Toxic?No need to avoid healthy omega-6 fatsOmega-6 Fatty Acids and Risk for Cardiovascular DiseaseDo Seed Oils Make You Sick?Seed oils: Are they healthy or harmful?ToxGuide: HexaneDietary linoleic acid intake and bl...
10 Jul 2025 · 57 min

Herbalife

We’re talking about our first diet MLM and IT’S A REAL DOOZY! Support us: Hear bonus episodes on PatreonWatch Aubrey's documentaryBuy Aubrey's bookListen to Mike's other podcastGet Maintenance Phase T-shirts, stickers and more Links! Herbalife: Weighty Profits and Government Probes Herbalife Exec's Death Prompts Bizarre FalloutAutopsy on Herbalife founder finds death caused by accidental overdose The Uncertain Start of a Remarkable LifeNobel Prize Winner Didn't Disclose Herbalife Co...
3 Jun 2025 · 1 hr 11 min

Ultra-Processed Foods

Everyone agrees that processed foods are bad for you. When it comes to defining what they actually are, however, there is considerably less agreement. Support us: Hear bonus episodes on PatreonWatch Aubrey's documentaryBuy Aubrey's bookListen to Mike's other podcastGet Maintenance Phase T-shirts, stickers and more Links! Nutrition and health. The issue is not food, nor nutrients, so much as processingUltra-Processed Foods: Definitions and Policy IssuesExamining the Nova Food Classifi...
1 May 2025 · 53 min

BONUS: MAHA's First 90 Days

From our Patreon feed, we're catching up with RFK Jr. and his cadre of "Make America Healthy Again" influencers. Support us: Hear bonus episodes on PatreonWatch Aubrey's documentaryBuy Aubrey's bookListen to Mike's other podcastGet Maintenance Phase T-shirts, stickers and moreThanks to Doctor Dreamchip for our lovely theme song! Support the show
26 Mar 2025 · 54 min

The Bulletproof Diet

Meet the tech bro on a noble quest to double his lifespan, improve his productivity and irritate his waitress. Support us: Hear bonus episodes on PatreonWatch Aubrey's documentaryBuy Aubrey's bookListen to Mike's other podcastGet Maintenance Phase T-shirts, stickers and moreLinks! Mycotoxins Myth: The Truth About Mold in Coffee Guidance for Industry: Action Levels for Poisonous or Deleterious Substances in Human Food and Animal Feed You, Only BetterFTC letter to Dave AspreyA...
30 Jan 2025 · 1 hr 8 min

Blue Zones

The places where humans live the longest are explained by traditional lifestyles, widespread incest or systematic fraud, there is no fourth option. Thanks to Catherine MacDonald for helping us research and fact-check this episode! Support us: Hear bonus episodes on PatreonWatch Aubrey's documentaryBuy Aubrey's bookListen to Mike's other podcastGet Maintenance Phase T-shirts, stickers and moreLinks! The global pattern of centenarians highlights deep problems in demographyLate-life mortality ...
20 Dec 2024 · 1 hr 12 min

BONUS: What's New With RFK Jr.?

Because we live in hell, here is last month's bonus episode about RFK Jr.'s presidential campaign with a new intro about what he could do at HHS. See you next year! Support the show
21 Nov 2024 · 1 hr 6 min

Richard Simmons Isn't Missing

The internet gets weird investigating the "disappearance" of America's gay best friend. Support us: Hear bonus episodes on PatreonWatch Aubrey’s documentary in AU & NZ, or watch it at home anywhere else!Buy Aubrey's bookListen to Mike's other podcastGet Maintenance Phase T-shirts, stickers and moreLinks! Richard Simmons ShowRichard Simmons, the Original Queer EyeThe Grand Duke of Diet and the Clown Prince of Fitness The Sultan of Svelte The Deregulation Of Commercial Televisio...
25 Oct 2024 · 1 hr 2 min

Growing Up Richard Simmons

Before building his fitness empire, America’s most bedazzled fitness guru was a guy named Milton from New Orleans. Support us: Hear bonus episodes on PatreonWatch Aubrey’s documentary in AU & NZ, or watch it at home anywhere else!Buy Aubrey's bookListen to Mike's other podcastGet Maintenance Phase T-shirts, stickers and moreLinks! Still Hungry...After All These Years by Richard Simmons "Hair-Do" Anatomy Asylum CommercialRichard Simmons: New Orleans's hometown heroA Speedy ...
12 Sep 2024 · 55 min

The Myers-Briggs Personality Test

How a mother, a daughter and a crackpot Swiss psychologist gave us the world's most popular Buzzfeed quiz. Support us: Hear bonus episodes on PatreonDonate on PayPalGet Maintenance Phase T-shirts, stickers and moreWatch Aubrey's documentaryBuy Aubrey's bookListen to Mike's other podcastLinks! The Personality Brokers by Merve EmreMyers Briggs Type PreferencesWhat Personality Tests Really DeliverThe $2 Billion Question of Who You Are at Work Cautionary Comments Regarding the MBTIThe Barnu...
1 Jul 2024 · 1 hr 3 min

BONUS: Breaking Down The Latest Anti-Trans Victory Lap

We went a little easy on the Cass Report in our last main feed episode, so we're back to [Mortal Kombat voice] FINISH HIM!!! This was supposed to be a Patreon bonus episode but we'd rather you support the lovely trans people who helped us with the research and fact-checking of this episode! Julia Serano: https://www.patreon.com/juliaserano Parker Molloy: https://www.readtpa.com/ Katelyn Burns: https://www.patreon.com/katelynburns Evan Urquhart: https://www.assignedmedia.org/support Erin Re...
18 Jun 2024 · 1 hr 31 min

"Rapid-Onset Gender Dysphoria" Part 2: Panic! At The Endocrinologist.

Thanks to Jules Gill-Peterson (jgillpeterson.com) and Julia Serano (patreon.com/juliaserano) for help researching this episode and Evan Urquhart, Parker Molloy and Katelyn Burns for fact-checking! Support us: Hear bonus episodes on PatreonDonate on PayPalGet Maintenance Phase T-shirts, stickers and moreWatch Aubrey's documentaryBuy Aubrey's bookListen to Mike's other podcastLinks! Origins of "Social Contagion" and "Rapid Onset Gender Dysphoria"The "Rapid Onset Gender Dysphoria" Controversy a...
9 May 2024 · 1 hr 28 min

"Rapid-Onset Gender Dysphoria" Part 1: The Cooties Theory of Transgender Identity

Thanks to Jules Gill-Peterson (jgillpeterson.com) and Julia Serano (patreon.com/juliaserano) for help researching this episode and Evan Urquhart and Parker Molloy for fact-checking! Support us: Hear bonus episodes on PatreonDonate on PayPalGet Maintenance Phase T-shirts, stickers and moreWatch Aubrey's documentaryBuy Aubrey's bookListen to Mike's other podcastLinks! Origins of "Social Contagion" and "Rapid Onset Gender Dysphoria"What does the scholarly research say about the effect of gender...
4 Apr 2024 · 1 hr 3 min

Jamie Oliver

In the 2000s, Jamie Oliver made a big splash with his work reforming kids’ meals in the UK and US. Was his work wicked slammin’, or just proper rustic? Support us: Hear bonus episodes on PatreonDonate on PayPalGet Maintenance Phase T-shirts, stickers and moreBuy Aubrey's bookListen to Mike's other podcastLinks! BBC Profile - Jamie OliverJamie Oliver Puts America's Diet on a DietAll The Times Jamie Oliver Made Everyone AngryUnpacking School Lunch: Understanding the Hidden Politics of School F...
7 Mar 2024 · 1 hr 28 min

COVID Conspiracies

What was missing from America's pandemic response? According to the internet, a sunshine vitamin, a malaria treatment and a whole lot of horse paste. Thanks to Health Nerd (Substack) for helping us fact-check this episode! And thanks to Abby Mahler (Twitter, Tiktok) for help with the research on hydroxychloroquine! Support us: Hear bonus episodes on PatreonDonate on PayPalGet Maintenance Phase T-shirts, stickers and moreBuy Aubrey's bookListen to Mike's other podcastLinks: How Musk S...
10 Oct 2023 · 58 min

Ozempic

Ozempic is being hailed as “the end of the Obesity Epidemic.” This week, Mike and Aubrey dig through the sensational claims. But will they make it past the caveats? Links: How a Canadian scientist and a venomous lizard helped pave the way for Ozempic The Discovery and Development of Liraglutide and Semaglutide Ozempic and Wegovy maker courts prominent Black leaders to get Medicare's favor Insurers clamping down on doctors who prescribe Ozempic for weight lossOzempic pres...
12 Sep 2023 · 44 min

"Soy Boys"

How a plant-based pejorative went from an alt-right burn to a core concern of mainstream Republicans. Support us: Hear bonus episodes on PatreonDonate on PayPalGet Maintenance Phase T-shirts, stickers and moreBuy Aubrey's bookListen to Mike's other podcastLinks! Joe Explains the Term "Soy Boy" to Donnell RawlingsAlex Jones Gay Bomb RantSoyboys and Sensitivity: Mocking Meat Avoidance from Punch to TwitterHow the alt-right uses milk to promote white supremacyMen's Health 2009 pieceNeither soy ...
1 Aug 2023 · 1 hr 14 min

RFK Jr. and The Mainstreaming Of The Anti-Vaxx Movement

Join us for a 75 minute answer to a 5 word question: Is there mercury in vaccines? Support us: Hear bonus episodes on PatreonDonate on PayPalGet Maintenance Phase T-shirts, stickers and moreBuy Aubrey's bookListen to Mike's other podcastLinks! Paul Offit’s “Autism's False Prophets”Peter Hotez’s “The Deadly Rise of Anti-Science”Seth Mnookin’s “The Panic Virus”Jonathan M. Berman’s “Anti-vaxxers: How to Challenge a Misinformed Movement” Steve Silberman’s “Neurotribes”Transcript of the Sim...
18 Jul 2023 · 1 hr 15 min

RFK Jr. and The Rise of the Anti-Vaxx Movement

A political candidate has some questions and we have some extremely obvious answers. Support us: Hear bonus episodes on PatreonDonate on PayPalGet Maintenance Phase T-shirts, stickers and moreBuy Aubrey's bookListen to Mike's other podcastLinks! Eric Garcia’s “We’re Not Broken”Mike and Sarah’s episode on autism and the anti-vaxx movementSeth Mnookin’s “The Panic Virus”Jonathan M. Berman’s “Anti-vaxxers: How to Challenge a Misinformed Movement” Brian Deer’s “The Doctor Who Fooled the Wor...
4 Jul 2023 · 45 min

Pilates

Somehow an episode about an old-timey fitness influencer ended up being one of our most wholesome ever. We're as surprised as you are. Support us: Hear bonus episodes on PatreonDonate on PayPalGet Maintenance Phase T-shirts, stickers and moreBuy Aubrey's bookListen to Mike's other podcastLinks! Pilates and the “powerhouse"Sick Architecture - Ibiayi Briggs - Body Culture and Contrology World War One: Internment centre 'will unlock' family talesThe Acrobatic Immigrant Who Invented Pilates...
20 Jun 2023 · 1 hr 1 min

Brittany Dawn

How a fitness influencer went from small-time scammer to one of the Internet’s leading villains. Support us: Hear bonus episodes on PatreonDonate on PayPalGet Maintenance Phase T-shirts, stickers and moreBuy Aubrey's bookListen to Mike's other podcast Links! THIS IS DISTURBINGgoodbye for now… How Dallas-area influencer Brittany Dawn found herself at the mercy of social media's double-edged swordConversations with the Inspiring Brittany DawnInfluencer Asks Customers to Sign NDA Before R...

About Maintenance Phase

Debunking the junk science behind health fads, wellness scams and nonsensical nutrition advice.

Maintenance Phase is a English health podcast from Aubrey Gordon & Michael Hobbes. Melo plays each episode straight from the publisher's own feed — no ads added, no account needed — and remembers where you stopped, in this browser only.

Publisher: Aubrey Gordon & Michael Hobbes
Language: English
Category: Health
New episodes: Monthly
Typical length: 1 hr 6 min
Latest episode: 21 Sep 2026
Feed: RSS — paste into any podcast app
Apple Podcasts: podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id1535408667

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