The House of Pod

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth just announced mandatory annual testosterone screening for U.S. service members over 30 — under the banner "The High T Department of War." Dr. Kaveh Hoda breaks down what's actually true about low T with pediatric endocrinologist Dr. Riordan Ledgerwood, a proudly trans-masculine Army veteran, and returning guest Myke Cole — writer, veteran, and author of The Bronze Lie — who's spent years dismantling the myth of the Spartan super-soldier.

Together they dig into what low testosterone really means medically, why there's zero scientific evidence linking T levels to battlefield lethality, and the risks (yes, including gynecomastia) of dosing healthy young men who don't need it. They trace the "warrior hormone" myth back through history — from Spartan arete to Viking drengskapar — and connect it to the internet-fueled backlash against Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey and its casting choices. Plus: is The Odyssey actually a good movie?

A mix of hard medical science, ancient history, and pop culture, with the usual dose of hot sauce.

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Find me Kaveh on Instagram or TikTok @thehouseofpod or email at hopquestions@gmail.com
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Dr. Kaveh Hoda is joined by returning guests Kieran Hervold and Dr. Jason Rosenbaum (molecular pathologist) to dig into tech entrepreneur Bryan Johnson — the Silicon Valley figure who's turned anti-aging into a hyper-regimented, headline-grabbing lifestyle brand. The trio trace his path from Mormon missionary to Braintree/Venmo founder to self-proclaimed "longevity" evangelist, then pick apart his "Don't Die" blueprint: the $1,700-a-month supplement stack, 8:30pm bedtimes, cold showers, testicle icing, stem cell injections, and plasma exchanges with his own son.

Jason breaks down the science (and overreach) behind the epigenetic methylation testing Johnson uses to claim he's aging in reverse, while the group debates whether his approach constitutes real health optimization, a quasi-religious philosophy, or an elaborate grift — money-making or not. They also cover his viral (and widely mocked) tweets about his girlfriend's vaginal microbiome and his son's nighttime erections, and close with a look at his recent autoimmune gastritis diagnosis and what it reveals about the limits of "hacking" biology.

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Find me Kaveh on Instagram or TikTok @thehouseofpod or email at hopquestions@gmail.com
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Dr. Kaveh Hoda welcomes two guests to the House of Pod: child and adolescent psychiatrist Dr. Chase T.M. Anderson and former NFL punter Chris Kluwe. A record-setting eight-year veteran of the Minnesota Vikings, Kluwe opens up about the open letter defending same-sex marriage that reshaped his career and public life.
The conversation covers the physical toll of professional football — concussions, CTE, and the long-term health risks players face — alongside the culture of silence around player safety and advocacy in the NFL. Chase brings a mental health lens to the discussion, exploring how visibility and allyship from athletes affect LGBTQ+ communities.

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Rep the Pod — grab House of Pod merch! Pick up a shirt: Search "House of Pod" at bonfire.com or go to https://www.bonfire.com/hopmerch

Find me Kaveh on Instagram or TikTok @thehouseofpod or email at hopquestions@gmail.com
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RFK Jr. has a new podcast — the Secretary Kennedy Podcast — and Dr. Kaveh Hoda sat through hours of it so you don't have to. Joining him are epidemiologist Dr. Elizabeth Jacobs and journalist/misinformation researcher Garrison Davis to break down what the show claims to be, what it actually is, and whatever "polyanecdotal" means.

The trio dig into RFK Jr.'s branding as an anti-establishment truth-teller (despite literally being the establishment), his shaky grip on the scientific method, cherry-picked studies dressed up as "peer-reviewed," the MAHA/MAGA overlap, his takes on psychiatry and antidepressants, and the class politics hiding behind his food-as-medicine rhetoric.

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Rep the Pod — grab House of Pod merch! Pick up a shirt: Search "House of Pod" at bonfire.com or go to https://www.bonfire.com/hopmerch

Find me Kaveh on Instagram or TikTok @thehouseofpod or email at hopquestions@gmail.com
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Migraines affect over one billion people worldwide and rank as the second leading cause of disability globally — yet fewer than 5% of chronic sufferers get adequate care. So why are they so misunderstood?

Dr. Kaveh Hoda sits down with Dr. Andrew Charles (neurologist and migraine researcher at UCLA) and Jesse Thorn (broadcaster and lifelong migraine sufferer) to talk about what migraines really are, why stigma keeps so many people from getting help, and the exciting new treatments that are finally changing the game. Please share with a migraine sufferer in your life.

Enjoyed the episode? Please take 30 seconds to it makes a huge difference in helping new listeners find the show https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-house-of-pod/id1225096382

Rep the Pod — grab House of Pod merch! Pick up a shirt: Search "House of Pod" at bonfire.com or go to https://www.bonfire.com/hopmerch

Find me Kaveh on Instagram or TikTok @thehouseofpod or email at hopquestions@gmail.com
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.