**This will be our last episode in 2025! We will be back in early January 2026! Have a happy holiday season and a huge thank you for listening!!**

Are our schools making our kids sick? Not because of moldy buildings or bad cafeteria food, but because of what the modern school day has become.

From increased screens in the class and shrinking free time to teachers and administrators forced to focus more and more time on prep for standardized testing, schools today would be nearly unrecognizable to many parents. So, too, are the soaring rates of ADHD, anxiety, and depression among children.

In this episode, we’re joined by New York Times reporter Jia Lynn Yang to discuss her provocative piece, “America’s Children Are Unwell. Are Schools Part of the Problem?” We examine what impact a school day increasingly organized around screens, metrics, and test prep is having on children’s mental health and even childhood itself. At a moment when a great deal of attention is focused on how social media and phones are impacting teen mental health, Yang argues it’s time to scrutinize the place where kids spend most of their week: school.

Could this be a rare area where MAHA and public health actually agree?

Hosts:

Brinda Adhikari

Tom Johnson

Maggie Bartlett

Dr. Mark Abdelmalek

Guest:

Jia Lynn Yang, Senior Ideas Writer, The New York Times, author of the recent article, "America's Children Are Unwell. Are Schools Part of the Problem?"

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/11/24/magazine/youth-mental-health-crisis-schools.html

Thanks for listening! If you like us, please leave a review, rate us, and please subscribe!

Got questions? Comments? We'd love to hear from you! Email us at [email protected]

Welcome to a new era for public health. In the wake of RFK Jr.’s ACIP committee making its first major change to America’s childhood vaccine schedule—ending the universal Hepatitis B birth dose—we break down what this means, and what it doesn’t. Much of the mainstream public-health world is sounding alarms, calling the move dangerous, unscientific, and the opening salvo in a broader campaign against childhood vaccines. So today we ask some tough questions: Is this a reckless break from science—or a reasonable correction? Is this really about one dose of one vaccine, or the future of the entire childhood schedule? And now that ACIP is in the driver’s seat, is traditional public health's doom messaging the right and only course of action? Or should they rally around a different strategy? To help us sort it out, we’re joined by our own “fantasy ACIP” panel: Dr. Michael Mina, Dr. Rachael Bedard, and Dr. Craig Spencer.

Hosts:

Brinda Adhikari

Tom Johnson

Maggie Bartlett

Dr. Mark Abdelmalek

Guests:
Dr. Rachael Bedard is an internist, geriatrician, and palliative-care physician whose work focuses on health, human rights, and justice. She teaches, advocates, and writes, you’ll find her work in the New York Times, The New Yorker, and a popular substack called The Argument. 

Dr. Craig Spencer is an emergency medicine physician and an Associate Professor at Brown University School of Public Health. He focuses on frontline preparedness in the U.S. and around the world and has written for various news publications, including the Atlantic and the New York Times.

Dr. Michael Mina is an epidemiologist and immunologist and physician. Over the course of his career, he’s been an associate professor at Harvard Medical School as well as the TH Chan School of Public Health. In the height of the pandemic, he led America’s Test to Treat program, which connected home testing to treatment options. 

Thanks for listening! If you like us, please leave a review, rate us, and please subscribe!

Got questions? Comments? We'd love to hear from you! Email us at [email protected]

It’s a newsy week for public health and medicine, with potential changes to the childhood vaccine schedule and a senior health agency official raising alarming doubts about the safety of the COVID vaccine for children — claims public health veterans are calling irresponsible and baseless. Against that backdrop, we sit down with a group of 8 people who care deeply about both health and faith, but who come from opposite sides of our health culture war. We ask how they see this moment, and how we might pull ourselves back from the brink of our division.

How does their spirituality and faith shape the way they understand this moment of rapid change in health and science — from vaccines and global aid to mRNA technology, chronic illness, and scientific expertise itself?

And ultimately, could grace — and a shared sense of faith — be part of rebuilding trust?

Hosts;

Brinda Adhikari

Tom Johnson

Maggie Bartlett

Dr. Mark Abdelmalek

Guests:

1. Jacqueline Capriotti, a mother of two adults with cystic fibrosis, patient rights advocate. She is a health-policy strategist, works on initiatives within the MAHA movement, and was the Director of Chronic Illness Outreach and Healthcare Reform for Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s presidential campaign. She is the co-founder of Doctors for America First.

2. Dr. Francis Collins, the former head of the National Institutes of Health during Operation Warp Speed, under three U.S. presidents; co-discovered the gene responsible for cystic fibrosis and led America’s effort to map the human genome; author of The Road to Wisdom: On Truth, Science, Faith, and Trust.

3. Jennifer Galardi, Senior Policy Analyst for Restoring American Wellness at The Heritage Foundation’s DeVos Center. Her writing has appeared in The Federalist, Epoch Times, Washington Examiner, and The Blaze, and she frequently appears in media to discuss cultural & policy shifts tied to the MAHA movement.

4. Dr. Marc Siegel, Clinical Professor of Medicine at NYU Langone Health, a practicing internist, and the Senior Medical Analyst for Fox News. He is the author of several books, including a brand new one titled: The Miracles Among Us: How God's Grace Plays a Role in Healing.

5. Elizabeth Frost, works with MAHA Ohio and is a co-founder of Independent Force Consulting. Prior to this, Elizabeth was the Ohio State director for Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s presidential campaign.

6. Mackenzie Isaac, a Rhodes Scholar pursuing her doctorate in Population Health at Oxford University, where she got her MS in Modeling for Global Health. She earned a master’s degree in Health Education from Teachers College, Columbia Uni. Her work focuses on health equity and community health education in Black and Brown communities.

7. Rev. Wendy Silvers, a Minister, author, and Transformational Life Coach supporting mothers & families; created The Awakened Mother series, founded the Million Mamas Movement, and hosts The Awakened Mother Podcast and Million Mamas Rising radio show. She was invited to be the faith engagement lead for the Kennedy presidential campaign in 2024.

8. Emily Smith, an Assistant Professor at Duke University focusing on children’s global surgery, health-systems strengthening, and global health policy. She has conducted extensive research in Africa, and her work has been featured in TIME, NPR, The Washington Post, and Christianity Today.

Resource: https://www.pewresearch.org/religious-landscape-study/

Thanks for listening! If you like us, please leave a review, rate us, and please subscribe!

Got questions? Comments? We'd love to hear from you! Email us at [email protected]

**We taped this episode earlier this week. Happy Thanksgiving. ***

On this Thanksgiving, we each reflect on an episode that struck us. We are so grateful to you, our listener community. We all care about our health, our country and our families so much. We hope you all get to spend today surrounded by people you love. Thank you and a very Happy Thanksgiving to all. 

Thanks for listening! If you like us, please leave a review, rate us, and please subscribe!

Got questions? Comments? We'd love to hear from you! Email us at [email protected]

Today, we’re talking about a different kind of health: the health of our media and information diet. What information we consume, how we consume it, and whether today’s social media ecosystem has become so toxic that it threatens not only our well-being, but the health of our democracy itself.

It’s no secret that trust in mass media has plunged to an all-time low, with the old top-down model of journalism—where a handful of outlets controlled the flow of information—losing its authority. 

So we’ve invited three major voices who operate on the front lines of this shift: Astead Herndon, formerly of The New York Times and now at Vox; Emily Jashinsky, of Breaking Points and now part of Megyn Kelly’s media offerings; and Eliot Higgins, founder of the investigative collective Bellingcat, who warns that in this fractured landscape where we can’t even agree on basic facts, democracy isn’t just wobbling; it’s breaking down.

Today we ask: Are we in a crisis? If so, what will it take to secure the “information supply chains” that a functioning democracy depends on? And finally, if we can get things back on the rails, could this new, more democratized media ecosystem with individuals, not institutions, driving the flow of information, possibly lead us to a better, more trusted place?

We talk Iraq War, 2016 and 2024 Elections, Covid, Epstein, and so much more. 

Hosts

Brinda Adhikari

Tom Johnson

Maggie Bartlett (off this week)

Dr. Mark Abdelmalek (off this week)

Guests: 

Eliot Higgins, founder,  Bellingcat, an open source investigative journalism network

Emily Jashinsky, host, After Party; Megyn Kelly wrap-up show; co-host Breaking Points; writes for UnHerd

Astead Herndon, editorial director and host, Vox; former national political reporter The New York Times

Source:

Verification, Deliberation, Accountability: A New Framework for Tackling Epistemic Collapse and Renewing Democracy

https://demos.co.uk/research/verification-deliberation-accountability-a-new-framework-for-tackling-epistemic-collapse-and-renewing-democracy/

Thanks for listening! If you like us, please leave a review, rate us, and please subscribe!

Got questions? Comments? We'd love to hear from you! Email us at [email protected]

In the final installment of our series from the Children’s Health Defense conference in Austin, we sit down for candid, face-to-face conversations with attendees. They share their life stories, talk about their thoughts on vaccines, on why RFK Jr. resonates with them, and why they came to Austin.

We also reflect on our own experience: Why did we go? What did we learn about the MAHA movement and the extent of the mistrust in science and medicine today? And, ultimately, what have we learned about both the potential and limits of opening up a dialogue across our great health divide today? 

Hosts:

Brinda Adhikari

Tom Johnson

Maggie Bartlett

Dr. Mark Abdelmalek

Guests:

Audrey Trepiccione, midwife

Tina Siemens, founder, West Texas Living Heritage Museum, https://wtlhm.com/

Len Arcuri, host Autism Parenting Secrets podcast and a Strategic Parenting Advisor

AutismParentingSecrets.com

ElevateHowYouNavigate.com

Thanks for listening! If you like us, please leave a review, rate us, and please subscribe!

Got questions? Comments? We'd love to hear from you! Email us at [email protected]

In part two of our three-part series from the Children’s Health Defense conference in Austin, we sit down with one of the most influential figures in the MAHA movement: Del Bigtree.

A longtime ally of Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Bigtree is a singular presence—an expert communicator, storyteller, and filmmaker with a reach of tens of millions. To fans and supporters, he’s a charismatic fighter taking on the chronic illness crisis and exposing corruption. His critics say he is a spreader of anti-vaccine misinformation.

We discuss politics, the future goals of MAHA, America's vaccine policies, bodily autonomy, and activism. It is a free-wheeling, occasionally raucous, but respectful conversation with one of the most important voices in MAHA today. 

Hosts:

Brinda Adhikari

Tom Johnson

Maggie Bartlett

Dr. Mark Abdelmalek

Guest host: Elizabeth Frost, MAHA Ohio; Independent Force Consulting

Guest:

Del Bigtree, founder and head of Informed Consent Action Network; former director of communications for Robert F Kennedy Jr's presidential campaign; founder, host High Wire

Thanks for listening! If you like us, please leave a review, rate us, and please subscribe!

Got questions? Comments? We'd love to hear from you! Email us at [email protected]

We’re on the road this week, coming to you from Austin, Texas, at the Children’s Health Defense 2025 conference. Yes, that Children’s Health Defense: the influential organization founded and once led by Robert F. Kennedy Jr., now the country’s top health official. 

Critics say CHD is one of the most outspoken anti-vaccine groups in America and a major source of misinformation. Supporters say it is fighting to eliminate toxic exposures and protect kids in an era of rising chronic disease. Our central question: Is there any space—any at all—for common ground? Or are the chasms simply too deep?

In the first of a series of episodes from the conference, we sit down with two of its most influential voices: Dr. Bret Weinstein, evolutionary biologist, author of A Hunter-Gatherer’s Guide to the 21st Century, and host of the DarkHorse Podcast, and Dr. Pierre Kory, critical care and pulmonary specialist, and author of The War on Ivermectin.

We have an honest, no-holds-barred conversation about the breakdown in trust on all sides; what it means to live in a world of competing “facts” and data; whether standards of care help or hinder doctors; and, most importantly, whether respectful dialogue can help rebuild trust in one another. We bring them together with doctors from more traditional public health with more CHD/MAHA supporting doctors. Take a listen. 

 Guests:

Dr. Craig Spencer is an emergency medicine physician and public health professor at Brown University.  He worked on front lines during the COVID outbreak in New York City and now focuses his work on global health, humanitarianism, pandemic preparedness and the impact of COVID-19 on health systems.

Link: https://vivo.brown.edu/display/cspenc10

Dr. Pierre Kory

Dr. Pierre Kory is a physician trained in pulmonary and critical care medicine who gained national attention during the COVID-19 pandemic for his advocacy of off-label treatments, including ivermectin. He now runs The Leading Edge Clinic where he works as a Certified Tribal Practitioner where he focuses on long COVID and post- vaccine injury.

Link: https://drpierrekory.com/

Brett Weinstein, PhD

Brett Weinstein, PhD, is an evolutionary biologist, author, and co-host of the podcast, The DarkHorse, which aims to explore science, culture, and human nature with a goal of making scientific thinking more accessible for everyone.

Link: https://www.bretweinstein.net/about-bret-weinstein

Thanks for listening! If you like us, please leave a review, rate us, and please subscribe!

Got questions? Comments? We'd love to hear from you! Email us at [email protected]

School vaccine requirements have long been the backbone of America’s public health, keeping vaccination rates high for decades. Every state mandates that children be up to date on routine vaccinations to attend public school, and every state allows medical exemptions—most also allow religious or philosophical ones. But just weeks ago, Florida—and now Idaho—said “no more,” insisting parents must have ultimate control over what goes into their child’s body. Are these the first dominoes to fall?

Today, we’re having an honest—and yes, uncomfortable—conversation about why some parents are questioning the vaccine schedule and the mandates. Should public health hold the line? Is there a way to respect individual choice without dismantling a system that’s protected us for generations? And can these mandates survive a movement that sees them as an affront to parental rights?

Joining us is Jennifer Reich, author of Calling the Shots: Why Parents Reject Vaccines, who explores why some parents are seeking an individualized approach to vaccination and what that means for the community.

Hosts:

Brinda Adhikari

Tom Johnson

Maggie Bartlett

Dr. Mark Abdelmalek

Guest:

Jennifer Reich; sociologist, Professor of Sociology University of Colorado-Denver; author Calling the Shots: Why Parents Reject Vaccines. 

Thanks for listening! If you like us, please leave a review, rate us, and please subscribe!

Got questions? Comments? We'd love to hear from you! Email us at [email protected]

It’s Election Day in parts of the country, so we thought it was time to talk politics.

Dr. Craig Spencer, from Brown University’s School of Public Health, penned a Substack last week that stopped us cold. In it, he makes a bold case that public health needs to get more political—not partisan, but political in the sense of organizing, mobilizing, and demanding what people say they value: cleaner air, safer food, prevention that actually gets funded.

It’s a striking call at a moment of profound change — what some call a reimagining, others a dismantling — of public health itself. But if you look at the polling across Republicans, Democrats, and the MAHA “curious,” there’s surprising common ground right in public health’s wheelhouse.

It’s time, Spencer argues, for public health to step into the political arena to fight for change or watch the system unravel.

Hosts:

Brinda Adhikari

Tom Johnson

Maggie Bartlett

Dr. Mark Abdelmalek (off today)

Guest:

Dr. Craig Spencer, an emergency medicine physician; Associate Professor of the Practice of Health Services, Policy and Practice at Brown University School of Public Health.

Craig's Substack article referenced:
https://craigaspencer.substack.com/p/when-public-health-forgot-how-to

Thanks for listening! If you like us, please leave a review, rate us, and please subscribe!

Got questions? Comments? We'd love to hear from you! Email us at [email protected]