Episodes

Feb. 11, 2021

Biomarkers: Where Are All the Patents At?

On the show today, Bio Entrepreneur Marty Keiser, Founder of IV BioHoldings, LiquidLung, HepGene, and Mammogen. What is a biomarker? Hint - it's not inside a box of Crayola. Biomarkers are aspects of our genes that do so much more than determine our height, eye color, and predisposition to cancer. …
Feb. 9, 2021

The Alliance for Health Policy: Don't Mess With Us

On the show today: President and CEO of the Alliance for Health Policy, Sarah Dash. AHP —or “The Alliance” — is a nonpartisan nonprofit dedicated to informing policymakers on critical health policy issues. I know it sounds wonky but it’s actually awesome because they are the good kind of “how the s…
Feb. 4, 2021

CDC I Told You So: Debunking Stuff with Dr. Lisa Richardson

HUGE show today with Dr. Lisa Richardson, Division Director, Cancer Prevention and Control at the CDC. As the first guest I've ever had on the show with a BS in Zoology, Lisa is the real deal. She's down to earth, speaks "person" and "science" simultaneously, and has been a 25+-year first-hand witn…
Feb. 2, 2021

The Cancer Support Community: A 101 with Linda Bohannon

Today on the show, I welcome Linda Bohannon, President of The Cancer Support Community, the largest nonprofit provider of social and emotional support for anyone touched by cancer. An oncology nurse by trade, Linda and I go back to a time long before Stupid Cancer. In the mid-2000s, she was running…
Jan. 28, 2021

In Memoriam: Remembering Annie Goodman

I've got a treat for you today because my buddy Steve Goodman here with live in-studio. He is sitting about nine feet away, chomping at the bit to chat about all the shared things we find aggrieved, inane, downright agitating, and yet possibly hopeful. The man's a mensch, first and foremost. He's a…
Jan. 26, 2021

A Brief History of Young Adult Cancer Psychotherapy

On the show today, the legendary Julie Larson, speaker, educator, psychotherapist, and luminary, legacy young adult cancer advocate. As one of the few people who have been consistently working in the same career profession they went to school for, Julie may consider herself a midwestern gal transpl…
Jan. 21, 2021

Stupid Endometriosis With Melissa Boudreau, Host of "the Cycle"

Across the years running Stupid Cancer, I can’t tell you how many times I was approached by other young adult chronic disease patients and communities asking if we’d ever think of franchising the brand. You know – Stupid Lupis. Stupid Fibro. Stupid MS. Stupid Type 1. You get the point. We all need …
Jan. 19, 2021

We're Not Worthy: The One and Only Dr. Julia Rowland

Just when I thought I was the only 20-something with cancer adrift in the 1990s with nary a support group or a cancer buddy, along came an intro to my friend and mentor, Dr. Julia Rowland. Widely recognized as an international scholar and foremost leader in the psychosocial aspects of cancer care b…
Jan. 14, 2021

Healthcare Optimism and the Marvelous Mrs. Halle Tecco

On the show today, another epic DeLorean throwback to the past episode with Halle Tecco, an origin story convened during the heyday of LIVESTRONG and born of a shared desire to make cancer suck less. Aside from being one of the most ambitious, talented, relentless, and startup junkie-ist(?) actual …
Jan. 12, 2021

Stupid Brain Cancer With Cancer Nerd and Google Scholar Liz Salmi

I’ve never said the words “Cancer Nerd and Google Scholar” in succession before, but that only partially describes the epicness of my guest today, one Liz Salmi — self-proclaimed “Citizen Scientist” and “Professional Medical Nerd.” — and I attest that both of these are appropriate, accurate and des…
Jan. 7, 2021

Cycle of Lives: Grief, Loss, Redemption, Opportunity, and Advocacy

“What do you do with the mad that you feel?” — One of the more definitive quotes from the definitive Mr. Rogers. For my guest today, David Richman, the choice he made after losing his sister to cancer was to turn pain into passion, lace-up, and in true Forrest Gump fashion, JUST START RUNNING. 85 m…
Jan. 5, 2021

"The System" – What Is It Good for? Absolutely Something, Maybe?

On the show today, Alan Balch, CEO at the Patient Advocate Foundation and the National Patient Advocate Foundation. After we reconcile that Alan is one of the few people actually doing what they studied in college, and without triggering his inner political economist, we talk about the fundamental …
Dec. 29, 2020

The One With Advocate Luminary Gwen Darien

On the show today, a luminary in the annals of cancer advocacy, the one, and only Gwen Darien. While she may be the EVP for Patient Advocacy at the National Patient Advocate Foundation and the Patient Advocate Foundation, her story runs so much deeper; 30 years into the past actually where a young,…
Dec. 22, 2020

A "So-Called" Normal Life: Erin Zammett Ruddy's Little Book of Life Skills

On the show today, I welcome one of my advocate heroes, Erin Zammett-Ruddy, a young adult cancer survivor I met during the LIVESTRONG days in the early 2000s. She may have barely crossed the 5-year survivor finish line (that’s what we called it back then), but she was — and still is — a force to be…
Dec. 17, 2020

FemTech, Dad Bods, and the Mental Health of Aging Well

On the show today, I welcome two very inspirational guests. Fard Johnmar is a digital health innovator I met in 2005 before “The Internet” was a thing. He was ahead of his time then, and he’s ahead of his time 15 years later. And Denise Pines is truly a force to be reckoned with. Here come lots of …
Dec. 15, 2020

Financial Psychology and the Mental Health of Money During a Pandemic

Today’s show is a little different. My guest, Michelle Begina, is a financial advisor, speaker, author, and — at least in my own opinion — is a money therapist. Certainly, one of the more hybrid experts I’ve had the privilege of speaking with. With a great deal of intentional vulnerability and disc…
Dec. 10, 2020

What the Hell Is a Research Evangelist?

On the show today, Dave Bjork, self-proclaimed Research Evangelist, young adult lung cancer survivor, and champion of the cause of “direct-to-research” philanthropy. What does that mean Well, here’s what I think it means. It’s almost too easy to donate and support cancer research, but it’s often a …
Dec. 8, 2020

Cancer Guidelines: Excuse Me While I Whip This Out

Throughout the history of cancer advocacy, there the advocates who made us and the organizations who made us. And one such organization is the National Comprehensive Cancer Network, which is — for all intents and purposes — the “Good Housekeeping meets Consumer Reports” of all cancer standards of c…
Dec. 3, 2020

Mental Health, Relationship Alchemy and All the Things

Today’s a different kind of show. Not quite the “softer side of Sears,” but perhaps a more introspective look beneath the veil of mental health and all the things that piss us off, like cat posters. Seriously? Have we not yet gotten over cat posters? Today I welcome Marie-Elizabeth Mali, self-procl…
Dec. 1, 2020

Michele Rhee: Thyroid Cancer, a Benign Heart Tumor, and Traversing All Seven Continents

On the show today, I welcome Michelle Rhee, young adult cancer survivor of Thyroid Cancer (you know, “the good one” I’M KIDDING) whose ordeal left her having over a dozen major surgeries, including open heart surgery for a related underlying rare disease. Back in the heyday when the young adult can…
Nov. 30, 2020

[BONUS] "Jen Horonjeff is Noncompliant" COVID-19 Vaccine Edition

Today's episode of "Jen Horonjeff is Noncompliant" riffs off the news of Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine safety and efficacy data. Jen has a convo with Matthew Zachary that starts off about vaccines and quickly dives off the deep end into a sea of public perception, personal preferences, and medical ethi…
Nov. 24, 2020

Is Our Healthcare System Working Exactly as Planned?

Today’s show takes us in a different but related direction into the dumpster fire of health insurance pertaining to employer-based care. Joining me is David Contorno, Founder of E Powered Benefits, which itself sounds jargony. Still, I assure you, he’s one of the more controversial and outspoken wh…
Nov. 19, 2020

3-2-1 Contact: The Medidata Show with Glen de Vries

On the show today, I welcome Glen DeVries, Co-CEO at Medidata, the most used platform for clinical trials worldwide. Not too shabby, I say. Among many other things, we dig into his new book, "The Patient Equation: The Precision Medicine Revolution in the Age of COVID-19". Glen is unique in the anna…
Nov. 18, 2020

[BONUS] "Jen Horonjeff is Noncompliant" with Gabe Howard

On today's episode of "Jen Horonjeff is Noncompliant," Jen talks with Gabe Howard, patient advocate, author of "Mental Illness is an Asshole," and host of the PsychCentral podcast. As a "mental health advocate," Gabe first unpacks how ridiculous it is that all mental health gets lumped together. An…