Signal Boost: Maintenance Phase Podcast

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

Do you like well-researched podcasts about wellness? Are you a methodology queen? Do you want to sometimes laugh out loud in an inappropriate place like on a train or library? Then Maintenance Phase is the podcast for you. Aubrey Gordon, otherwise known as Your Fat Friend and author of What We Don’t Talk About When We Talk About Fat, and Michael Hobbes, writer and podcast co-host of You’re Wrong About, walk their audiences through a connect-the-dots journey through science and policy to figure out how we all got to where we are in the world of wellness and nutrition.

I could do a whole blog post about pretty much each episode. When I need my fat liberationist fires stoked, I make sure to put on a new episode or at least an episode I haven’t heard yet. I’ve gotten into the podcast a little late since they got started in October 2020. There are currently 25 episodes available for your consumption (no calories involved). Gordon and Hobbes have a great rapport together, and their energy, while sometimes chaotic, is infectious. They are uniformly well-researched and tell a wonderful story, whether it’s about Oprah and the Wagon of Fat episode or celery juice and master cleanses. I learn a lot from listening to the episodes and can identify with a lot of the experiences that Gordon, fat-lady about town, had. But this podcast definitely isn’t just for fellow fats; anyone who wants to learn more about some of the latest and greatest health and nutrition fads of the recent past should give it a listen.