Christine Verini is a pharmacist by training, a nonprofit CEO by title, and an unapologetic empath by design. She now leads CancerCare, one of the oldest, least-known, and most impactful organizations in the country that actually helps real cancer patients deal with the practical garbage no one likes to talk about—like paying rent, affording a ride to chemo, or feeding their kids.

We talk about her career pivot from industry to impact, what it's like trying to scale empathy without losing your soul, and the daily gut-punch of knowing there are millions of people who still have no idea that CancerCare exists. Christine gets real about leadership, advocacy, burnout, and why being “pan-cancer” matters more than ever in a world obsessed with biomarkers, buckets, and branding.

She also dishes on what AI gets dead wrong, what patients actually want when they call for help, and why “ghosting” someone with cancer is still a thing. Buckle up. This one's packed with heart, brains, and a little righteous rage.

RELATED LINKS

• CancerCare
• Christine Verini on LinkedIn
• Christine’s CEO Announcement – PR Newswire
• Cancer Health 25: Christine Verini
• Christine on HealthyWomen
• BIO Convention Speaker Profile

FEEDBACK

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See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Jennifer Finkelstein is not here for your pity, your pinkwashed slogans, or your performative awareness campaigns. She’s a 20-year young adult breast cancer survivor who turned trauma into a blueprint for action and built 5 Under 40, a no-BS nonprofit supporting women diagnosed with breast cancer under 40.

In this episode, we go full Gen X therapy session—from SNL nostalgia and cold caps to the absurdity of finding out you have cancer while looking for the remote. Jen drops real talk about founding a nonprofit when nothing existed for her age group, why mental health support isn’t optional, and how passing down designer scarves can mean arming someone for battle.

If you’re looking for honesty, grit, and a few inappropriate jokes about gastroenterology, this one’s for you. You'll laugh, you might cry, and you’ll definitely leave knowing why Jennifer Finkelstein is a survivor, a fighter, and a damn legend.

RELATED LINKS

5 Under 40 Foundation

Jennifer Finkelstein on LinkedIn

About 5 Under 40: Board of Directors

Dan’s Papers: 5 Under 40 Supports Young Breast Cancer Survivors

FEEDBACK

Like this episode? Rate and review Out of Patients on your favorite podcast platform. For guest suggestions or sponsorship inquiries, email podcast@matthewzachary.com.

Let me know if you want shorter pull quotes, audiogram text, or promotional copy for LinkedIn, Instagram, or your newsletter.

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What happens when a black belt, sword-slinging fitness icon gets cancer—twice? She picks up a camera and dares the universe to test her again.

Ilaria Montagnani is not your average anything. She’s been building strong bodies (and stronger minds) for over 30 years as the founder of Powerstrike. She’s part Jane Fonda, part Uma Thurman, and very much the action hero you wish was your personal trainer.

In this episode, we talk about what happens when everything you built your life on—movement, strength, purpose—gets sideswiped by disease. Twice. Ilaria opens up about diagnosis shock, bad doctor vibes, wielding swords post-mastectomy, and why working out through treatment is the best revenge.

We get into scanxiety, menopause side effects, nutrition spirals, and the moment she realized the fitness industry needed more truth—and less bullshit.

This one’s real, raw, and will either guilt you into planking or inspire you to finally cancel that gym membership you’ve never used. Either way, you’re gonna feel something.

RELATED LINKS

Stronger for Life documentary

Powerstrike official site

Ilaria on Instagram

Ilaria on LinkedIn

Workout programs and DVDs

Forza Sword Workout on Amazon

FEEDBACK

Like this episode? Rate and review Out of Patients on your favorite podcast platform. For guest suggestions or sponsorship inquiries, email podcast@matthewzachary.com

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Helene M. Epstein is not here to make friends with the healthcare system. She's here to dismantle the bullshit, one catastrophic medical error at a time. An ad agency veteran turned patient safety firebrand, Helene’s journey from business development to writer to “badass queen of patient safety,” is one hell of a ride.

We talk about how her son was misdiagnosed over 15 times (yes, really), why some doctors should come with warning labels, and how American healthcare gaslights patients like it's a competitive sport. She also explains why she’s giving away her new book for free, one chapter at a time, and how AI might actually be useful—if it stops hallucinating citations.

This is not a light listen. It’s the real deal. You’ll walk away angry, inspired, and a lot more dangerous as a patient.

RELATED LINKS

Helene's Substack: https://helenemepstein.substack.com

Patient Safety Resources: https://www.pfps.us

Helene's Website: https://www.hmepstein.com/meet-helene

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hmepstein

FEEDBACK

Like this episode? Rate and review Out of Patients on your favorite podcast platform.

For guest suggestions or sponsorship inquiries, email podcast@matthewzachary.com

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Jonathan and Jennifer Wall didn’t choose this path, but they’re walking it with purpose. After losing their son, Zach, they turned their grief into action, founding Zach’s Bridge, a lifeline for families navigating pediatric cancer. This episode isn’t about platitudes or silver linings—it’s about the raw, unfiltered reality of love and loss, the relentless unfairness of childhood cancer, and how the Walls are refusing to let their son’s memory fade into the void.

Jon and Jenn open up about what Zach taught them, how they’ve reshaped their lives in his honor, and why “Be Like Zach” isn’t just a phrase—it’s a call to action. We talk about the power of community, the frustrating gaps in pediatric cancer care, and how they’re making sure no other family has to walk this road alone. If you’ve ever wondered what real resilience looks like, this is it.

RELATED LINKS:

• Zach’s Bridge
• Zach’s Rules for Life
• Be Like Zach - Substack
• Jonathan Wall on LinkedIn
• Jon’s Post: What Cancer Taught Me About Work
• Rett’s Roost Blog - Jonathan’s Writing
• Zach’s Story - OSI

FEEDBACK:

Like this episode? Rate and review Out of Patients on your favorite podcast platform. For guest suggestions or sponsorship inquiries, email podcast@matthewzachary.com.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Sarah Armstrong—forever Sarah Oakden to me, no matter what the legal documents say—isn't just my best friend.

She's my first college friend, my musical theater soulmate, and the first person who truly saw me as an artist. She was there when I walked onto Binghamton’s campus, and she was there when I walked into cancer hell. And, because we’re nothing if not in sync, a few decades later, she got her own cancer badge of honor, and I was right there with her every step of the way.

This episode is a love letter to friendship, music, and those moments that change your life forever. We nerd out over Sondheim, Binghamton's infamous "Theater 101 with Dr. Susan Peters." and the weird and wonderful rabbit holes that turn into entire alternate realities across decades of aging gracefully and falling with style.

We talk about how cancer is the worst club with the best people and how surviving it together just adds another verse to the song we’ve been singing for 30 years. It’s funny. It’s real. It’s a master class in love, laughter, and musicals that should have been bigger; with a big tip of the hat to Nancy Ford and Gretchen Cryer for their acclaimed musical "I'm Getting My Act Together and Taking It on the Road"

Oh, and RIP to the legendary Denny’s on Vestal Parkway. You will be missed.

FEEDBACK:

Like this episode? Rate and review Out of Patients on your favorite podcast platform. For guest suggestions or sponsorship inquiries, email podcast@matthewzachary.com.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Food for Thought: Cancer, Calories, and Kicking Ass

Vanessa Rissetto is back, and she’s bringing the same energy, wit, and unapologetic realness that made her a fan favorite. Last time, we talked nutrition and the rise of Culina Health. This time, life threw her a plot twist—breast cancer. Because, you know, irony.

Vanessa was busy building a nutrition empire when she got diagnosed. So, naturally, she texted, “WTF do I do now?” to her closest cancer Sherpas—yours truly included. Spoiler alert: She powered through, beat cancer, and kept scaling Culina Health to new heights.

We get into it all—being a cancer patient when you're supposed to be the health expert, the emotional whiplash of survivorship, the absolute clown show that is American food regulation, and why European Oreos are apparently less cancerous than ours. Also, parenting, loneliness, and why the healthcare system still makes zero sense.

Get ready for a wild ride of truth bombs, wisdom, and laughter with one of the sharpest voices in nutrition and entrepreneurship.

RELATED LINKS

• Vanessa on LinkedIn
• Culina Health
• Vanessa’s Website
• Vanessa’s Story on HLTH
• Vanessa on Breast Cancer - TODAY
• What Vanessa Learned About Food After Cancer
• Daily Mail: Vanessa on an Unexpected Symptom
• SurvivorNet: Vanessa on Nutrition and Cancer

FEEDBACK

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EPISODE DESCRIPTION

Lillian Kreppel doesn’t hold back. A seven-year anal cancer survivor and co-founder of the HPV Cancers Alliance, she has made it her mission to challenge stigma, fight misinformation, and push for better awareness of HPV-related cancers. In this episode, she sits down with Matthew Zachary to talk about her journey from high-powered sales to full-time advocacy, the absurd misconceptions surrounding HPV, and why more doctors should be doing rectal exams—but aren’t. With her signature humor and relentless drive, Lillian shares how she turned her diagnosis into a movement, what it takes to make people uncomfortable for the right reasons, and why she refuses to stop talking about the HPV vaccine. It’s an eye-opening, unfiltered, and surprisingly hilarious conversation about a serious issue too many people ignore.

RELATED LINKS

• HPV Cancers Alliance: https://hpvca.org/
• Lillian's Story (MSKCC): https://www.mskcc.org/experience/hear-from-patients/lillian
• Interview on HPVWorld: https://www.hpvworld.com/articles/anal-cancer-and-hpv-a-history-of-awareness-and-stigma-interview-with-lillian-kreppel/
• Speaking With Lillian Kreppel (Ask About HPV): https://www.askabouthpv.org/stories/speaking-with-lillian-kreppel-co-founder-of-the-hpv-cancers-alliance
• European Cancer Organization Feature: https://www.europeancancer.org/content/lillian-kreppel.html
• Anal Cancer Survivor Feature (Patient Resource):https://www.patientresource.com/Anal_Cancer_Survivor_Lillian_Kreppel

FEEDBACK

Like this episode? Rate and review Out of Patients on your favorite podcast platform. For guest suggestions or sponsorship inquiries, email podcast@matthewzachary.com.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.