Episodes

On the show today, Authenticity Advocate/Speaker/Coach/Writer Erika Gerdes. Lots of self-descriptors there, but rest assured listeners, you're in store for an organic, no-BS kitchen table conversation about worthiness, insecurity, how being a people-pleaser doesn't please people. It's time to focus on the art of undoing the limiting beliefs that hold us back from whoever it is we want, need, and hope to be as carbon life forms on our small blue marble. I like to say, "Man plans and God laughs." (Or "Insert Deity Here" laughs) and Erika is no exception to that rule. Just when you think things are set straight ahead, and everything is going to plan… Sounds like "famous last words" to me. But when her 3-month old daughter faced a life-threatening spinal tumor, that's when real life kicks in, and where there plan is that there is no plan — and our vanity and quest for approval fly out the window for all the right reasons. Maybe we can all find strength when things aren't fine. I also lear…

On the show today – Pam Traxel, Vice President For Alliance Development at the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, known in acronym-land as ACSCAN. Hunkered down deep in Washington DC’s beltway, ACSCAN is the dedicated policy arm of The American Cancer Society — and as appendages go, it’s a good choice. We all need to strong-arm things from time to time to elicit even the slightest semblance of progress and justice in this country. ACSCAN’s mission is to ensure that elected leaders make ending suffering and death from cancer a top priority. As opposed to, I guess, ending suffering from too many Pumpkin Spice Latte commercials, which, while not apples to apples, is, in the broadcaster’s opinion, an egregious affront to the laws of hot beverage nature that should be toned down just a bit. The key to getting anything done in Washington — at least as far as getting policies enacted to help people facing cancer — is advocacy; more so, the stories of those advocates who, with one…

On the show today – The CD-ROM. What is it good for besides Microsoft Encarta (look it up, kids) and free AOL accounts in 2004? Well, for one uniquely intrepid and nonprofit founded by Pam Omidyar, the CD-ROM became the intervention that would change the lives of teens living with cancer for the better all around the world. HopeLab is a social innovation lab committed to supporting and improving the health and happiness of young people. And joining me is HopeLab’s CEO, my friend and advocacy partner in crime, Margaret Laws. What is “behavior-change tech?” How can you game-ify loneliness as a predictor of depression and suicide amongst college students, especially during a pandemic? How in the world does “human-centered design” intersect with young adult cancer patient advocacy? What happens when you harness the tools of empathy as a social connection vehicle to normalize identity and end the pity party? All that and oh so much more as we shed light on HopeLab, one of the most impactfu…

There are missed connections, and then there are missed connections. And this one’s a doozie. Like me, Dr. Joe Abdo was diagnosed with brain cancer in 1996 and — somehow — 25 years later, is still here. Like me, Dr. Joe Abdo’s birthday is May 29th. And like me, it took us way too long to get our lives back in order only to meet 15 years later, grateful that the universe finally brought us together, and kick off an incredibly kismet Gemini friendship. Even weirder – and this is just icing on the cake — his office is literally three doors down the block here on Fulton Street in downtown Manhattan. In any case, you’re going to like this episode not just because it’s an incredibly organic reunion conversation amongst cancer buddies but because Joe is definitely someone who should be on your radar. His pioneering work in genomics, immunotherapy, and biotechnology have helped millions of patients facing rare cancers in the gastrointestinal space. And his company, Stella Dx, is invested in e…

Patients are labeled non-compliant because the system is not designed with them in mind, and Jen Horonjeff, Founder of Savvy Coop, is changing all that with "Noncompliant," a podcast segment on Out Of Patients with Matthew Zachary where she challenges the status quo to ensure the patient voice is heard. Why? Because, sometimes non-compliance is what moves the needle. Join Jen and learn more at https://www.savvy.coop.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Today, on the show, another fantastic “Wayback machine” episode with Brian Loew, CEO of Inspire. Brian is of the early adopter pioneers of what we now call digital health, which has spawned the current spate of myriad online patient communities, each of whom creates safe spaces of support and engenders the necessary lifehackery to make whatever it is that you’re there for suck a little less. As someone who is currently doing nothing even remotely related to what he studied in undergraduate, Brian and I commiserate on how meaningful his BA and BS in Physics and Economics have come in just so handy these days. Listen in as we debate the semantic virtues or lack thereof in “consumer protection vs. patient-centric care, ” opine on the state of the state facing communities of color, how Inspire is addressing disparities, and the abuse of patients by hospitals, healthcare systems, and the insurance industry happening in plain sight. And prepare yourself for some serious name dropping as we …

On the show today, another take on the big question “Can Science Speak Person” with the incredible Bridget Chapital, Founder and Director of — and I just LOVE this name — Hypothesis Haven Science Club. Just saying that makes me feel smarter. Hypothesis Haven reminds me of the “What If” machine for any of my fellow Futurama fans. HHSC, as it is known in short because #acronyms, is a next-gen educational program for kids 5-13 that — as extramural study filling in the gaps that most STEM programs lack — inspires more critical thinking in our youth. Something I think we need a little more of in our adults these days any. BUT I DIGRESS. Seeing as how the odds are definitely stacked against the average patient in being able to navigate the process, Bridget’s background in health science and clinical research make her the perfect person to take the lessons we learn from children and apply them to startup culture and the healthcare system writ large — answering the age of question that I star…

On the show today, I had the opportunity to talk to one of my best friends of all time Brian Friedman, who I had met on his first day at SUNY Binghamton in the Summer of 1994 when he tried out for the Jazz Band as this hot young drummer from Long Island. There are work buddies, there are colleagues, there are friends, and then there are the lifers; the legacy non-biological “family” members who stick by you through thick and thin. These are relationships where you each know the other one better than you know yourself; Someone for whom the idea of “May our secrets die with us” underscores your love and trust. Brian pretty much lived my cancer diagnosis and treatment first hand with me the entire time and was one of those anchor friends who — unlike some other folks — did not abandon me. Rather, he doubled down, stood by my side, was there for me, and — when necessary — held my head over the toilet when I was uncontrollably puking from cancer treatment. Brian is a true renaissance man c…

Today on the show: A nod to my episode with Dawn Barry entitled GATTA CHATTACA, I hop in my Deloran's Wayback machine to welcome my dear friend and fellow origin story young adult cancer survivor advocate Susan McClure to the show. Diagnosed with breast cancer as a young mother with a 2-year old son, Sue's life and career took an abrupt turn into the world of magazine publishing where she — and I cannot understate this — helped launch Cure Magazine, which is now the largest consumer magazine in ...

Today on the show, another Wayback Machine throwback episode with my dear friend and fellow survivor advocate Maimah Karmo, Maimah an author, speaker, coach, podcaster, manifestor, convener, Founder/CEO of the Tigerlily Foundation and, well, — she's a unicorn. Basically, she's just a unicorn so let's just leave it at then. Join us as we take a trip down memory lane to a time before iPhones, Android, Facebook, Twitter, and the original Kung Fu Panda. Yes, I am talking about 2007 and the dawn of the young adult cancer movement. From Liberian refugee to misdiagnosed triple-negative breast cancer patient, to self-proclaimed "chemo-induced nonprofit founder," Maimah has been a dominant voice speaking out on the issues of healthcare disparities and invisible suffering in the black community. There's pretty much nothing Maimah can't do — and you're about to understand why. Enjoy the show. Visit https://www.tigerlilyfoundation.org for more information.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com…

Today on the show, I welcome Shelly Fuld Nasso, Chief Executive Officer at the National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship. It's important to note that NCCS, as it is referred to because #acronyms, is the Nation's oldest survivor-led advocacy organization founded during the Paleolithic Era of Cancer Care — the time before time — of 1986. Yes, the same year as Top Gun, Aliens, Crocodile Dundee, The Color Purple, and Rodney Dangerfield's Back To School, also introduced the word "Survivorship" into the lexicon because the disruptive forces behind NCCS's founding were sick and tired of being called victims, a practice that somehow still continues today. NCCS is an advocacy group I hold especially near and dear as it was the first group that I was introduced to when I decided to quit my career and learn what it meant to become a cancer advocate. Their founder, the late great Ellen Stovall, was my human mentor gateway drug into the world of "making cancer suck less." Shelley has a storied an…

Today on the show, if there ever were a human Wikipedia sentinel of digital health history, it would be Matt Holt, Founder of The Healthcare Blog (ca 2003), Co-Founder and Co-Chairman of Health2.0, President at Smack.health and self-proclaimed 'Healthcare Curmudgeon." Beyond the obvious "Wayback Machine" discourse, Matt genuinely takes us down the origin story rabbit hole to, pretty much, the exact moment when the tubes of the interweb met up with whatever an EMR was back when Must See TV was a thing. And now, 30+ years later, we have today’s monopolistic, dystopian, and antithetical dumpster fire. But good things have happened along the way, thanks to pioneers, or self-proclaimed "forecasters," like Matt Holt — and we have indeed come so far from the days of ARPANET, IRC, AOL floppy disks. So let the curmodgeoning commence and regale at my conversation with the one and only — and deservedly British — Matt Holt.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy N…

Today, on the show, friend, colleague, and fellow young adult cancer survivor/advocate Rebecca Batterman. But let's not let that last label define her because she is OH SO MUCH MORE. Rebecca is an "Innovation Consultant" — what does that mean? Well, stick around to find out, but I can attest that she has one of the most acute minds for seeing signal through noise, and I've been inspired by her ever since we met. Never one to stop reinventing herself after stints in branding, media, marketing, strategic planning, growth, etc, her entrepreneurial spirit — and an unusually keen appreciation for 80s nostalgia as a NON-GEN-X'er — she is now — as of this taping — currently completing her Master of Laws degree in Intellectual Property and Entertainment Law. Slacker! Underachiever! Rebecca is as authentic as it gets. She's an advocate for wellness and can teach us all a thing or two about rolling with the punches. Ladies and gentlemen, my conversation with Rebecca BattermanSee Privacy Polic…

On the show today, live in person here at OffScrip Media Studios in downtown Manhattan, Sarah Cotenoff, Co-Founder of Podsights — and, more importantly — former intern at The Stupid Cancer Show. Losing your father to cancer as a teenager is never a good thing. But the forced maturity it gives you can ultimately come in handy if and when more crap you didn’t expect happens upon you. In Sarah’s case, it was — after a comedic series of misdiagnoses — Psoriatic arthritis, a condition she has had to manage and learn to live with for over a decade. Our origin story as Intern/Boss is one for the ages because it involves a combination of Zach Efron, Perez Hilton, and an inherent inquisitive moxie that gave every and life to the up-and-coming Stupid Cancer broadcast footprint. Among other “Wayback Machine” things we talk about, there’s a more serious narrative about addiction, self-awareness, resiliency, managing mental health issues, and taking control of your life when it seems no one has th…

Today on the show, a peek into the fascinating world of psychiatric oncology with my friend Dr. Guy Maytal, Chief of Integrated Care and Assistant Professor of Medicine at Weill Cornell Graduate School of Medical Sciences. I’ve often heard the phrase “ambassadors of dignity” when referring to the empathic mental health professionals who not only listen to the lyrics but hear the symphony of grief, struggle, and challenge that patients bring. Guy is one of those heroes, and it was a privilege to dive deep into conversations around how the word “rehabilitation” is making a comeback, the sheer necessity of mental health care to lift people up, make some sense of the madness, add a handrail to the staircase, and restore some of the missing parts when we are broken. We also talk about the fabulously insane world of medical reimbursements. Unlike “normal” procedures where you are poked, prodded, radiated and/or stitched backup, mental health is the outlier tossed about as a “nice to have.” …

Welcome to Part Two my conversation with Dr. David Langer, Chairman of the Department of Neurosurgery at Lenox Hill Hospital, Co-Founder of Playback Health, and star of the critically acclaimed Netflix series, Lenox Hill. If you’ve listened to Part One — and I hope you did because it’d be weird if you hadn’t — there is such richness into David’s humanity and approach to medicine beyond the biology of the patient, their caregivers, and loved ones. We really dig into what David’s been working in the digital health/tech sector during this segment, specifically his startup, Playback Health, which is literally putting the humanity back into the doctor/patient relationship. I’ve seen a ton of “innovation” in my time, but this is real, and it’s amazing. You can check that out at PlaybackHealth.com. Plus, a much deeper dive into his newfound notoriety and adoration by starring in the Netflix Series, Lenox Hill. David doesn’t think of himself as a celebrity, but to the thousands of lives he’s …

Some of you may have heard about the acclaimed Netflix series, Lenox Hill. If you haven’t, you’ve to to check it out. Four doctors at New York's storied Lenox Hill Hospital balance their personal lives and their dedication to their patients in this documentary series. And one of those doctors joins me today. Dr. David Langer, Chairman of the Department of Neurosurgery at Lenox Hill Hospital and Co-Founder of Playback Health is one of those doctors — and he joins me here in-studio — and I am totally fanboying for all the reasons. Touching people’s brains to help save their lives is indeed an interesting badge of honor to wear, and a a burden to bare. And as someone who has had their brain touched by a neurosurgeon, I have the most profound respect imaginable for the practice. Beyond his superstardom with the Netflix special, David is one of the most genuine and empathic human beings around who also happen to be one of the most recognized leaders in his craft. Our conversation was more …

Today, a frenetic BONUS episode with my dear friend of 30+ years, the always eclectic, impossibly talented Half-Greek/Half-Italian spitfire no BS unicorn that is Elura Nanos. As two exasperated Gen-X parents of young kids, we needed a COVID-19 venting session to outgas our egregious misgivings with the endless ignominious malfeasance on the part of the school systems to figure out what the hell is actually happening. Prepare to nod your head, fellow parents with school-age children, for what you are about to hear is as unfiltered and unscripted as it gets. Just wait for the part where we talk about Zoom Band and Zoom Gym and how if Unicycles were banned in Minnesota, people would find a way to sneak them in from Wisconsin anyway.Plus, there's a healthy serving of mask mandates, cultural biases, tribalism, and "What's the use of science anyway?" Oh - And a nod to the fact that most Americans lack even the most basic understanding of what "freedom" actually means? AND that the governmen…

Get ready to learn a lot on today’s show. For example, did you know there are Board Certified Patient Advocates? You heard that. And it’s not what you think. It’s better. Joining me to discuss this — and OH SO MUCH MORE — is Dr. Grace Cordovano, the CEO of Enlightening Results and the Co-Founder of Unblock Health. I’m at my best when I feel like the dumbest guy in the room by learning things I had no idea about. This is that conversation, and I hope you take away what I did because it is so revelatory and unsung. What Grace and I share most in common is our hill to die on: guaranteeing that every patient has the access, navigation and dignity they deserve to be in charge of their own outcomes. We also pick a mutual fight against anyone who uses the phrase “Health Innovation” because it’s usually all loads of shit to justify someone’s business card. Enjoy the show.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my…

Today on the show, what happens when a legacy, award-winning NPR radio producer/young adult cancer survivor is interviewed by a gracefully aging, semi-legacy, non-award-winning, non-NPR producer/young adult cancer survivor? Does a media event horizon manifest in the clouds along with the token interdimensional SKY BEAM from comic book movies? Kara McGuirk-Allison is an award-winning public radio and podcast producer with 25 years of experience in storytelling, production, and journalism. Among a ton of other insanely incredible things she’s done in her career to date, she produced and launched the critically acclaimed show Hidden Brain for NPR. Listen in as we swap war stories and compare notes about the nostalgic virtues of audio, how the golden age of fireside chats now resides on-demand in our pockets. We also opine on how, while there are currently WAY TOO MANY PODCASTS for anyone comfort that are potentially diluting the medium, the concepts of “niche media” and “appointment list…

On the show today, DNA Science Superhero Dawn Barry, President and CEO at LUNA, a public benefit corporation that is restoring power to the people by giving them back control of their genomic health information for the greater good? What a novel idea. While we would have loved to spend the entire show debating the virtues of Beyond Meat vs. Impossible Burger, we really dig into to the very nature of how, from the perspective of consumer and cultural adoption, the very conversation about our DNA — and it's role in shaping our lives — has come so far since Jurassic Park's Mr. DNA cartoon explainer dude. And yet, the foreboding words of Jeff Goldblum's Ian Malcolm still ring true: "Yeah, but your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn't stop to think if they should." So strap in for an incredible chat about the uselessness of most genetic test kits, genomic bias in the workplace, predictive genetics vs. Orwellian eugenics, the mystique of the proverbial …

On the show today, another stellar returning champion, Dr. Saralyn Mark, Former Senior Medical and Policy Advisor to The White House, NASA, and the Department of Health And Human Services, Physician Women’s Leader at the American Medical Women’s Association and Author of “Stellar Medicine: A Journey Through the Universe of Women’s Health.” Now, that was a hand full of epic credentials, but the rubber really hit the road today when we both dig deep into the calculus of COVID, meaning — how to make sense of anything anymore, as a scientist, parent, and educated human being. The United States is often called “The Great Experiment,” and MY OH MY are we ever now a frieken experiment with our state-based social game of Whack-A-Mole on infections, deaths, mask-wearing compliance, and schools that open one day and — SURPRISE SURPRISE — literally close two days later. Can’t we just shut down the whole country? Uhm… no? That ship has sailed. So strap in and let’s get down to business because I …

So you want to be a speaker? You want to tell your story? Spoiler alert, it’s not so easy, and I think you might know why. Anyone can tell their story, but that doeth not maketh them a storyteller. There is a definitive art, method, and process to be a storyteller, nee, perhaps even an orator. But not necessarily a Town Crier. Today I am joined by my friend and colleague, Tricia Brouk, an award-winning director, choreographer, speaker, writer, podcaster, and Founder of The Big Talk Academy; which is a 12-week virtual certification program that will teach you the skills you need to identify, write, share — and even possibly perform — your big talk. Stories are all we have, and storytelling is what binds us together as a society. In healthcare, the right story told the right way to the right person can get a drug approved, a bill passed, or a critically disenfranchising law repealed.From the shyest wallflower filled with stage fight to the most professionally trained thespians, we talk …

Today on the show, I welcome Andrea Ottaiano, recovering agency, Pharma, and media veteran, research junkie, health coach, Founder of Silver Lining Holistic Health AND — if that’s not enough — 13-year survivor of breast cancer, liver cancer, and cholangiocarcinoma. So what happens with the Health Coach gets cancer? When the professional becomes the patient? That is a “both sides of the coin” story to tell, and she’s got a good one. We also rage on about how the jargon of “Whole Patient Cancer” — which to its credit has come quite far — has a long way to go as far as addressing the mental, physical, nutritional, practical, and cultural needs IN COMPLEMENT TO the self-evident biological needs. We also debate the vagaries beyond the Ricola Alpine Horn of “Just be Your own advocate!” — because it ain’t always that easy. Plus, a dip in the WTF pool of “super health organic vegan peak performance athlete specimens also die from cancer,” so does it simply come down to “try to be healthy” and…