Maintenance Phase

Aubrey Gordon and Michael Hobbes created Maintenance Phase to do something most health podcasts don't: examine the wellness industry itself. With 145 episodes and new releases every two weeks, the show investigates the scientific claims behind diet trends, wellness products, and fitness fads, often finding that the evidence is thinner than the marketing suggests. Gordon is the author of What We Don't Talk About When We Talk About Fat, and she brings a perspective informed by fat activism and personal experience navigating a health system that often reduces complex conditions to body weight. Hobbes is an investigative journalist whose research skills drive the show's deep-dive format. Together, they've dissected the history and science behind topics like Metabolife's dangerous diet supplements, the seed oil panic, raw milk enthusiasm, and Herbalife's multilevel marketing structure. The tone is what makes the show work. Gordon and Hobbes are genuinely funny, and their episodes feel like listening to two sharp friends break down why that Instagram health guru might be full of it. But the humor doesn't undercut the research. They cite studies, track down primary sources, and distinguish between what the evidence actually shows versus what companies and influencers claim. The show holds a 4.7-star rating from over 16,500 Apple reviews, making it one of the most reviewed health-adjacent podcasts on the platform. Paid bonus episodes are available through their "MP After Dark" subscription. If you've ever felt skeptical about a health product or diet plan but weren't sure where to start checking the claims, this show does that work for you.