The 12 Best Wellness Podcasts (2026)

Stanford neuroscientist Andrew Huberman has built something unusual here -- a podcast that genuinely teaches you how your brain and body work, then hands you specific protocols to make them work better. Each episode zeros in on a single topic like sleep optimization, dopamine regulation, or stress management, and Huberman walks through the underlying neuroscience before laying out concrete steps you can actually take on Monday morning. The show runs in two formats: full-length episodes that regularly stretch past two hours with guest researchers, and shorter Essentials episodes around 35 minutes that distill key concepts. With over 380 episodes and a 4.8 star rating from more than 27,000 reviews, the audience clearly responds to his teaching style. Huberman has a knack for making dense science feel like a conversation rather than a lecture. He will casually explain how cortisol spikes affect your afternoon energy, then pivot to the specific timing of cold exposure that might help. Some listeners find the longer episodes demanding, but the timestamped chapters make it easy to skip around. The show updated twice weekly and covers everything from hormones and habit formation to addiction and memory. If you want to understand the machinery behind your mood, focus, and physical health -- and you do not mind going deep -- this is the one.

Dr. Laurie Santos teaches Yale's most popular course ever -- "The Science of Well-Being" -- and this podcast is essentially an extension of that class, minus the tuition. Each weekly episode runs 30 to 47 minutes, which makes it perfect for a commute or lunch break. Santos takes psychological research that might otherwise gather dust in academic journals and turns it into stories about real people making real changes. She will explain why your brain is terrible at predicting what will make you happy, then offer evidence-backed alternatives that actually move the needle. The show has 271 episodes, a 4.7 rating from nearly 14,000 reviews, and a Pushkin Industries production quality that keeps the pacing tight. Recent episodes have covered the science of dating, what makes people feel genuinely loved, and how to navigate major life transitions without spiraling. Santos interviews everyone from behavioral economists to relationship researchers, and she has a warm interviewing style that brings out surprisingly personal moments from her guests. One thing to know: the ad breaks can feel frequent, though a Pushkin+ subscription removes them. But the content between those breaks is consistently sharp. If you have ever wondered why buying that thing did not make you as happy as you expected, Santos has the research to explain it -- and the practical suggestions to point you somewhere better.

Jay Shetty spent three years living as a monk in India before becoming one of the most-followed wellness voices online, and that unusual background shapes every conversation on this show. New episodes land on Mondays and Fridays, alternating between long-form interviews (usually 45 minutes to an hour and a half) and shorter workshop-style solo episodes where Shetty walks through a specific mental framework or habit. With over 800 episodes and 25,000+ ratings at 4.7 stars, the show has found a massive audience. Shetty's guest list is genuinely eclectic -- one week he is talking to a biochemist about gut-brain connections, the next he is sitting with a celebrity unpacking their relationship with failure. His interviewing style leans contemplative rather than confrontational. He asks questions that make guests pause and think, which leads to moments you do not get on more rapid-fire interview shows. The monastic training shows up in how he frames topics: he talks about purpose, gratitude, and emotional patterns, but grounds them in modern psychology rather than just spiritual tradition. Some episodes veer into motivational territory that might feel familiar if you consume a lot of self-improvement content. But Shetty's best work -- the episodes where he gets a guest genuinely off-script -- produces conversations that stick with you for days.

Aubrey Gordon and Michael Hobbes are on a mission to tear apart the junk science propping up wellness fads, and they are having a genuinely great time doing it. Each biweekly episode -- typically 50 minutes to an hour and 20 minutes -- picks one health trend, diet program, or nutritional claim and puts it under a microscope built from peer-reviewed research, meta-analyses, and historical context. They have tackled everything from the BMI's bizarre origins to seed oil panic to the diet crimes of Metabolife. The show sits at 4.7 stars with over 16,500 ratings across 145 episodes, which is impressive for a show that essentially tells people the things they believe about health might be wrong. Gordon brings expertise as a fat acceptance author and researcher, while Hobbes contributes investigative journalism skills honed at HuffPost and other outlets. Their chemistry is the real engine of the show -- they bounce between genuine outrage at predatory wellness marketing and belly laughs at the absurdity of it all. Some episodes land closer to media criticism than health advice, which keeps the show from ever feeling preachy. Fair warning: a good chunk of content has moved behind a paywall (MP After Dark for $4.99/month), which frustrates some longtime listeners. But the free episodes remain consistently excellent at helping you sort real wellness science from expensive nonsense.

Lewis Howes was a professional football player whose career ended with an injury, and that experience of rebuilding from zero shapes every interview he does on this show. With roughly 2,000 episodes and a 4.8 star rating from over 20,000 reviews, The School of Greatness has become one of the longest-running wellness interview podcasts out there. New episodes drop twice a week, running between 55 minutes and an hour and a half. Howes pulls in an absurdly wide range of guests -- Olympic athletes, neuroscientists, therapists, entrepreneurs, authors -- and steers the conversation toward what actually worked when things got hard. He is particularly good at getting successful people to talk about their lowest moments, which makes the wellness advice feel earned rather than theoretical. The show covers mental health, fitness, relationships, finances, and personal development, often within the same episode. Howes has a jock-turned-seeker energy that might not click for everyone, but his genuine curiosity about how people function at their best keeps the conversations from sliding into generic motivation. One downside: the ad reads are frequent and long, though a GREATNESS+ subscription cleans that up. The back catalog alone is worth exploring -- there are episodes from years ago with guests who were not yet famous that feel like time capsules of good advice delivered before the spotlight hit.

Dan Harris famously had a panic attack on live television while anchoring Good Morning America, and that moment of public unraveling led him to meditation -- and eventually to this podcast. He describes the show as "self-help for smart people," which is a fair tagline. Harris brings a journalist's skepticism to mindfulness and mental health, pressing his guests on evidence and calling out vague platitudes. With over 1,000 episodes and a 4.6 rating from more than 12,000 reviews, the show has built a loyal following among people who want the benefits of meditation without the incense-and-crystals packaging. Episodes run anywhere from 20 minutes to 90 minutes, dropping twice weekly. The guest roster includes psychologists, philosophers, neuroscientists, and meditation teachers from various traditions. Harris is refreshingly honest about his own struggles -- he does not pretend to have it all figured out, and he regularly admits when a practice is not working for him. The companion app offers guided meditations and live sessions, though the podcast stands on its own. What makes this show different from other mindfulness podcasts is Harris's willingness to be the skeptic in the room. He asks the questions that a cynical listener would ask, which paradoxically makes the wellness content more trustworthy. The result is a show that meets you exactly where you are, even if where you are is deeply suspicious of the whole enterprise.

Dr. Rangan Chatterjee has been a practicing GP in the UK for nearly 20 years, and his central argument is simple: health has become way too complicated. This podcast is his attempt to uncomplicate it. With 631 episodes and a 4.8 star rating, the show comes in two flavors -- full-length interviews that can stretch to two hours with expert guests, and shorter Bitesize episodes around 25 minutes that pull the best insights from previous conversations. That flexibility is genuinely useful; you can go deep on a topic or grab a quick takeaway depending on your day. Chatterjee covers the four pillars he writes about in his bestselling books: eating, sleeping, moving, and relaxing. But he is not prescriptive in an annoying way. He has a calm, curious interviewing style that draws out practical advice without it feeling like a lecture. Recent episodes have tackled everything from menopause to the gut microbiome to how your relationships affect your physical health. The show is based in the UK, so the perspective skews slightly British in its healthcare references, but the advice is universal. Chatterjee is also good at myth-busting -- he will gently dismantle a popular health claim with clinical evidence while never making the listener feel foolish for believing it. If you want a GP's perspective without the ten-minute appointment time limit, this is your show.

Dr. Rhonda Patrick does not simplify things for you, and that is exactly the point. FoundMyFitness is the podcast for people who actually want to read the studies behind the headlines about sauna use, omega-3 fatty acids, and vitamin D supplementation. Patrick holds a Ph.D. in biomedical science and conducted graduate research on aging, cancer, and nutrition at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, so she brings genuine research credibility that most wellness podcasters cannot match. Episodes release roughly monthly, but they are substantial -- often running 90 minutes to three and a half hours. With 109 episodes, a 4.8 rating, and over 5,300 reviews, the show has cultivated a dedicated audience of science-literate health enthusiasts. Patrick interviews leading researchers and also does deep solo episodes where she walks through a single study or biological pathway in detail, explaining things like how sulforaphane activates the NRF2 pathway or how time-restricted eating affects insulin sensitivity. She is careful to note when evidence is preliminary versus well-established, which is refreshing in a space where many podcasters present every finding as settled truth. The show is not for casual listening -- you might need to rewind certain sections -- but if you want to understand the actual mechanisms behind wellness interventions rather than just being told what to do, Patrick is one of the best at bridging the gap between lab bench and kitchen table.

Shawn Stevenson has been making health content since 2013, and The Model Health Show's 976 episodes represent one of the deepest back catalogs in the wellness podcast space. The show carries a 4.8 rating from nearly 7,000 reviews, and it has earned that by being consistently accessible without dumbing things down. Stevenson's background is in nutritional science, and he is particularly strong on topics like sleep optimization, hormonal health, and how food quality affects everything from your energy to your mood. Episodes run about 60 to 75 minutes and drop biweekly, typically featuring a mix of expert interviews and solo deep-dives where Stevenson breaks down a specific health topic with cited research. His delivery is warm and occasionally funny -- he has an ease on the mic that makes complicated biochemistry feel conversational. He will explain how chronic inflammation affects your joints, then tell you what he actually eats for breakfast, and somehow both parts feel equally useful. The guest lineup leans toward doctors, researchers, and fellow health authors, with conversations that go beyond the standard talking points. Stevenson is also upfront about his own health journey, including a degenerative bone disease diagnosis at 20 that sent him searching for answers outside conventional medicine. That personal stake comes through in how he discusses topics -- there is a clear sense that this is not abstract for him.

Jonathan Wolf hosts this weekly podcast that sits at the intersection of nutrition science and practical eating advice. The show comes from ZOE, the personalized nutrition company founded on research from King's College London and Harvard, and it brings that academic pedigree to every episode. With 292 episodes and a 4.6 rating, the format alternates between full-length interviews (usually 50 to 75 minutes) with leading scientists and shorter recap episodes around 12 minutes that distill the key points. Recent topics have covered gut microbiome diversity, the relationship between ultra-processed food and brain health, inflammation markers, and longevity research. Wolf is a solid interviewer who asks the follow-up questions a curious non-scientist would want answered. He brings on professors and medical doctors who are actively publishing research, which means you are getting information closer to the source than most nutrition podcasts offer. The show includes detailed timestamps and links to cited studies, which is a nice touch for anyone who wants to verify claims. One thing to be aware of: ZOE sells a paid nutrition testing product, and the podcast occasionally functions as a funnel toward that service. Some episodes feature guests whose work aligns closely with ZOE's commercial interests. That said, the science discussed is generally well-sourced, and the shorter recap format is genuinely useful for busy listeners who just want the takeaway without the full interview.

Katie Wells started the Wellness Mama blog in 2012 and the podcast followed in 2014, growing to over 1,000 episodes and a 4.8 star rating from nearly 4,000 reviews. The show occupies a specific niche that few podcasts do well: wellness advice filtered through the reality of raising a family. Wells is a mother of six, and that lived experience keeps the show grounded in what is actually possible when you have kids demanding your attention every five minutes. Episodes run 35 to 55 minutes and release twice weekly, mixing solo episodes where Wells shares her own research and routines with guest interviews featuring health practitioners, functional medicine doctors, and researchers. Topics range from enzyme biology and liver support to non-toxic cleaning products and kids' sleep routines. Wells is upfront about her own health journey, including a thyroid condition that pushed her toward functional medicine approaches. She explains why she chose certain protocols and what the evidence says, but she is not dogmatic about it. The show leans toward natural and alternative health approaches more than conventional medicine, which will appeal to some listeners and not others. What keeps people coming back is the practicality -- Wells does not just discuss a concept like nervous system regulation in the abstract. She tells you what she did that morning, how her kids responded, and whether it actually worked in a house full of chaos.

Josh Trent approaches wellness through what he calls five dimensions -- physical, emotional, mental, spiritual, and financial -- and that framework gives the show a wider lens than most health podcasts. With over 800 episodes and a 4.8 rating, the podcast has been running long enough to build a substantial library covering everything from breathwork and behavioral psychology to psychedelics and consciousness research. New episodes drop twice weekly, alternating between shorter solo reflections (15 to 20 minutes) and longer guest interviews that often stretch past 90 minutes. Trent is a vulnerable host. He talks openly about his own struggles with addiction and emotional health, and that willingness to be unguarded draws similar openness from his guests. The interview roster includes researchers, therapists, biohackers, and spiritual teachers, which creates an interesting mix where one week you might hear about cold thermogenesis protocols and the next about breathwork for trauma release. The show does lean into the spiritual side of wellness more than purely science-focused podcasts, which will resonate with some listeners and feel too woo-woo for others. Trent also features sponsor integrations with various wellness and biohacking products. But his best episodes -- the ones where a guest goes somewhere unexpected and Trent follows them with genuine curiosity -- show why the show has survived and grown over nearly a decade of crowded podcast competition.