Maintenance Phase is the podcast you never knew you needed. Hosts Aubrey Gordon and Michael Hobbs are gut-wrenchingly funny, and they manage to tackle the hard subject matter of fatphobia, dieting and wellness culture with empathy and humour.
By dint of being alive in the 21st century, you probably struggle, at least a little bit, with body image and the idea of ‘health’ that we’re sold by the media. Obviously ‘health’ means six-pack abs, eating only celery, and being skinny, right? But over the course of their hour-ish long episodes—the perfect length for those pesky public transport rides—Michael Hobbs and Aubrey Gordon take their listeners through a well-researched, scientifically-informed reality check. Through interrogation of poorly designed, biased studies and scrutinising marketing ploys, Hobbs and Gordon demonstrate the social construction of fatphobia and weight bias. They’ll show you that yes, keto, paleo, and other diets are, in fact, a scam, and despite what wellness influencers tell you, it’s fine to be fat. Their chats are always fun, always enlightening, and in a capitalistic world that often gains by making you feel self-conscious, Maintenance Phase will make you feel better about yourself, too.
The podcast that will actually make you a better person. 1000/10.