We're five! To celebrate we opened the mailbag to look back on how wellness (and we) have changed since we launched this show in October of 2020.
You can play the episode directly through Patreon or use our RSS feed to add it to your podcast app. Here are the instructions from Patreon.
See you next month!
A&M
2025-10-30 07:05:01 +0000 UTC View Post
Maintenance Phase is turning 5! In October 2020, Mike and Aubrey uploaded our very first episode. Thanks to the enthusiasm of our listeners and the support of subscribers, we're still going strong five years later.
So for the show's birthday, we'd love to hear from you all for a listener questions bonus episode! Submit your questions here. We'll pick questions to answer in this month's birthday party bonus episode.
It is so, so fun and meaningfu...
2025-10-07 22:03:24 +0000 UTC View PostThis month we're walking through some recent news stories:
What's RFK Jr. Up To? (we recorded this before the "Tylenol causes autism" madness so we'll have to cover that next roundup)
The Rise of Kratom (NBC News, 2025-09-30 06:17:51 +0000 UTC View Post
Hey pals!
For this month's bonus episode, we're digging into a media roundup of recent health & wellness reporting and analysis, and we'd love your requests! What wellness & weight loss stories would you like to hear us unpack in this month's bonus episode? Drop links to specific reporting, analysis & opinion pieces in the comments!
Thanks in advance for your suggestipons! In the meantime, if you want to know what a media roundup sounds like, 2025-09-11 15:20:57 +0000 UTC View Post
Light your scented candles and grab your jade eggs: We're returning to the Goopiverse! This month, Aubrey walks us through the high points of the new Gwyneth Paltrow biography.
You can play the episode directly through Patreon or use our RSS feed to add it to your podcast app. 2025-08-28 07:05:02 +0000 UTC View Post
You may know Mike Huckabee as the former Governor of Arkansas, the current US Ambassador to Israel, or as a sick bassist, but did you also know he wrote a diet book? On this month's bonus episode, we're diving into "Quit Digging Your Grave With a Knife and Fork" and the conflicted world of a former fat guy who's also a high-profile conservative.
Links!:
WE DID IT, FOLKS! We made Mike watch reality TV! This month, based on your suggestions, we're taking a break from the hellscape that surrounds us to talk about the hellscapes on TV: TEMPTATION ISLAND and THE ULTIMATUM: QUEER LOVE. A couple of links:
Video speed controller for chrome / 2025-06-26 07:05:01 +0000 UTC View Post
Summer's here, let's bust some hydration myths!
You can play the episode directly through Patreon or use our RSS feed to add it to your podcast app. Here are the instructions from Patreon. And if you've got bonus episode requests, as ever, drop them in the comments!
See you next month!
M&A
2025-05-27 07:05:01 +0000 UTC View PostGod help us, we're catching up with RFK Jr. and his cadre of "Make America Healthy Again" influencers.
You can play the episode directly through Patreon or use our RSS feed to add it to your podcast app. Here are the instructions from Patreon. And if you've got bonus episode requests, as ever, drop them in the comments!
Hey, all!
We've got a couple of very meaty, substantive bonus episodes coming up for you, but given the state of the world (and requests from you all!), we figure we owe you some fun ones, too. So, in the spirit of our previous bonus episode about the Bachelor and in the spirit of driving Mike up the wall, we're gonna do a fun reality TV epsiode, and we'd love your help!
What reality shows shou...
2025-04-24 18:49:54 +0000 UTC View PostThis month, fresh off discussing Dave Asprey’s The Bulletproof Diet, we're digging into the movement Asprey calls home: Biohacking. Who are these jokers?
Some sources for this episode:
It's time for a RETURN TO THE TRUE ZONES! This month we're digging into the Netflix docuseries "Live to 100: Secrets of the Blue Zones." It's one revelation after the next: eat vegetables! Move around! Take the stairs instead of the elevator! TRULY GROUNDBREAKING.
You can play the episode directly through Patreon or use our RSS feed to add it to your podcast app. 2025-02-27 08:05:00 +0000 UTC View Post
We were both in Los Angeles over the holidays so we decided to sample some choice items from EREWHON, PRESSED JUICERY and KREATION KAFE. Plus, Aubrey finally got to shout about her Roman Empire, CAFE GRATITUDE
You can play the episode directly through Patreon or use our RSS feed to add it to your podcast app. 2025-01-22 08:05:01 +0000 UTC View Post
Continuing our annual tradition of naming the worst, worst and worst wellness trends of the year.
(WARNING: this episode was produced in a facility that also processes RFK Jr episodes. May contain trace elements.)
You can play the episode directly through Patreon or use our RSS feed to add it to your podcast app. Here are the instruct...
2024-12-31 08:05:01 +0000 UTC View Post
This month's bonus episode is a Thanksgiving feast of mains, sides and leftovers featuring our favorite happy meatball. First, we're revisiting the hit podcast "Missing Richard Simmons" and grumpily examining the tropes of podcast storytelling. Then we're playing a clip we cut from our last episode about a truly cursed Richard Simmons biopic . And finally, we're sharing some of Richard's anecdotes about his...
It's time for the 2024 Grifties, our annual award show for the worst and wildest in wellness!
We're looking for your nominees in the following categories:
What was the best wellness take from a celebrity or influencer in 2024?
What was the worst wellness take from a celebrity or influencer in 2024?
What was the biggest wellness scandal of 2024?
What was the
For Halloween we picked one of our scariest topics: What has RFK Jr. has been up to? Updates include a whale head, a bear body and a cameo from Roseanne Barr for some reason.
You can play the episode directly through Patreon or use our RSS feed to add it to your podcast app. Here are the instructions from Patreon. And if you'...
2024-10-29 07:05:02 +0000 UTC View Post
Everything is terrible so we're taking the personality test that doesn't hurt your feelings!
You can play the episode directly through Patreon or use our RSS feed to add it to your podcast app. Here are the instructions from Patreon.
And if you've got bonus episode requests, feel free to drop those in the comments!
See...
2024-09-30 07:00:07 +0000 UTC View Post
FINALLY, A VOICE FOR SKINNY BITCHES! This month, Mike is taking us on a deep dive into one of our most requested titles: Skinny Bitch. It's a true time capsule from the dirtbag 2000s. Also, Aubrey is as bad at mean girling as she is at reply guying.
You can play the episode directly through Patreon or use our RSS feed to add it to your podcast app. 2024-08-29 07:05:00 +0000 UTC View Post
After the last few rage-filled bonus episodes, we're dimming the lights and gazing into each other's eyes. This month, Mike and Aubrey explore the storied "36 Questions To Fall In Love."
You can play the episode directly through Patreon or use our RSS feed to add it to your podcast app. 2024-07-30 13:24:26 +0000 UTC View Post
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!!!
You can play the episode directly through Patreon or use our RSS feed to add it to your podcast app. Here are the instructions from Patreon.
Also: This bonus is a little different in that we're going t...
2024-07-01 02:52:23 +0000 UTC View Post
Do the arguments about trans rights sound familiar to you? They did to us, too. This month, we're talking through the stark parallels between the arguments against queer marriage and the arguments against trans health care.
You can play the episode directly through Patreon or use our RSS feed to add it to your podcast app. Here are the inst...
2024-05-31 07:05:01 +0000 UTC View Post
Oprah's got a new special about weight loss. Is it 1986? No, it's 2024 and we're watching "Blame, Shame and the Weight Loss Revolution"!
You can play the episode directly through Patreon or use our RSS feed to add it to your podcast app. Here are the instructions from Patreon. As ever, leave a comment if you've got a request for f...
2024-04-30 07:05:00 +0000 UTC View Post
Despite being almost 90 minutes long, our COVID CONSPIRACIES episode covered just a fraction of the misinformation bouncing around the country in 2020. So to cover some of the viral myths and zombie statistics we didn't get to, we decided to have a little watch party for a coronavirus conspiracy classic: "Plandemic."
You can play the episode directly through Patreon or use our RSS feed to add it to your podcast app. 2024-03-26 07:05:00 +0000 UTC View Post
Can someone's diet cure their schizophrenia? Of course not! But some real jerky psychologists & MDs in the '70s decided to tell people it could. This month, we're diving back into Aubrey's diet book collection—and this time, we're focusing on diets that claim to have psychological and behavioral effects. Buckle up, it's even more unhinged than you think!
You can play the episode directly through Patreon or use our RSS feed to add it to your podcast app. 2024-02-29 08:05:01 +0000 UTC View Post
From its $22 smoothies to its celebrity clientele, Erewhon has become the go-to super-woo supermarket for America's super wealthy. But what's the story behind this pop culture punching bag? What does the name mean? And what do $14 kale chips taste like??
You can play the episode directly through Patreon or use our RSS feed to add it to your podcast app. 2024-01-31 08:01:01 +0000 UTC View Post
It's the most wonderful time of the year: The Grifties! This month, we dig in on the best and worst (mostly worst) of wellness and weight loss in 2023. Plus, we remember the true reason for the season—deranged billionaires.
You can play the episode directly through Patreon or use our RSS feed to add it to your podcast app. Here are the in...
2023-12-29 08:01:01 +0000 UTC View PostIt's time for the 2023 Grifties, Maintenance Phase's annual award show to (dis)honor the worst and wildest in wellness!
We're looking for your nominees in the following categories:
We asked for your victories against anti-fatness and diet nonsense and you all came through in a big way. In this month's bonus episode (recorded back in September), we're celebrating your biggest wins: Setting boundaries, showing up for fat people and changing systems for the better. Chaos gremlins unite!
You can play the episode directly through Patreon or use our RSS feed to add it to your podcast app. 2023-11-30 08:05:00 +0000 UTC View Post
Phew! We had a wild month putting our Ozempic episode together and we wanted to process how and why it was so difficult with each other and our closest internet-friends. We also wanted to have a looser, less formal recording session to rant about some of the worst Discourse we've seen. Join us in a big group EXASPERATED SIGH.
We're also sharing a moment of transparency and vulnerability about making this show. We love doing this and it's been tough to put out episodes at the quality we ...
2023-10-31 09:00:05 +0000 UTC View Post