August Bonus: Listener Questions!

I've always hated the "just take the stairs!" advice...I wanted to punch people when they said it. But another one out there along the same lines is "Ketchup has more sugar than ice cream!" and we're all supposed to be shocked and awed, and I want to yell, "BUT NO ONE IS EATING A BOWL OF KETCHUP!!! It doesn't matter! Have you ever seen someone binge eat KETCHUP? NO!"

Cows actually have better joint flexibility and mechanisms to move upstairs and would struggle much more to move downstairs due to very poor depth perception, making it almost impossible to go downstairs

Oh shit, I joined your Patreon finally a few weeks ago and then commented on your Instagram about doing a Noom episode 😂 I feel called out in the past😍

Just doing another shoutout for Untitled Goose Game. It’s a hard fave in our house too 👏

The way Michael simply CANNOT take a compliment 💀💀💀 (same)

Shout out exploding whale!!

Ok I need more info on this goat cheese sweet potato recipe. Are we roasting at 425? Diced sweet potatoes or something else? I need to try this

“You hate yourself and it’s annoying” is such a sick line i love it

Ugh this is so great, thank you for the storytelling question. I’m trying to stay my own pod (networking artists) and this was so informative and validating that it is taking me 10000 yrs to edit 😭

“Eggs are cheap! Can’t patent an egg.” aged like a cheap egg lol

This was very inspiring banter. I just love yall. So many answers yall have had me shaking my head and reflecting on how I am in the world and with the people I love. I laughed out loud so many times too. Thank you.

Late to listen to this one, but as a PacNW kid I lost my shit knowing that Mike worked at KBSG.

It’s only a debate if it’s widely televised, anything else is just sparkling discourse.

Hi friends! If you take listened questions again (or would consider an episode about this) I’d love to know how anti-fat bias plays into advice we get from veterinarians about our pets. You all have completely changed how I think of weight vs health, but the one question that always plagues me is “if it’s not physically unhealthy for people to be fat then why do we get that advice about pets”? I’ve always heard that weight leads to hip problems and higher rates of cancer in pets and it doesn’t seem like the same issues with access and bias would apply when we’re talking about animal medicine?

You should do this more often. I really enjoyed this episode!!!

I'm so happy to hear Michael's sweet potato recipe! The only pregnancy craving I had that carried through to after was/is a twice baked sweet potato that I mash up with garlic herb boursin and bacon crumbles and its sooooo good.

Part of me listens and loves the podcast for how insightful and hilarious it is, the rest of me is just here for Aubrey’s laugh 🥹

This episode made me laugh a lot. I also appreciate how thoughtfully you answered the questions. I got some really good advice from this episode on how to talk to my mom about her dieting. Thank you 💜

I just listened to this and I wonder why Mike andAubrey didn't think of Spirit from the celery juice episode as their dream guest LOL

You don't know why your podcast is so popular...for REAL?! Maintenance Phase, you are the perfect balance of banter between friends, editing, facts, story with interesting characters, empathy, nuance, making very complicated concepts easy to understand and making it clear the very real life impact of these issues, puns which are often preceded by disclaimers and delivered with great hesitancy, and, last but not least, an absence of debating. You're a truly rare gem.

I loved this. ♥ ♡ ♥ ♡ ♥

Ok, so I know the dude with the tiny hack changes was terrible and mostly full of it. AND I still love the idea of cumulative small actions improving general health. Is there any actual health value in the taking the stairs concept? (Also I'm exactly the person who will eat whatever I leave on the counter. Turns out I'm a human trope 🥹)

I think some of it is just the content that you make or that you cover, as well as the formatting that Mike does. I am not able to listen to a lot of podcasts because I can't pay attention. I have wicked adhd. But the way you guys do your episodes, as well as the way that Mike did you're wrong about episodes, I find it very easy to pay attention and absorb information.

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I would love to hear y’all cover prediabetes and why it’s kind of a scam

I would love an episode on baby feeding/health myths! There’s so much garbage pseudoscience around breastfeeding, introducing solids, etc. I’d love to have you break it down.

LOVE this show! I've learned a lot from it and I enjoy listening to you crack each other up!

I paid $3 to join the MP Patreon just for the chance to come on and ask, Was Audrey’s mispronunciation of Gila Monster in the Ozempic episode on purpose/a joke????

Why did I start tearing up at the end when they said what they appreciate about each other 🥲

Currently in an Airbnb LIVING for murder she wrote which I only started watching because of the Angela Lansbury diet book episode so thank you for that frfr

It’s possible I just am forgetting or missed it, but I would love to know what are y’all’s thoughts on “blue zones”?

i don't know if it's an Australian thing but the term "Soy Boy" is also anti-Asian

The soy boy episode now has this remix stuck in my head again. https://spotify.link/r77hSGRG9Cb

Hey there lovely people, way back in the beginning of your Patreon episodes, Michael off-handedly mentioned ranting for a couple of hours about his fixation with Elon Musk. I feel I need this in my life so if you are still filled with loquatious venom and would like to make that episode I'm totally here for it. And will contribute to the legal fees.

I just listened to the Soy Boy episode and I was a bit surprised that the racist connotations didn't come up - I don't know if it's an Australian thing but there's definitely an anti-Asian undertone to all that -

I love you both so much, I love, love, LOVE Aubrey's laugh, and how genuine you both are. Being the same age I appreciate all the pop culture references, and having that shared experience of growing up in the same time/culture. And I'm definitely going to try Michael's sweet potato & goat cheese recipe.

I have just learned about “fat is a feminist issue” by Susie Orbach and I am DESPERATE for you two to cover it!!

I gasped when Aubrey said she plays stardew valley. My favorite Podcaster plays my favorite game? 😭🥹

I love the Snake Oil and Presidential Fitness Test episodes so much.

Michael Hobbes! I literally am always wondering about your editing and narrative building, and I loved the Worm Wars episode!!! ❤️🪱

“You hate yourself and it’s annoying” yes please let’s replace all BS pseudo therapy talk with stuff like this. I don’t need my friends to be my therapist, I need them to be friends!

An injury from playing too much TOTK is so relatable. Hope you two are taking good care of yourselves 😊❤️ looking forward to more content when you are feeling up for it! Thanks for making me laugh when I needed a good laugh!

Michael!! COMPLETELY understand a zelda-related hand injury!! my BF and I are dying to hear the RFK finale but don't want your health to be a cost for it. looking forward to seeing you two back on my feed.

I haven't read through all the comments so if someone has already mentioned this book then soz about it but the book chat reminded me that "How Far the Light Reaches: A Life in Ten Sea Creatures" is a book I recently read that seems like the vibe for a Maintenance Phase audience

Something very comforting to me about imagining Aubrey playing stardew valley

I loved the episode and I love the podcast! I appreciate you both, Aubrey and Michael. I only have one bone to pick - I do think it’s a stretch to call the podcast a debate. You two work together as great co-host and researchers, but your beliefs are so similar. I’ve listened to every episode as they’ve come out since like episode 6, and I cannot recall a time that either of you have disagreed or challenged one another in a meaningful way on the pod (if someone else can I’d love to know and to re-listen to that episode). I don’t agree with your critics that say you both are stuck in an ideological thought bubble, but your analyses and discussion rarely include what leaders of impacted communities and relevant activists think. This made the part where you admitted to being done with guests all the more disappointing.

You guys. A) I love you both. This podcast has improved my mind, life, and mental health in countless ways, and I aspire to the level of fact checking that you both achieve. B) I recently read about how Edward Bernays created this whole giant PR production of "skinnier is better" with cherry-picked doctors n everything to promote smoking among women in the 1920's, and can you please please please please please look into it???????

Oh Mike. My carpal tunnel and elbow issues were already not great when I started TOTK. I loving refer to it as my "zelbow" So I basically have to do a sailor moon esque transformation with hand braces, elbow sleeves and braces. I even bought special carpal tunnel ice packs and wrap my elbow in ice. I'll be god damned if my shitty body keeps me from playing the game that's saving my life. Icing and stretching help. I hope your braces help your hands feel better!

KBSG was my #1 favorite radio station in my youth. I can still sing the jingle! I hated it when they would hit the post!!!! I’m dying at the first 3 min already.

I was listening to the EA part when this came into my feed.... we already know if we make it easier to eat fresh fruit and veg, people do it. I'm not sure if more "demonstration" projects are going to shift the politics https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2023/09/04/1197266058/prescriptions-for-fresh-fruits-and-vegetables-help-boost-heart-health#:~:text=Art%20%26%20Design-,Prescription%20fruits%20and%20vegetables%20work%20to%20improve%20heart%20health%20%3A%20Shots,key%20measures%20of%20heart%20health.

Mailbag eps are always the REALEST. let's all say thanks Aubrey for existing 💖💖💖

I would ABSOLUTELY listen to a podcast in the vein of "Worm Wars"

Mike, your insight about how riffing is not fun to listen to on a podcast is exactly why most conversational podcasts don’t work for me. THANK you for being great about this!

Just wanted to say thank you Aubrey for making me feel seen as a fellow withdrawn person! It’s something I am working on but I often feel like i must be the only one like this (because of-course when I am interacting with others they are not withdrawn). Much love to you guys. You are doing so much good for the world.

Oh my god, Michael, where have sweet potatoes with goat cheese been all of my life??? SO. Good.

Cottage cheese sprinkled with pepper on toast: so plain, so tasty.

Michael- I actually had to give up video games UNTIL the switch came out - because it allows removal of the joy cons and by doing so, stops the inward turn of the wrists that aggravate my carpal tunnel. I don’t know what I’ll do If the next Nintendo Console won’t allow you to take the controllers out in this manner! So, if you’re playing with the joy cons attached, it’s probably time to hook it up to a TV and play that way. I also bought some joy cons that were a little heftier/more rounded. Those little flat joy cons aren’t the best for carpal; although they do last longer. I hate to think you will miss out on the rest of Tears of the Kingdom, so that’s my carpal tunnel advice!

"stairs are pretty much just an us thing" aubrey is an angel and a gift

For what it's worth, you don't need to keep suffering with the carpal tunnel if the splint doesn't help. Not sure how it would work in the US, but in the UK GPs (I think you call them family doctors) are usually trained to inject the wrist with a mixture of steroid and local anaesthetic. It's a pretty effective conservative option. Obviously if things still don't settle there is surgery for it, which is considered pretty minor surgery, but I'm in the camp of avoiding surgery for anything if at all humanly possible! Hope it settles with the splints and rest.

This episode made me cry lmao. Listening to you both share what you admire about the other was so heart warming ❤️

Loved the episode! Clicking around on Netflix this evening and ended up watching a couple of episodes of something called ‘live to 100, the secrets of the blue zones’ - it’s hosted by some sort of ‘longevity expert’ and would love to see a watch party style bonus ep about it!

As someone who works in radio, I appreciated your intro Mike! 😂

Ooof I had my waist circumference measured as a part of my workplace wellness thing and I do landscaping and i was literally wearing the largest baggiest bibs I own and she measured the outside of my bibs, probably adding a huge amount. I felt like I was in a sketch.

Mike, I'm a blind lady and I want to know what program you're using for audio editing, and whether the voice commands were logical! It is so hard to find accessible software for blind and visually impaired people that works in an intuitive way.

Mike, you are a great editor. Seamless, clean; avoiding repetitive quips, weird pauses, and explosive snorks is part of it. Making a tight, flowing show out of your conversations is an art. (I am an old lady. Editing in my day was all Xacto knives and splicing tape. Crossfades? We used actual knobs and sliders, babies. I found a splicing jig in a drawer last year. Yikes.)

The most endearing episode, thank you

I laughed at the beach caveat at the beginning because my default vision of a beach is always rocks and rain. -A Former PNWer

Me: Awwww, Mike… My spouse: … am I hearing that Michael developed NINTENDO THUMB!?

Thank you for the sweet potato temp! Trying this TODAY.

I appreciate the attention given to cutting out conversational rifts and tangents! Maintenance Phase was the first podcast I ever truly got into because it stayed more or less on topic the whole time. It drives me nuts when other podcasts take twenty minutes every single episode to get started because they're JUST chatting.

I would happily listen to the two of you on any topic. So if you ever want to pivot to say, exploding whales, I am following (as I did with Mike to IBCK). The combination of humor, actual research and vulnerability - plus Aubrey's laugh that just makes my heart happy when I hear it - is magical. I was so bummed at the announcement that there would be fewer episodes, although I totally get the reasons behind the decision. I just selfishly want more. :)

Mike, in fairness you could probably win Tears of the Kingdom with only 12%. The point of the world is to run around and have fun :)

Thank you for this! Love hearing behind the curtain. I really want a “mikes rules for podcast story and editing” series because honestly he makes the best podcasts!! Get better soon :) Also yay recipes!!!!! Can’t wait for the next episodes!

Mike's discussion of the importance of editing and what makes for good storytelling and conversation in a podcast explained SO MUCH. I just thought you two were just naturally awesome at focused intelligent conversations with few digressions or in-jokes! Also, I think I thought that you had elves that did the editing for you. I didn't know that Mike did it all.

I would have loved to hear the interview with Angela Lansbury. It would have been sweet and cute I think. Then a little clip of all three of you like spinning and frolicking in a field. Adorable

Ya'll are literally the only podcast I am "caught up" on I get so excited whenev content comes out. Thank you for this mailbag, and thank you whenev editing and content is done for the main feed. Whatever pace is absolutely fine :)

Love Mike and Aubrey AND the fans of the show. This is the nicest comment section on the internet. Oven temp requests and get well soon make my heart happy. We need an MP or YWA-verse Con except Mike would hate that.

Made me cry on the bus when you started to tell why you’re grateful for each other! Haha. You guys make me laugh, and I’ve learned so much from you. Listen to all your episodes on repeat! Comfort show deluxe 🔥

My recent carpel tunnel situation: 30 years as a keyboard jockey or obsessive TOTK playing? The world may never know. I still haven't beaten it. Haven't even tried. I'm just running around trying to get the clothing sets I want and ALL the shrines. I'm over 200 hours. My son reminds me every time he logs into the switch.

I'm imagining Aubrey camping on Vancouver Island like she's a contestant on the History Channel reality show Alone.

Could we have more details on the goats cheese/sweet potatoes recipe please? Oven temperature?

Zelda hand is nothing to be ashamed of

I got so excited when Aubrey mentioned Stardew Valley and Untitled Goose Game. I do also love Tears of the Kingdom.

Aubrey and Mike - please please PLEASE make tshirts that say "become insufferable" I would buy one yesterday

i’m gonna need the oven temp for those sweet potatoes plz… 👀

As a fellow refugee from 1980s diets who also loves cottage cheese: I think we need to open ourselves to the possibility that it’s actually just really good? It manages to be both filling, creamy and refreshing which is an unusual combination of attributes. And it’s mild in that way that makes it super versatile. Currently I am having one of my favourite things: a bowl of cottage cheese with mixed nuts and seeds mixed in (yes) topped with some Lao Gan Ma crispy chilli (YES). It’s goooood. Rescue cottage cheese from being a “good girl” food and just crown it rightfully a GOOD TASTING FOOD. (Except for the nonfat stuff, that’s terrible.)

In my early 20s I had a bunch of thin coworkers peer pressure me into taking the stairs to our 10th floor office. It was terrible.

The KBSG reference! 😂😭 I grew up listening to that radio station!

I would say Michael should be a stand up comic except it would be a waist of his other talents. His ' if Books Could Kill' podcast with Peter of 5-4, is a partnership of the two funniest non professional comedians I know

Who else is making the sweet potatoes right now?

You guys have srsly been missing from my life! Parasocial relationship withdrawals. Thank you for posting a bonus episode <3

What’s the answer to the makeup pallets and bike question!!! It got edited out

Sweet potatoes with mozzarella, sage pesto and bacon is also amazing. I have almost 1000 hours in Stardew Valley

I’ve missed you two so much! You’re so loved and appreciated 🥰

I'm glad Michael defined "hitting the post". I've always HATED that. Sometimes the intro of the song is beautiful or rockin and the asshat DJ talks over it!

I would like the deets on how to make these sweet potatoes with goat cheese pls what temperature for the oven? how long? I just ordered 14 potatoes for pick up so

Mike, I totally understand. I think I’ve logged 200+ hours on Tears of the Kingdom. It is so much fun!!!

A) I'm so glad someone pointed out the glorious editing Mike does, I love it so much. I was also thinking about how there'd be an advantage to editing your own show since there'd be such an effortless understanding of the rythms and culs de sac (I'm sorry 😂) and other things that happened in the episode. I'm really in awe of his skills and I appreciate them very much. B) Sweet potatoes are life! I work in agriculture in NW Washington and a researcher where I work is doing trials on growing sweet potatoes here!

I love you guys and you guys alone. I have tried other podcasts and I lose interest in minutes but I could listen to you guys for hours. I would absolutely love to hang out with you guys.

Re: Michael's editing: When i heard he was leaving You're Wrong About, my first thought was, "oh no, will he still do the editing?" All the shows he edits have an inexplicable soothing effect on my spicy brain. (Carolyn is great, but it's not the same) I woke up with a migraine this morning and was feeling agitated and miserable til i put this episode on. Followed it up with some classic YWA and made it through the work day without screaming at a single mailbox. Your skill is appreciated, Michael.

I appreciated the listener question about weight loss compliments, because this is something I struggle with, but for different reasons. At the height of my ED, compliments on my weight never made me feel happy - they made me feel terrified that I’d gain weight all over again! These days after years of therapy and ongoing recovery, I’m pretty radical about eliminating weight talk from my conversations. But this has led me into some awkward situations that I’m still trying to work out in my head. Like the time I saw my friend a few months after her bariatric surgery, or my hairdresser after he dropped a ton of weight training for a tri. They both seemed a little offended that I didn’t bring up or « notice » their weight loss. Of course I noticed, but I don’t know how to manage these conversations yet so the best I could do is…pretend not to notice? Or when my friend who has been unemployed and deeply depressed claims that she needs to lose weight to start running again…when it’s clear she actually has lost quite a bit, but probably for not-so-great reasons! The people pleaser in me so badly wants to reassure or congratulate -especially when the weight loss seems so important to them. I still replay these conversations in my head and wonder how I could have handled them better without falling into the weight loss talk abyss.

Did anyone else not notice Aubrey's voice sounding different until she mentioned it, and then very much noticed? I'm just imagining a cozy Pacific NW beachside cabin with a recording set up by a window, with waves and rain in the background (although, it's August, so it was probably actually sunny...)

I also liked the worm wars episode!

I feel even more of a kinship with Michael knowing he also both loves and is terrible at TOTK

HOLY SHIT 97.3 KBSG was awesome! My grandma used to let me and my cousin call in and request songs. Wow core memory unlocked- thanks Mike!!

I love cottage cheese but only full fat (if you’re in the Uk, longley farm… lush).

I think I need a structure queen t shirt 😅

I work in Medicare appeals, and reliance on the BMI is still so prevalent in that context. Just yesterday I saw that the coverage requirements for a new-ish back pain procedure listed high BMI (>41) as a basis for denying coverage for the procedure. Part of the problem is that clinical studies often exclude patients with higher BMIs, so Medicare denies coverage based on lack of evidence of efficacy for those patients.🙄🙄🙄

Mike, so true: “Ideas don’t matter as much people think they do, a lot of it is implementation”. This has been been driving me nuts - so many examples in tech and my industry (biotech) where we exalt geniuses for good ideas and ignore the effort and thought required to make good ideas a reality. Also, “Fuck ideas” is a perfect t-shirt

Stahhhhhpppppp, I loved worm wars!!

How many people are gonna offer Michael cocaine for his injury? 😂

I loved this. Great questions, podfam 💜 laughed out loud in the doctor's office waiting room 😂

I am listening to this while driving alone and when Michael mentions goat cheese on sweet potatoes, Aubrey and I said "WHAT‽ ‽" at the same moment. Needless to say, detour to the grocery store.

I would like to second Mike’s compliment: listening and learning from Aubrey has made me a better and more empathetic human. (Mike, you make me feel better about being kind and snarky!) Also hold my geritol cuz I’m Gen X. The olds are out here!

It is bizarre to me that cottage cheese has been appropriated as a diet food in America. It's a trad Ashkenazi Jewish food, especially, as far as I know, Polish Jews. My Yiddish grandmother used to mix it with room temperature egg noodles for me as an after-school snack, or with sour cream and strawberries, my personal madeleine. It's such a cultural food, I only learned it was a diet food here when I married a super goyish guy.

I'm only partway into the episode, but had to share for the questioner who would like people to stop asking her about her weight loss. My foolproof method: Oh yes, I've been working out, it's this great program, totally online, I can send you the link, I've really enjoyed... Eyes glaze over, questions end, and no one ever brings it up again. I've haven't had to use words like "deadlift" or "shoulder press" but I'm ready for the ones who get really out of hand.

Dear Aubrey, I have the same reaction to the normalization of the conversation of the valorization of the shrinkification of one’s corporeal habitation. Blecch. Like a hole in my soul drops open. (My husband used to call out his doctor for that, as the doc always shook hands with patients who lost weight between visits. The last visit, when my husband unexpectedly dropped a couple stone, the doc went into his “Congratulations!” nonsense, while my husband and I remembered the PSAs of our youth about warning signs of cancer. My sweetheart’s first symptoms were three days later, and he died in a couple months.) Mike, I listened to this one while crocheting until hand! spasm!ouch!, then I played Crossy Road with my left hand (lots of pixelated carnage since I am not left handed). Take care.

"Stairs are pretty much just an 'us' thing." When I tell you I CACKLED ☺️

“[BMI] *should not be used* as a marker of individual health.” Having just gotten downvoted for saying essentially this on the MP subreddit the other day, this was very validating to hear Michael say verbatim, can’t lie, haha.

People love the show for three reasons. (1) Your personalities—you are both funny, smart, curious, and just generally delightful to hang out with. (2) Your commitment to both exhaustive research and humility. You offer reliable examples of how to engage with information critically—from a place of genuine curiosity and empathy. (3) The YWA format is the best way to learn information that contradicts our cultural narratives because the audience can always relate to the host who is going in blind. It keeps the researching host from coming across as condescending or just giving an hour long lecture.

Okay, at what temp does Michael roast his sweet potatoes? 🍠

The Untitled Goose Game - Yes!!! My kids and I laugh so hard playing it. Distract the man while I steal his glasses.... Oh no, he's coming over... honk honk honk... abort mission....

I will not stand for any slander of the Presidents Physical Fitness Test episode. It is my first love, and I have listened to it no less than 50 times. I have sent it to countless friends with the recommendation that it will cheer them up when they’re having a bad day. To me, it is perfect, and I will love it forever. Endless thanks to you both for all you do!❤️

I do have an idea for your dream guest, although it's unfortunately impossible now: Angela Lansbury.

It's so funny, I was thinking right before you said "our dream guest is someone we agree with and like" that I'd love to hear Sydnee McElroy as a guest - as a doctor and ally, I think she'd have a fantastic perspective on how medical discussion of fatness happens and is changing and can change.

Anyway I like you both and I'm glad you are getting the positive response you deserve. Team cottage cheese

Re: finding it surprising that people love the show. I think that one small component that contributes to this being an elite podcast is that you don't do ads. I remember this being discussed at some point - something about podcast ad schemes being really icky to you and hard to get out of contracts with - the current state of podcast ads is almost unbearable as a listener. I get why they're a thing, but not having to fast forward you guys ever is a real treat, to me.

I think your guys' vibe on the podcast is do genuine that it is clear you both really like and respect each other. But that only adds to my perceived parasocial relationship with you. To the point where I think we should totally go and get coffee and hang out but then I think "oh no Audrey wouldn't like that because she doesn't actually know me" WHICH IS TOTALLY REASONABLE but gets me reeling because the only reason I know that IS BECAUSE OF THIS PARASOCIAL RELATIONSHIP.

And I totally relate to Aubrey’s self-isolating. Same, my friend.

Oh my goodness, when Mike talks about Aubrey‘s anger issues and gambling problem… I legit laughed out loud. Almost as loud as Aubrey did. 🤣

I know someone who also has a hand condition from playing Zelda. Elder millennial problems am I right

Team cottage cheese over here

I would LOVE to hear more of the cul de sacs that get cut out of the regular episodes! I really appreciate Mike's editing of the eps, I love the way they're structured... but I also just enjoy listening to you both tell stories, so bonus eps with some of the stuff that gets cut would be amazing.

The fact that it was Zelda related makes me love this even more. Too bad you can’t use Ultrahand in the real world make a Zonai typing device… ALSO omg KBSGgggg, 97.3! That was a major nostalgia throwback. Fun fact - one of the few radio stations I was allowed to listen to as a child in a highly conservative/evangelical PNW house.

I’ll also admit, while I know that interviewing is an art and all that, I’ve never really been interested in interviews. I rarely find people talking about their work to be as interesting as just engaging with their work itself.

Fuck the AMA for trying to keep nurse practitioners down. And all the other stuff.

Feel better Mike! I nearly gave myself carpal tunnel playing Final Fantasy V so I understand a video game related stress injury 😅

Love you both so much forever and ever

For those who love sweet potatoes and goat cheese, these sweet potato toasts are AMAZING. https://smittenkitchen.com/2010/11/sweet-potatoes-with-pecans-and-goat-cheese/

I really appreciate the response to the listener, asking how to respond to her family’s comments about their own weight. The kind of faux-naive, “Why would you think you can’t wear a crop top?” responses, while well intentioned, just come across as annoying and condescending because it’s cosplaying like you’re a visitor from a reality we’re not actually living in. You just want to go, “You f***ing KNOW why, stop it.”

And now for my pointless opinion: I’m so glad you don’t have guests lmao. Even if it’s a brilliant person I like and admire, they intrude on the established and expected vibe, and I think that upsets me on podcasts more than other mediums, probably because of the parasocial nature of having people’s voices blasted straight into my ear canals. Like, I’ll very happily learn about P-hacking or anything else, so long as it feels like a fun conversation with these people I already like. But once you have a new voice chiming in, there’s always an awkwardness. It shakes up the format, either formalizing it into a quasi-interview or stuttering as the guest figures out how to insert themself into the existing dynamic. Maybe the guest rehashes things the show has already covered. If you’re already a fan of the guest, you’re probably just listening to them restate things you’ve already heard them talk about in the past.

My mother makes all sorts of negative comments about herself. So now when she compliments my looks (like mothers might do), I respond by saying, "Thanks, I got it from you." Or when friends say bad things about themselves I say to them, "Hey, that's my friend you're talking about and I love them and I'm not letting anyone say that about them." but depending on the friendship I might just tell them to knock it off and that also works

I like to make a dish of roasted sweet potatoes and semi-crunchy roasted chickpeas with a garlic lemon yogurt sauce, which I now know is a marriage of Mike and Aubrey’s staple foods.

Very relatable problem!!!

Sweet potatoes are underrated Mike. My fav hack with them is put them in the oven and use the Shabbat timer to have it come on an hour before your alarm and your breakfast is ready. Goat cheese garlic chili crisp sweet potato! Also I did some work in Taiwan and the 7-11's there had them to take out like American 7-11 has roller dogs.

Could I love Michael any more for knowing he's a Zelda fan too? This 🎮 is a doozy so hopefully you at least got some quests done!

You all are awesome. Thank you so much for this episode!

Two things: 1) I got an RSI playing Stardew Valley on the Switch, so I feel you, Michael! 2) If you ever decide to revisit white people’s reverence for “native cures,” I strongly recommend reading Philip Deloria’s Playing Indian. It’s fairly short and provides great context for the phenomenon of white people in brown face.

Oh man, I would also 100% get carpal tunnel syndrome as a result of playing too much Zelda. Stoked to listen to this ep on my daily walk. 😍 Feel better Mike! (Long live my parasocial best friendships with Mike and Aubrey LOOL).

Now I dearly need to know what Michael and Aubrey's favorite love interests are in Stardew.

I first discovered Maintenance Phase when I was looking for something to listen to while playing ToTK! Feel better soon!

I love Michael's quick little exploding whale joke. Only a few people are going to understand that lol

Oh no, Zelda based carpal tunnel! BotW/TotK really do involve a lot of quick button presses. I have a gamecube-style controller just for Zelda as the larger buttons make things a bit easier on my hands. I hope Michael's wrists improve soon.

I need Michael to know that as a campus-community radio host, I'm here for his intro statement. 🤓📻

What’s the Adele story.

In response to the AMA’s statement about BMI, health systems and insurance companies are pretending the statement doesn’t exist. My husband is going back to school to be a healthcare provider, and his classes still heavily focus on using BMI in assessments. Healthcare conferences that I’ve attending this year still talk about assessing BMI and tracking BMI as an indicator within the community.

I was glad to hear about Aubrey's feelings about being talked to about weight loss. After I had gastric sleeve, I lost 40 lbs (have since put it all back on) and when people would talk to me about it....which was everyone, it made me want to crawl out of my skin. I am at peace with now just knowing I don't want to talk about my body with anyone, nor do I talk about anyone else's. Another perk of leaving diet culture!

Oh my god, Michael.

you guys have alluded to the Worm Wars episode being an under-listened one, which is always a shock to me because its one of my favorites to relisten to, its so fascinating!

RIP to Michael’s hand. My son and husband suffer the same condition

PS I have a 9 year old daughter and I have told family and friends that I consider diet/negative body talk around her as akin to swearing - because I can undo the effects of her overhearing someone dropping F bombs (to be fair, we're in Australia) but I can't undo her overhearing and internalising diet talk - for some people it's a real revelation as to how normalised it is in their "scripts" for things like food talk at Christmas

One day I hope I never again hear someone say they have reached out for help with their mental health but the weight gain side effect of proposed medication makes them baulk - like the listener said, I'm too focused on trying to stay alive to care about my weight. "But anti-depressants make you put on weight" has always said to me someone believes it's somehow worse for me having a bit of water weight than to have an actually harmful illness.

Not humiliating at all! ToTK is SO GOOD!

I recently learned one should only ever eat organically grown chickpeas, as apparently they spray roundup right on the non organic plants (something to do with drying them out). Source: a friend's family member who worked in organic fertilizer for years. Yikes!

Feel better Mike!

Loved this ep and all the little things we learned about the two of you and your processes! Mike, I totally sympathize. One Saturday I played TOTK for hours and forgot to drink or eat anything. I finally went to bed but woke up with double Charlie horses in my calves, which were then sore for the whole week. I hope you recover soon. Aubrey, chick peas are wonderful and one of my favorite things to eat, especially in the summer. My go-to no-cook summer meal is a can of chick peas, a can of sweet corn, and a can/jar of good tuna in olive oil, mixed with salt and pepper to taste. I can eat bowls of it!

you know its gonna be good when mike has to give a 60 sec explainer on the opening line

Mike, I have to try the sweet potato/ goat cheese. What temperature is the oven?

When people comment on my body I always say “Please don’t acknowledge my physical form” if that helps anyone. It’s weird enough that they comment on that rather than my figure.

Interview the spirit ghost from the future 😂

I am having a hellish week and the intro to this episode was so delightful, and just what I needed.

mike that tag line was horrendous 😭

Are there transcripts of these bonus episodes? 🤔

Omg I want the uncut version of the President’s Physical Fitness Test!!!

Boomers think millennials are young but they’re actually at the age where they’re getting RSAs from playing Zelda

But GUYS, we totally DO want to hear your Batman thoughts! Would pay extra ❤️

Lol i too have played a lot of tears of the kingdom. Get well soon, Mike!

My podcast is just back from an unscheduled three-month break because of a fracture in my foot, and then a torn meniscus in my opposite knee. I could not sit at my desk to do the editing - you use these parts to support yourself. I share this because, I mean, it’s wild. You wouldn’t think these would be podcast editing-specific injuries, and yet. Sorry you’re dealing with this, Mike. Speedy recovery - for your sake, no pressure from us.

Munjaro friend I’m on Ozempic for endo/pcos and I can not have another conversation about my weight. Like I feel great and I don’t hate the way I look but I am exhausted discussing my body regularly. You’re not alone babe 🖤💖🖤

Stardew Valley! Cozy games are the best!

I’m so grateful for the insight and the snark. Y’all are sure you’re not really Xers?

I'm at the point where Michael was asked about the editing process and he describes taking out"unnecessary riffs" (21:38), and I'm cracking up at the 2-3 ensuing meta riffs. Were there more edited out?

The intro to this episode. My heart is so full right now.

You two are lovely. Truly. Thank you.

I've got an occupational therapy appointment today for something I did to my hand over the holidays. Hand pain solidarity!

Mike, as someone who's had carpal tunnel for years and knows how awful it can be, wear wrist braces at night. It helps soo much. And also there's a few stretches you can do with your hands - clench your fist super tight and then slowly kind of roll your fingers out until you hand it stretching out. Also shaking your wrists!

Darn right Stardew valley is the best ever!

I’m not crying; you’re crying

Poor Mike! My 3 kids are obsessed with Zelda so I have to ask- was it from playing too much Tears of the Kingdom? Hope you get well soon- your podcast is amazing 💙💙💙

I think it’s so strange with our obsession with longevity and sacrificing any other quality of life for it. Like it’s so strange that maybe getting an 5-10 extra years is worth making people feel horrible and uncomfortable instead of just helping people like fulfilled lives for the immediate future. Obviously this applies to personal decisions but dying early because you were “unhealthy” should not be considered a personal attack to others….i feel complicated about this but anytime I press doctors or medical professionals about my weight (because 130 was to high and so is 190??) it all circles back to living longer…like what if I don’t want to 👀👀👀

I love it when people I admire take breaks, it makes me feel like it's ok for me to take breaks when I need to as well. Anyways, love the show, feel better!!

We miss you too! Can’t wait to listen on my commute to work tomorrow!!! 😊

I hope Mike feels better soon! And if it helps, Worm Wars is actually one of my favourite episodes! 😂

Love this episode

Absolutely cheering your take on live debates. Am so tired of performative gotcha one liners, absolutely love your nuance and grey area discussions. Wonderful episode, as always.

Wait, does the goat cheese go on the outside of the sweet potato, like rubbed into the skin? Or are you cutting the potatoes in half before you roast them? I definitely want to try this

We understand, hope you feel better soon Mike!

I too may have zelda-related wrist/hand injuries

You're not alone, Mike!! My BF injured his foot from standing at his standing desk for too long after Diablo IV came out 😂 Stuff happens. Feel better soon!

Kevin, from Good Christian Fun is always talking about hitting the post. I was so psyched to know what it meant already. P.S. Get well soon Mike

I woke up like I do every night/morning from carpal tunnel pain, ripped both of my wrist stabilizing braces off of my burning hands & saw this. Feel better Michael, from my stupid broken hands to yours! ♥️🤷🏼

Oh no - poor Mike! This happened to my ex, who is in academia (poss also at least partially Zelda related) - he did eventually manage to cure it with a load of physio and stuff, but in the interim, the university ended up getting him an assistant (a summer holiday student, I think) to do all his typing for him, which was every bit as cringey/hilarious as you might expect.

lmao did u get tendinitis from too much switch too

I dont know if I can make it more clear- but this podcast, and your ability to speak to and unpack so much of 'The Mess of Everything "Health" '. - has been a balm and salve for the tender wounds so many have around all of This- we can trust the sass is safe. We long for safe sass

Hope you feel much better very soon Mike. Really miss both your voices lighting up the airwaves.

I miss you so much!! Can't wait to find out who the fuck vitamin D truthers are and I won't google, I want to hear it from you guys! 😅😅 Take all the time you need, get better, Mike! ❤️

Zelda related wrist injury, you say? Okay but has he tried losing weight? 💅 Get well soon!

Get well soon! You might want to look at The Fuck It Diet by Caroline Dooner, and what her Instagram is like now. Absolutely fascinating and nuts.

Solidarity sister, I’ve got thumb RSI from tiktok scrolling so I’m right there with you. Good on you for resting, we’ll be glad to have you back when you’re able 🫡

That's awful- hope Mike gets better! Miss you guys so much. Love from New Zealand

Get well soon Mike!

Miss you too! Get well soon mike x