Your Voice Builds Trust: How Doctors Win Patients Through Podcasting
Release Date: 05/20/2026
The Pathobiome: Stealth Infections and the Brain
Evolution of Medicine Podcast
In this episode, host James Maskell sits down with Nikki Schultek, founding director of the Pathobiome Research Center at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine and founder of the Alzheimer's Pathobiome Initiative, a global research consortium. Schultek's path into this work began with her own illness 11 years ago — a multi-system chronic condition driven by a tick bite and co-infections including Chlamydia pneumoniae, which went misdiagnosed by 12 specialists for a year before Dr. Charles Stratton at Vanderbilt identified and treated the underlying infections, restoring her to...
info_outline
The Neuroscience of Awakening
Evolution of Medicine Podcast
In this episode, host James Maskell sits down with Dr. Helen Lavretsky — integrative and geriatric psychiatrist, neuroscientist, and professor of psychiatry at UCLA, where she directs clinical research on integrated mental health and serves as research director for UCLA's Integrative Medicine Collaborative. Her path into the field began through Kundalini Yoga, sparking 20 years of studying mind-body practices with rigorous neuroscience. Despite initial pushback in academic psychiatry, her evidence ultimately gained widespread acceptance. She details her clinical model: a partnership where...
info_outline
The Forgotten Medicine: Community, Dance & Song
Evolution of Medicine Podcast
In this live episode from the Institute for Functional Medicine's Annual International Conference, host James Maskell sits down with Dr. Geeta Maker-Clark, who opened the conference that morning with its keynote address. The conversation begins with something unusual: conference attendees — mostly, as Maskell puts it, "type A, cerebral" doctors — got up and danced during her talk, a rare sight at a medical conference. Dr. Maker-Clark, who is part of a West African dance company, explains why: drumming and dance tap into something deeply primal in all of us, tied to ancestral rhythm, grief,...
info_outline
2026 Pauling Award Winner Reveals the Truth About Hormones & GLP-1s
Evolution of Medicine Podcast
What does it take to earn functional medicine's highest honor? In this live episode from the Institute for Functional Medicine's 33rd Annual International Conference, host James Maskell sits down with Joel Evans, MD, FMCP-M, recipient of the 2026 Linus and Ava Helen Pauling Award in Functional Medicine — awarded to Joel Evans, MD, FMCP-M in recognition of his career-long contributions to the field. Joel Evans, MD, FMCP-M shares the story of his journey from OB-GYN to functional medicine leader, crediting Jeff Bland and Bethany Hayes for pulling him into the field early on. He discusses why...
info_outline
The Blueprint for Functional Medicine in Big Health Systems
Evolution of Medicine Podcast
What does it actually take to build a functional medicine program that thrives inside a conventional health system? In this live episode from the Institute for Functional Medicine Annual Conference, James Maskell sits down with Laura Sandquist and Kate Otremba, who've spent six years building a large integrative and functional medicine program within Allina Health, a conventional health system in Minnesota. Laura and Kate share the infrastructure they built to make it work — smart phrases, practice guidelines, and templates that help clinicians translate their functional medicine training...
info_outline
The Bioage Reversal Breakthrough
Evolution of Medicine Podcast
What if the best way to live a long life isn't a longevity hack — but preventing chronic illness in the first place? In this live episode from the Institute for Functional Medicine Annual Conference, James Maskell sits down with Dr. Kara Fitzgerald, a naturopathic physician and longtime functional medicine researcher, to talk about her groundbreaking work on reversing biological age. Dr. Fitzgerald shares the story behind her 2018 clinical study, which found that a diet and lifestyle intervention reversed biological age by over three years — a result that stunned the field, since even...
info_outline
Why Whole Health Starts With This One Question
Evolution of Medicine Podcast
What does it really mean to practice "whole health" — and how do we keep it from becoming just another buzzword? In this live episode from the Institute for Functional Medicine Annual Conference, James Maskell sits down with Dr. Tracy Gaudet to unpack the evolution of whole health, the growing risk of paradigm "veneers" masking real transformation, and why the patient-practitioner relationship remains central to any lasting healing. Tracy explains how true system change begins with a different kind of conversation — one that starts with a person's purpose and meaning rather than their...
info_outline
Inside the Growth of Functional Medicine
Evolution of Medicine Podcast
How is functional medicine evolving from a niche practice into a global movement that is transforming healthcare? In this live episode from the Institute for Functional Medicine Annual Conference, James Maskell sits down with Amy R. Mack, MSES, MPA, CEO of the Institute for Functional Medicine (IFM), to discuss the organization's mission, the rapid growth of functional medicine, and its future in healthcare. Amy shares how her background in nonprofit leadership—and the influence of her father, a gastroenterologist who practiced whole-person care long before it became mainstream—shaped her...
info_outline
How Functional Medicine Is Reshaping Healthcare
Evolution of Medicine Podcast
How can functional medicine create healthier communities while transforming the future of healthcare? In this live episode from the Institute for Functional Medicine Annual Conference, James Maskell sits down with Gail C. Christopher, DN, IFM Board Chair of The Institute for Functional Medicine, and Executive Director of the National Collaborative for Health Equity, to discuss the evolution of functional medicine and its growing influence on mainstream healthcare. Drawing on decades of experience in clinical practice, public policy, philanthropy, and health equity, Dr. Christopher explains how...
info_outline
Frontier Care in Warfarer Populations
Evolution of Medicine Podcast
How can functional medicine improve the health, resilience, and performance of military personnel? In this live episode from the Institute for Functional Medicine Annual Conference, James Maskell sits down with Dr. Bryan Stepanenko and former Green Beret Geoff Dardia to discuss how functional medicine is transforming healthcare for warfighters and veterans. They explain the unique physical and psychological demands of military service, including blast exposure, traumatic brain injuries, chronic sleep deprivation, toxin exposure, and repetitive physical stress. Rather than simply treating...
info_outlineWhat if the fastest way to grow your medical practice isn't advertising—but conversation?
In this episode of The Evolution of Medicine, James Maskell speaks with Bret Gregory, founder of DrTalks, about how podcasting is transforming the way doctors build authority, attract patients, and share medical knowledge.
They explore how DrTalks is creating a creator economy for physicians, making it easy to become a podcast guest or host while removing technical and logistical barriers. Bret breaks down a "crawl, walk, run" strategy where doctors start as guests before launching their own shows.
The conversation highlights practical tools like “signature talks,” which use AI to generate compelling podcast pitches, and explains how consistency—not production scale—is what drives long-term success.
A major focus is the power of local podcasting, where doctors interview referral partners and community members to build trust, visibility, and direct patient flow.
Ultimately, this episode reframes podcasting as a foundational tool for modern medicine—one that builds authority, strengthens community ties, and helps doctors thrive in a founder-led media world.
- - - - -
About the Guest:
Bret Gregory is the founder of DrTalks, a platform designed to connect doctors and patients through trusted medical content and podcasting. He is focused on building a global network that helps physicians share their expertise while also creating sustainable income streams through media and content creation. Through DrTalks, Bret has helped thousands of doctors launch podcasts, appear as guests, and build meaningful digital presence with minimal technical barriers.
- - - - -
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bretgdrtalks/
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bretg/
Website: https://drtalks.com/
- - - - -
Social Handles:
Website: https://www.jamesmaskell.com/
X: https://x.com/mrjamesmaskell
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mrjamesmaskell
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jamesedwardmaskell/
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesmaskell
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/FunctionalForum
- - - - -
Evolution of Medicine™ Mission Partners:
TrueNeura: https://truneura.com/trunuera
Fullscript: https://goevomed.com/fullscript
Big Boost Marketing: https://goevomed.com/bigboost
Freedom Practice Training: https://goevomed.com/fpc
- - - - -
PODCAST
Thank you for listening.
Please subscribe and share.
This podcast is produced by DrTalks.com