Out of Patients EP405: Pinky Swear: Erica Campbell and The Wanted Mastectomy
Erica Campbell is not your typical nonprofit CEO. She’s a Long Island theater kid turned British Embassy diplomat turned Midwest cancer-fighting powerhouse. She runs the Pinky Swear Foundation, a national org that helps families of kids with cancer actually pay their rent and fill their gas tanks.
You read that right—this is real help, not performative fluff.
I had her on Out of Patients because she’s raw, funny, unfiltered, and relentlessly honest about the impossible decisions she has to make every day. Which kid gets help? Which family gets told there’s no more budget this month? How do you keep showing up to work when the grief stacks higher than your inbox?
She also wrote a book called The Mastectomy I Always Wanted—which is, frankly, the most punk rock title for a breast cancer memoir I’ve ever seen. Spoiler alert: she was diagnosed while leading the foundation. She became the very patient she serves.
We laughed about AOL handles, yelled about parking costs, and bonded over our mutual disdain for how bad nonprofits are at sleeping at night. She lit me up. She will light you up too.
Matthew Zachary
Producer
Dubbed "The People's Voice in Healthcare" by People Magazine, Matthew Zachary turned a brain cancer diagnosis at 21 into a global movement for patient empowerment. He beat the odds and became a powerhouse advocate for patient rights, giving a voice to millions overlooked by traditional healthcare.
As the founder of Stupid Cancer, he launched the young adult cancer movement, pioneering a new era of patient advocacy. In 2007, he created The Stupid Cancer Show—the first-ever healthcare talk radio show before podcasts were even a thing—building a global community for cancer survivors.
His groundbreaking podcast Out of Patients and the award-winning documentary The Cancer Mavericks cemented him as the "Podfather of Healthcare" and one of the most trusted, irreverent voices in the industry.
Now, as Principal of Matthew Zachary Worldwide, he leads a media, consulting, and think tank agency disrupting healthcare marketing with bold, empathy-driven storytelling. His work spans digital health, life sciences, entertainment, and nonprofit advocacy—challenging the system, amplifying patient voices, and driving real change.
With millions of downloads, hundreds of keynotes, and a sharp GenX edge that blends wit with wisdom, Matthew empowers patients to reclaim their stories while helping organizations embrace authentic, lived-experience storytelling.
Matthew is also... still standing.
Out of Patients EP404: Dr. Allyson Ocean Unfiltered: Science, Colons and Calling BS
