Out of Patients EP407: Ask Better Questions or Die Trying: Risa Arin
What happens when you take a jingle-obsessed Cornell grad, funnel her through agency life, add a cancer diagnosis to the family, and drop her in the middle of America’s broken healthcare mess? You get Risa Arin. Founder and CEO of XpertPatient.com (spell it right—no E), Risa didn’t pivot into patient advocacy.
She bulldozed her way in, armed with strategy decks, data, and decades of marketing experience that actually translate to helping real people not die confused.
I wanted Risa on the show because she lives at the intersection of “I’ve seen how the sausage is made” and “Let’s burn down the factory.” She sat in pharma boardrooms, saw how patient education was treated as a compliance box, and decided to build the thing that should’ve existed all along.
You’ll laugh. You’ll cringe. You’ll hear about tennis camp cornfield sprints. You’ll hear how her own mother printed out the question list from Risa’s website and brought it to the doctor. You’ll hear the difference between marketing Doritos to teenagers and helping a Stage 2 patient ask the right question that could save their life.
This one’s for anyone who’s ever been thrown into the cancer maze and handed a brochure like that’s supposed to help.
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 EP406: Pediatric Engineering for the Rest of Us: Dr. Jamie Wells
