Out of Patients EP411: The Cancer Fun House: Michele Andrews
Michelle Andrews has seen behind the curtain. She helped launch Rituxan in the 90s. She watched the very first pharma commercial hit TV. She’s built campaigns, wrangled strategy decks, and sat at the big-kid table in rooms where the patient was always missing. Then she got stage 4 breast cancer and became the customer of the industry she helped build.
You don’t walk away from that unchanged.
I wanted Michelle on Out of Patients because she speaks fluent Pharma and fluent Fucksometer. She’s not interested in soft landings or inspirational hashtags. She’s a semi-feral GenXer who survived the cancer fun house and came out swinging—calling out the absurdity of wheat-field brochures, purple pill sorters, and patient “journeys” that feel more like white-knuckled crash landings.
We talked about her early days at Genentech, being gaslit by marketing teams who never met a patient, and what it feels like to be handed a journal while circling the drain. She told me why she fires doctors who don't get her vision, and why patients need to walk out of bad waiting rooms without apologizing.
If you work in healthcare, you need to hear her. If you’ve survived it, you already know her. She’s not looking to inspire. She’s here to call bullshit—and build something better.
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 EP410: D.A.M.M. Good Trouble: Ann Marie Morse
