October Bonus: Happy Birthday, Us!

For the first time ever, Peter has mispronounced something that Michael pronounced correctly. Linearly???????? Come on Pete

i love a part two of an episode

i love you both so much and for the record i ALWAYS listen to PART TWO!!!! and worm wars!!!! lol

I listen to part 2

Aubrey & Mike guesting on Wait Wait would be amaziiiiiing

I can't even imagine living in a world where I don't listen to the second part

I know this is an old episode but listening to the episodes you two have enjoyed: the Is Being Fat Bad For You? episode changed my brain chemistry

Omg, the whole "social media interprets slow reaction time as engagement" thing is so relatable! I don't smoke/eat gummies but my autism makes me have really slow processing speed plus sensory overload from auto-playing videos (which most apps won't let me turn off), so I've had to abandon everything but reddit since me constantly freezing would just lead to algorithms feeding me trash, rage-bait, or especially overstimulating videos that are just pure auditory chaos and jump cuts haha

I LISTEN TO PART 2s why do I not matter

No I love multiple part episodes!!!

I ALWAYS LISTEN TO PART 2 BUT I'M ALSO AUDHD

I understand the Rapid Gender Dysphoria journaling has frustrated Mike, but I want to say how grateful I am that he does it. It has really help cement my ideas and beliefs into tangible arguments so I no longer have to tolerate discourse when it’s obvious they are not informed. It is also one of my favourite episodes.

I love 2 parters honestly lol

Apple Cider Vinegar was the first episode I ever listed to, and it hooked me!! every time i tell someone to listen to MP, i always recommend that episode and i tell them that they HAVE TO wait until the second half of the episode for the twist. it's SO good

I love the 2 part episode that are topic based (not people based). I listen to everything. But I don’t re-listen to the people episodes as much. And I don’t think I can handle a 3 part RFJ episode run even with subtle renaming again.

the protein!!! 😭 they sell protein water over here in the UK! WATER!

Omg, I just found this 80's NOVA episode on the internet archive. I'm 38 seconds in, so I know nothing about it, but I can guess. Just watching the first 38 seconds, I'm suggesting you guys have a watch party bonus episode!! Fat Chance in a Thin World "Examines why some people get fat and others do not. Physicians, psychologists, professors, and researchers tell of their findings and overweight people personalize the relevance of these clinical investigations." Love the show!! So grateful for both of you. https://archive.org/details/FatChanceinaThinWorld

The protein obsession! As someone who was a vegetarian in the 1990s, I’ve been receiving this message for decades. Now I’m in perimenopause and you’d think protein was magical and will cure aging.

I love the 2 parters and was so excited when you did the Snake Oil episode to hear something I taught in my Asian American History class on your show! You are the best! This was the first podcast I ever listened to and now I listen to several and they are all connected to this show in some way.

Okay it might not be this episode, but did anyone else try the chile crisp beans recipe that Aubrey mentioned? Yum!

I always listen to part 2!!!

Late to the party but interesting how Michael was saying that in critiquing junk science they have a lot of people celebrating the end of science, Angela Collier is a physicist on YouTube who recently said she will stop debunking bad physics for the same reason. People using her content to attack science as a whole

if you were just looking at level of processing, raw milk is less processed than pasteurised milk and therefore, according to the ultraprocessed food people, better.

I really appreciated the part about "doing your own research". I cannot research or look up all this. At some point it’s about having a certain level of knowledge but, after that, trusting those you are listening yo/reading.

I agree there is a lot of Skyr in the Paris supermarkets! But there are some nice, full fat Greek yoghurts available. I am also seeing protein everywhere.

I'm trying my best to divest from Spotify and I'm curious about a couple things. None of the 3 podcasts I subscribe to on Patreon post their main feed episodes here, why is that? I'd much rather listen to them all in one place. If that is not an option, which streaming service pays you the most? Other Patrons, where do you listen to main feed episodes?

Just finished the raw milk episode and would like to lobby for us all to call this paleo-esque bullshit “food fascism”

I truly cannot believe the cold open wasn’t “Welcome to Maintenance Phase, the podcast that is just asking questions.”

In Australia you can now get something called, "Cold Pressed Raw milk" -the claim is that cold pressure kills pathogens whilst protecting nutrients. Sounds like BS but they must have passed Australian food standards as it's in grocery shops. It's unlawful to sell raw milk for human consumption in Australia. ..

RAW MILK! RAW MILK!! FUCK!!! RAW MILK!!! Sorry, I’m never EVER getting over Aubrey reading the seed oils thing🤣🤣🤣😭😭😭😆😆😂😂 Eta I’m definitely ruined forever. I just saw something that said “propaganda to make us eat seed oils!!” and all of us here know what instantly happened in my mind 😂😂😂😂😂 why are you afraid of sunflowers omg I can’t stop😭😭😭

Since we are on the topic I will just say it here: You guys are also MY favorite podcast 😁

The raw milk mention just reminded me of when I would go with my grandma to the market in Poland years ago. There was always one lady standing with plastic bottles selling milk, fresh from the cow. I think it was nostalgic for my grandma to drink it because she was raised in the village. Maybe a lot of this is connected with this image of being closer to nature.

The absolute *joyyyy* I felt listening to this episode … CHEERS y’all for five years!!

Aubrey and Mike you really need to do an episode on supersize Vs superskinny - it was big in the UK for far too long and I neeeeed to hear Aubrey rip it to shreds, pretty please? (Standing by for the huge f off I'm expecting to hear of you ever do the episode) Seriously, the food tube.... Whole different what I eat in a day vibe!

I just watched the John Candy - I Like Me doc. Really interesting about fatphobia - some of the questions he was asked were shockingly offensive

I always listen to part 2!!

“We are NOT professionals. We would NOT just power through” 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

Love you too - and I always listen to Part 2 for the record. Just wondering - have you considered doing a show on this guy? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bryan_Johnson

I always listen to part 2. I'd listen to you guys describe paint drying tho so maybe I'm not the best person to ask

Happy birthday MP!!

Is the podcast a libra or a Scorpio?

Happy birthday! Thank you for 5 years! 🎉🎉🎉

I listen to part 2

One of my favorite podcast crossover is when the Skeptics Guide To The Universe used. Michael Hobbes quote as one their quotes of the week Episode #925 "The best science communication invites you to consider the complexity of the world and the worst invites you to ignore the complexity."

Everyone here is sounding off as a part two listener...but we're perhaps the least helpful group to speak to that issue, given that we're paying just to hear A&M talk more.

As an academic, I love the advice about writing for a wider audience than those who traditionally read academic journals. Sadly, academic institutions and practices change slowly. I remember in some feedback I received while working on my dissertation was that I wrote too much like a journalist and needed to be more academic. (Note: I formerly worked in both radio and tv news and my dissertation was about journalism.)

I always listen to part 2!!!

This is so off topic but I’m watching the Dr Phil Matt Bernstein video Aubrey was on and I am so obsessed with ur glasses Aubrey can I ask where they’re from??

I always listen to part 2!!! I love a deep dive multi-parter!

Micheal I feel like you are type a tho

I LOVE the 2 parters!!!! I always listen to part 2!

I LOVE the Snake Oil episode. I use that snake oil fact all the time.

I ALWAYS listen to part 2 !!!

Michael, as a nonbinary therapist who works with Trans and nonbinary folks and trains thousands of people on supporting and affirming trans people, your work has been SUCH an amazing resource to share. I am endlessly grateful to that work of yours. Truly.

I especially loved the Damian tag line 😂 and I also love 2 parters!

Give us the directors cut with all of Aubrey’s vocal tics

As someone with a PhD in health economics who spent a lot of time trying to find causal relationships between things like health care (using hospital records) and life expectancy… yeah teasing this stuff out is super complicated, highly dependent on data accuracy and validity, and almost impossible!!

We love a part 2!! 🫡

My bong and I thought we Millennials watch Instagram reels now

I used to be SO concerned about my protein intake because I felt awful when I didn’t eat much… and then I realized I have PCOS and insulin insensitivity. Ever since I got on metformin, I just have to keep a vague eye on eating a semi-balanced diet. I always appreciate it when you talk about people generalizing their own experiences with their bodies to other people - this was definitely an instance where I did that for a while.

For the record here- I dooo listen to Part 2’s, with alacrity! I listen to every episode. When I began I went all the way back and have heard every one. Now I wait for each new one and greet it with joy!! I have done some twice🥹

LOVE THIS!!!

Happy birthday!!!!! Every single medical appointment is telling me to eat 90 to 120 g protein per day for my aging muscles (I'm 52). I've been asking how I'm even supposed to eat that much unless I go full Carnivore diet. This is a good reminder that I'll be fine.

Happy birthday to one of the best podcasts ever! 🥳 BTW, I loved hearing both of your vocal talents on Sarah’s new series “The Devil You Know” 👏🏻👏🏻🎉🎉

I’m pretty sure high at night is how most elder millennials experience TikTok

Part 2 is for me! Part 2 is usually the best part. And I like that you don’t cut stories short. Give me the details. Thanks!❤️

I listen to part 2's!!!! Always!

Longtime listener and fan! I love the two-parters and think the Richard Simmons series is one of the best episode pairs of the whole podcast. Don’t stop doing them, we listen! As for science communication, check out the Alan Alda Center for Communicating Science at Stony Brook University. Basically Alan Alda started a program using the principles of improv to help scientists communicate better, and now it is a rapidly growing subfield in the science world. It’s just one of the coolest things there is!

I'm in the protein rant section 😂 IMHO, part of the protein craze is fueled by the rise in GLP-1 drugs. When I asked about these drugs, my doc said I would need to increase protein intake and increase strength training if I took them. I assume this is because the reduction in food consumed and the bod's need for energy mean the body will go for fat AND muscle so you need to work to keep the muscle. But this is one person's convo with one doc.

I miss the general science-y episodes tbh, and big picture topics. The current dystopian stuff is just too overwhelming. But I'll still listen to anything you talk about.

I listen to every episode, including part 2!!

Related to absolutely nothing, I just listened to an old episode where Michael mentions going to college w Macklemore and realized he went to the same PNW school where my daughter just started her freshman year - I am so chuffed 😁

I listen to part twos

You could do an episode where all you do is joke around, make modern popular references I don't understand, and laugh and I'd enjoy it! But I do SO much appreciate the research you put into these episodes.

If you really want to learn what your vocal ticks are have a kid. I have twins and when they were toddlers they would start sentences with “acc-sha-we” and I remember thinking who says actually all the time? it’s me 😬🙄😂

Bean Mention! 😄🫘 Literally listening as I buy chili ingredients! ❤️

So the thing about TikTok-there are 1.9 billion global users. It sucks and it amplifies made up problems, but then those made up problems become real issues. I work in special education, and I’ve seen ideas from tik tok have real impact on my students lives, usually not for the better Ignoring it or pretending it’s some niche thing is like trying to ignore Facebook in the 2000s. It very much is the culture.

Just a note about publishing with acronyms: lots of journals require you use accepted acronyms and often have clear guidelines about when and which specific acronyms are required. Def heard on the press release - good point - but actual published journal articles changing requires change from the top

who’s gonna tell mike it’s pronounced noo-tella

I can't believe y'all discussed vocal tics and Mike did not own up to "over their skis" which he used at LEAST twice in quick succession on a recent IBCK episode. 🤣 And that was just the final edit.

Maybe this is a little too galaxy brain, BUT when y'all were talking about trusting experts MY brain started thinking about the move in Europe from medieval Catholicism to Protestantism and how a huge part of that was centered on the bible and church services (and also high levels of royalty, laws, etc) being conducted in the language of the people rather than in Latin and trust in the clergy... And how today in America in evangelical churches it's considered important by many to bring your own bible to the service so that you can read along with the pastor and look at the text yourself and emphasis on individual devotion ... Again, very galaxy brain but that's the line my brain immediately drew.

The two parters are my favorite???? Who isn't listening to part 2??? That's where all the juicy parts are!

Men's diet culture (especially among gym bros) right now is "whatever-maxxing," and it's just as insufferable as it sounds

fucking, I love two parters!!! Just trick people and dont name them part 1 and 2 lol

The idea of Aubrey getting high and doom scrolling TikTok is super relatable! 😆😆😆

You read my question!!!! 🥰 Thank you so much it made my day! Happy birthday and thank you for making this world a little brighter!

Who is not listening to part 2?! Who are these magical beings whose brains can just move on without the closure of the second ep?! 😅🙈🤗

Happy Birthday Maintenance Phase! I love y'all and have learned SO much from this show over the years. Thank you so much for doing what you do and being you<3

Have y'all ever seen "Nuts in May"? Mike Leigh film about a bonkers couple, shot in the 1976, and they are into Raw milk, and against white sugar and flour. https://mubi.com/en/films/nuts-in-may/trailer

Am I the only one who always needs a snack while I listen to this podcast? (don't leave me hanging)

Me normally: "Parasocial friendships are deeply troubling and it concerns me that people aren't able to differentiate the public personas of people they're fans of from the reality of that person as a multifaceted human about whom they know nothing." Me listening to MP: "I genuinely think me, Michael and Aubrey could all be best friends."

I listen 2-part episodes! I love them because then we get more in-depth info, and then I have something to look forward to. :)

I am also a 2parter! Obviously we all hang out on Patreon. 😆 Congratulations on 5 years, you two are the best!!

Ones I refer people to, quote, and "Well, actually..." on a lot include OG content like BMI, obesity epidemic (tho that was YWA), the ones on sleep and p-hacking... Oh, and Ozempic. Just trying my best to annoy anyone who'll listen to me! JK - it often lands well...

I love you so much Michael but as a parisian I cannot fathom what grocery store you're in in paris that only has skyr. France is THE country of yogurt, it usually has its own aisle even. I promise if you look again you will find a million yogurt options.

Furloughed federal worker here, I’ve used my newfound free time to do a re-listen of the entire catalog and there are NO skips. The two-parters are my favorites!

Michael it is a societal FAILURE how little good reporting there is on trans health care and I am grateful you are one of the reasons there is at least a little good reporting on it; I appreciate you yelling about it a bit here

This is the 2nd time Michael has mentioned the new Taylor Swift album is being panned and I would argue that’s his algorithm telling him that bc mine shows all her fans love it

I love two-parters! They're my favorite kind of episodes

I guess the Patreon comments consensus is that there should be a "Happy Birthday, Part2" where Mikes takes back the Worm Wars slander. (Caveat: The reliability of results obtained by a methodology of "What do Patreon comments say" is lower than that of "Checking the statistics on download/streaming numbers")

Wait, whut? No one likes the 2-parters!? Those are some of my favorites. Tho, I also really loved the Worm Wars episode so... #outlier much?

Happy Birthday to the most wonderful pod!! Mike not remembering Megan Rapinoe took me out 😂

Hi from that Seattle Storm fan in the chat - It was WNBPA President Nneka Ogwumike who mentioned that "Maintenance Phase" is one of her favorite podcasts on Sue Bird's "Bird's Eye View!" https://open.spotify.com/episode/7dIdlMmsaTKURLH8BGxiZR?si=wdUbrv4HS5WEyjF1-FXAWQ

Aubrey I love you 💜

Happy birthday you two. I’ve been listening since the first classic episode, the President’s physical fitness test, and interestingly it’s often (along with the BMI episode) one of the first ones I recommend to people who have never listened before. A friend of mine is an ER doc living in Portland and I sent the BMI episode to him and his wife. They were blown away by the back story (it was eugenics all along).

Thank you for being a ray of sunshine in these abysmal times. I needed this today. 🍎🍐💙

It may be your birthday, but you’re a gift to the world. Love you both. 💝

“It’s all for you, Damien!” This TikTok convo has me cackling on the train home. Happy birthday, maintenance phase!

I was thinking of you guys because I’m dressing as a sunflower for Halloween! This is partially because I saw someone last year with celiac disease dressed as bread and thought it was clever, and I have Mast Cell Activation Syndrome and sunflower seeds and oil give me anaphylaxis. But my husband said it was also good because I’d be RFK Jr’s enemy 😹 Gonna carry around some canola oil that’s labeled as seed oil. Happy 5 years!

Aubrey needs to get on one of Sue Birds' podcasts. I listen to A Touch More and love it but as the hosts are former professional athletes they've got a bit of a blind spot regarding diet culture. Or invite Sue and Megan on Maintenance Phase to talk health and professional sports.

Vocal tics? Whatever. But will no one honor Aubrey's musical theater moments? " 🎵 Ohhhhh MICHAEL, have I got a THIIING to tell you-ooooo 🎵 !"

I assume that the people that don’t listen to part 2 are not in the room with us so respectfully request a 5–8 part series on literally anything.

Okay but skyr is awesome. I didn’t actually realize it had more protein, I just like the texture better than regular yogurt. It IS stupidly expensive though.

my serious and earnest comment is that as someone in science, i feel like your approach to science communication is really thoughtful and nuanced. (also forgive me if i word this poorly, the edible just started kicking in, haha.) i think that engaging with studies and calling out shoddy ones or ones that don't support the conclusions that the researchers seem to want to draw is an integral part of restoring trust in science. i appreciate the work that y'all do. plus, like, even as someone who is in this shit, academic literature can be genuinely really difficult to grasp. i think you two break it down really well and make it intelligible.

Happy birthday 🎂 I listen and re-listen to maintenance faze constantly 😅 As a baker I have a lot of alone time 🤣 I baked you a cake but it won't travel well from Aussie so I'm just gonna eat it 😈

my fun comment is that i'm listening to this ep as i walk home from class in the rain while wearing my "lovely in an upsetting way!" hoodie.

Listen, listen to both parts, relisten, rerelisten, wait a while, start over from ep one, listen again, have a bad day, start relistening at patreon ep one, take a break by relistening to old YWAa, start over at...

I’ve been listening since the beginning and have such respect and appreciation for your work. I had a high risk and medically complicated pregnancy and postpartum journey the last two years where I often felt quite lonely. I listened to the MP back catalogue often and it was really supportive to have interesting information shared by smart, sweet, funny humans.

Future episode (not sure if it's been done): is the prescription drug ads on TV and how bonkers they are.

I think Mike and Aubrey just made the mistake of saying "nobody listens to part 2" to their patreon audience, the precise sample of people most likely to consistently listen to part 2. Hell, we're paying for "part 2" of the whole podcast!!

I am so excited for raw milk, thank you Aubrey!!! Also reiterating the 50% of commenters defending the honor of the two-part episodes - I always listen to the Part 2s!

WHY are people not listening to part 2???? I stream them 🤣

I have library, cats, artist and my favorite video games for my tiktok. It takes some work to get a good algorithm tho and I could not make instagrams work for me.

I literally just put this on but I am offended by the two parter slander 😤

I listen to the Pete Evans episodes all the time!! It makes me happy that you enjoy it as well ❤️

People who ask you if you like each other - I would put money down that they're all straight. 🙃 Those guys will hang on way too long.

Make Parters Two Again! (I love the two parters)

Hey now, I love two part'ers!!! Also happy birthday

Do not sleep on the final 2 minutes! I am often shocked when people ask me if I really like someone I spend a lot of time with. Like, yes? You can see that because I’m…spending lots of time with them?!

Y’all, it’s so comforting to hear about the vocal tics you cut out - I’m always frustrated by my own, and impressed with how clearly y’all communicate. The transparency is refreshing!

Happy birthday! Future episode suggestion: how real is intermittent fasting?

The way Mike says Dua Lipa 😂😂😂😂

I have successfully trained my algorithm to be library and cat reels and I couldn't be happier about it

what crazy person doesn't listen to part 2!!

Excuse me, I love the part 2s!

Ah yes, famous soccer player Marilyn Rap-uh-no😆😆

The size of my eyes hearing that Melanie Lynsky hit follow… my favorite actress since I saw Heavenly Creatures in theaters way back when.

We need some “I think about Richard Simmons a reasonable amount” merch, I think.

Hey guys this episode opened my heart so wide. Also the bbc online has your documentary which I loved . X can't wait for raw milk. Plus who doesn't listen to part two.???

This is very exciting to me because today is also MY birthday!

Here’s a suggestion if it hasn’t been covered: Bragg’s, as in Bragg’s aminos, Apple Cider Vinegar, Paul Bragg, etc. Fascinating stories behind the products.

This episode is my new comfort food. Consider releasing this to yoir main feed, because it's basically a sampler platter of Maintenance Phase, and I'd love to send it to someone curious about the podcast!

Happy podcast birthday! Y’all have brought me such joy these last handful of years. Thanks for doing what you do! And I always listen to part 2!

I want to say an extra Thank You to Mike for your sound editing, it's one of many reasons why I love this podcast. I've tried so many other pods of "people telling each other things" that sounds be great, but so often there's issues with pacing or terrible zoom connection (or vocal ticks probably) that just drive me nuts and I can't finish listening.

i love you guys 🩵 and i always listen to parts 2 🎧 i have learned so much - thank you for your hard work

AND I LOVE WORM WARS

I ALWAYS LISTEN TO PART TWO

You two make me feel safe and curious and informed and challenged and shit…. Also articulate AF. And I laugh a lot.

I love the multi-part episodes, oop

I'm a relatively new listener. I like hearing the truth about the science behind the fads. BTW, I am at the Mayo Clinic and I just left my appointment with the dietician. I mentioned your podcast to him and the student shadowing him. They are both listeners. It was a beneficial meeting. Keep up the good work!

Honestly I feel like my memoir could be titled I Am Horrified and Often High.

while we're reminiscing, I want to say thank you for keeping me company for five years! Thank you for altering my perspective on diets, wellness, weight, my body and what I "owe" it, what I owe society, beauty standard, the infallibility of a doctor, celebrity health messaging, the morality of health, fatphobia, and so many other things. In 2020 I had just graduated college and started listening to you guys. It's been a few really confusing years with my body in gaining weight after college, moving to a walkable city and getting really into exercise and losing some of the weight, losing way way too much weight after developing a mysterious gut illness, getting compliments meanwhile I'm in the worst medical crisis of my entire life and dealing with essentially food poisoning for months at a time on and off, having to interact with the medical establishment in dozens of ways to try and track down what's wrong with me, developing empathy for alternative medicine people because you so badly Want To Be Okay Again, trying a diet that I was wary of partially because this show has correctly taught me most diets are silliness, this diet working for some reason!!, and now being in a mostly healthy place. But this show helped me a lot in a lot of ways. It's part of why my health and medical stuff has felt neutral. I know it wasn't my fault that I gained or lost weight, it wasn't due to good or bad behavior or eating junk or not enough vitamins. Thank you for that. Some of my favorite episodes: the one about blue zones was super interesting. Richard Simmons. French Women Don't Get Fat. Jordan Peterson. Goop! Angela Lansbury. Elizabeth Taylor. Love the celeb diet books, they end up being such interesting cross sections of two special interests. Thanks for everything y'all, can't wait for many episodes to come <3

The thing about skyr is that Icelanders actually beat in cream and sugar before eating it. Without them, skyr is grated chalk with an unpronounceable name.

When you mention men getting roped into diet culture it reminded me of the book Stiffed which pointed out that a lot of men's issues are just capitalism starting to treat men like it has treated women. We're getting negged into eating disorders now.

I listen to part two I promise

Vocal tics--I didn't think I had any. Then I read transcripts from trials, and then depositions, and...yeah. I could see that every sentence starts with "so" or "and". And (haha!) now that I know this, I get so distracted by my mind saying "don't say it, don't say it!" that I can't remember what I was saying.

Could Aubrey post some of her bean recipes???

As someone with celiac the “gluten free diet” has ruined my life 🥲 servers never take me seriously when I say I can’t have gluten

"no one listens to part twos" I am shocked to be part of an apparently small faction that will listen to anything you do if only because I like hearing your insights and jokes (even if they're bummers sometimes, at least they're validating/relatable bummers). My partner rarely listens to or regularly follows any media but I can always expect him to have listened either right away or within a few days because we jump on your episodes like savage animals every time

This podcast has helped me heal from being grifted and harmed by an illness influencer who’s a nutritionist and recommended extreme nutrition and lifestyle changes that promised I could heal my incredibly complex chronic illnesses. This podcast has helped me identify that patterns that led to that and that it wasn’t my fault. Bravo, MP, Mike and Aubrey, and this community for supporting the podcast. I also appreciate the lower tier for subscription for those of us on SSDI etc. ableism and anti fatness are inextricably linked and the podcast has helped me with that too!

Do Naomi Wolfe’s The Beauty Myth!

I'm so sorry the Gender studies work makes Michael feel so isolated, but also I cannot thank you enough for doing it! As you said, this is basically the only major platform talking about it rationally and it feels like everyone else is totally Rogan-pilled or Rowling-pilled. As a trans person, it truly means so much to me to hear ANYONE willing to break down the fact that none of the research supports "rapid" anything. So from the bottom of my heart, thank you.

I also love the 2-parters! I tend to wait until both parts are out and listen to them together though because my memory goes spotty sometimes.

I love the Worm Wars episode! It's a great example and critique of how we have a BIG singular question or problem to address, and soon spiral so far away from the initial problem that the endeavor becomes useless. The initial starting point in that episode was how to improve economic outcomes in the "third world"/developing countries. Then a huge list of assumptions who no one drilled down-on took over! Improving school attendance/graduation was *assumed* to be how to most easily boost a given country's GDP, economic improvement, etc. Then they assumed a bunch of other things that failed to improve school attendance, etc. Such a FANTASTIC episode showing how the West is obsessed with 1 quick trick fixes for everything on a global scale and how that never works, because like is complicated and every country is unique. I genuinely think about that over-arching theme of the Worms Wars episode every day :-)

Also! Talking about grifters! Look what China did! https://mothership.sg/2025/10/china-bans-influencers-from-speaking-on-serious-topics-like-finance-or-health-without-university-degree/

Doing science communication well!!! Our Changing Climate Climatetown Ologies Drilled

Also, someone needs to apologize to Megan Rapino 🤣

I do wish tiktok had a “high” setting where I let it know I’ve been gardening and it just shows me cooking and puppy videos.

I listened to part twos! Sometimes multiple times lol. *Looks upward* and I'm not even the first to say that 😂

Lies. I listen to every single part two. And every episode. Multiple times. Thanks for being my comfort listen 🤣 apparently i find it comforting to have people tell me how terrible it is out there.

Fun fact: the actor who played Damian from the Omen (2006) was from my town, he was a few grades beneath me. When I was in high school he was in middle school, and he played Gavroche in our production of Les Mis. He always saved me the chocolate raspberry bars from his school fundraiser. But he also did try to overcharge me for these candy bars. This has nothing to do with anything except it’s a fun fact and Michael mentioned the Omen at the beginning.

Such a gift to wake up to! And I always feel so cozy when I hear you do PNW chatter and I'm reminded that people up here really are the best! Even though the weather will someday kill me via depression. Hashtag: Almost November. 😟🧡 Thank you again!

I always listen to part 2!! Do it for me

ENTRAPMENT LMAO what a reference

You are both a joy! I've never reached out but ive listened since the beginning. As a recovered yo-yo dieter, anytime I feel myself influenced/pressured to start a diet, I just begin relistening from the 1st episode again. Also, a WW anecdote--i walked out on them when I was told mid-meeting that I might as well be eating M&Ms if im going to eat dried fruit and nut mixes.

It's my 40th birthday and this was excellent to wake up to!

can confirm Mike is a joy, but I am still not convinced he likes books

Happy podcast birthday! The protein stuff is so annoying - I would honestly love an episode about the role protein plays in diet culture as like the one "safe" nutrient almost? Walkable cities discourse is so frustrating for me as someone who cannot drive. At the end of the day, what I want is just to be able to get where I'm going in a way that's convenient and straightforward for me. Often that involves walking, but also we need good public transportation because walking alone won't cut it. Too often the argument turns into either weird fatphobia about it being good to walk everywhere, or people assuming that making cities more walkable means you don't want anyone to have cars at all or to drive anywhere?

Academic journals limit articles based on word length, so I think the acronyms is less about saving physical space and more about cutting down the word count

Did you go to the same Korean restaurant you went to with Erin? (I just relistened to the eating disorder episode.) Also, justice for worm wars!!!!!

Michael has quite the lesbian following based on his comments on here and IBCK. 🤣🤣🤣

Also MP got a nice little shoutout in Emmy winner Jeff Hiller’s book Actress of a Certain Age!

It was delightful to hear your voices on Sarah Marshall's new podcast as the news announcers

I absolutely listen to part 2

#keeppart2salive

My student workers who had to listen to my lecture on Oprah and mad cow disease WISH I didn’t listen to part 2

Horrified and often high is a default state for me too :(

Happy birthday!!

It’s also my partner’s birthday today but he’s not a MP listener! Happy birthday Maintenance Phase!

Happy birthday!! It's my birthday too : )

ACRONYMS!!! Gah! I’m in library school and it is 95% acronyms. Hate it.

Happy Birthday, MP! Thank you for answering my question - y'all are insightful as always .

1) I always listen to part ii 2) Mike isn't type a in the colloquial sense. he's type a in the way the person who coined these terms meant: the type of person who is neurotic and digs holes into the armrests of the chairs in the clinic waiting room with nervous energy.

I always listen to part 2!!

Happy birthday, MP!! 🎉 You two are my very favorite.

If no one is listening to the part 2 episodes then I am dead

I'm screaming that you are going to cover RAW milk 🥛 😭 💀 finally. The online RAW milk people are so annoying

In Ecuador, where my husband is from, a lot of people turned to eucalyptus steam inhalation early in the pandemic as a COVID cure — it was widely promoted in some communities, even though there wasn’t scientific support for it. My in-laws are Indigenous, and when my sister-in-law became seriously ill a few years ago, they first relied on traditional healers and ceremonies. Unfortunately she went into a coma before they brought her to a hospital, and it really shaped how I think about the tension between traditional practices and evidence-based medicine. I’d be really interested to hear how you’d approach topics like shamans and Indigenous medical traditions that aren’t supported by scientific evidence. I know these conversations can be sensitive, especially outside one’s own cultural context, but it feels like diet/wellness pseudoscience isn’t only a Western or English-speaking phenomenon. Would you ever consider covering non-Western wellness myths or traditional practices, and how you’d navigate that respectfully?

as a trans person i am EXTREMELY thankful to have a cis ally who uses his platform to debunk all the transphobic """debate""" right now. i know it's so awful to do but it genuinely means so much. thank you

Patreons live for 2parters

What? People don't listen to 2 parters? I LOVE a 2 parter! Or even more - one day you should roll up all the Jordan Peterson takedowns (of which I hope there are more to come) into an audiobook.

"It's 'ruh-pee-noe' AND SHE WILL BE AT NO DINNER PARTY OF MINE!"

As a scientist, we use acronyms in papers because science journals usually have a strict word limit, so if you have a 3 word phrase that's going to be repeated multiple times in your paper and it has a field approved acronym, you use the acronym!

If Keto people got mad about the episode y'all did, it's because they haven't seen a doctor since starting the diet. I lost 100lbs on dirty keto, but it also destroyed my heart, I now have high blood pressure and have to take multiple medicines for it. Turns out starvation diets aren't good for you

This episode 100% saved my morning (Dutch elections have me SHAKING IN RAGE and this is A Good Distraction)

What?!? Nooo I love 2 part episodes!! Keep doing those!!

Wait what?! I ALWAYS listen to part 2!!

🎂🎂🎂🎂🎂

It was Nneka Ogwumike on Sue Bird’s podcast. She plays for the Storm and is the president of the player’s union. I got so excited when I heard it!

This comment section is clearly over indexing for the part 2 lovers - including me!

I think it might be the new headphones I’m using but I’m getting some plosives from Aubrey

My TIKTOK algorithm is exclusively cute animals, household motivation and skits about romance novels

I love the part 2 episodes! The Pete Evans part 2, the Jordan Peterson part 2, the Rachel Hollis part 2. That's where it gets good!

I can relate to nighttime Aubrey.

Happy birthday!! 🎂🎈 Also, I love two parters! I go back to them and listen back to back while doing chores. Repeatedly. 🥹 you have people who appreciate them ❤️

Got the notification about this ep just as I was getting in the car to drive home, and it finished as I pulled into the driveway! How perfect

Hey! I listen to part 2! Also I'm still waiting on an episode about Noom. I'm pretty sure I've listened to all your episodes and it doesn't exist, but correct me if I'm wrong. Also also if you ever both experience a simultaneous moment of weakness I would absolutely listen to an episode dunking on morning routine tiktoks. I've now heard Michael mention it on two podcasts and I would honestly revel in it. Happy birthday!!

I feel like the fact that I got this notification literally as I was walking into the gym wondering what I was going to listen to as I worked out means this is happy birthday to me! 🎉