Talks

“So much suffering all around, and still, I keep thinking, All is Well. This is not a cheesy plug for my book. It’s how I really think. Somehow, we’ll get through this time of deep hardship and stunning sadness and our planet, our world, will be better off for it.”

I am for hire. I speak, I do workshops, I present lively and engaging programs to help people pursue their path to personal well-being. Everyone’s got a path. You just have to find it. I love a diverse crowd, which is why I’ve spoken at conventions and libraries, sports clubs and beach bars, book stores and churches, movie theaters and co-work spaces. Here are some more groups I’ve talked to. And listened to.

Some groups I’ve worked with

International Women’s Forum
American Heart Association
Social Venture Network
Sears
St. Lukes Hospital
McDonald’s
Transitions Books
The Chicago Network

Below are some sample topics and themes. The best one is the program we come up with together, based on your group, your concerns.

The Lessons of COVID-19… Are you feeling cursed or blessed, exhausted or exhilirated? The global pandemic has turned our world upside down. Personal well-being has taken a big hit but it’s also surfaced as more vital than ever. As stress gives way to strategy, what’s your plan for riding the wave of chaos and grief and coming out the other side, feeling strong, compassionate, energized, grateful?

“All is Well”—a deep dive into Marilynn’s newest book All is Well: The Art {and Science} of Personal Well-Being. Marilynn will zone in on a chapter of particular interest to your group, your company. Link Mind and Body. Live Long, Die Happy. Outsmart Your Smart Phone. Her mission is to help you lead your best life, whatever that means to you.

How to Become the Person You Wish You Were. It’s one thing to wish for a healthier happier lifestyle: more exercise, smarter eating, less stress, better balance. It’s another thing to make it happen. This talk explores—with humor, by example—the science (and art) of making positive, permanent, profound changes in your life.

40 Years on the Fitness Beat. . .and Still Eating Fries. Marilynn’s seen it all in her 40 years on the fitness beat, and now she tells it all in this talk featuring her five most shocking discoveries. Here’s a peek: It turns out, according to the latest research, making small inner movements in your own body is more important to your well being than playing sports. Really!

Coaching

“Marilynn has helped change my world. . .I am extraordinarily grateful for her intelligence, patience and passion.” Shelley R, Baltimore

Clients come to me for coaching because they want to make positive changes in their lives. And they don’t know how. Or they think they know how, but can’t make it happen.

Some want to lose weight. Or add sleep. Or better handle crippling stress. Others want to exercise more. They know they should. More than ever, men and women, young and old, want to experience a greater sense of well-being, however they define it.

One essential question that’s fascinated me for years is: how does behavior change actually happen?

Why are some people able to shed 50 pounds and live in a body they love, while others keep repeating the same dieting mistakes and suffer endlessly?

How do some people manage to experience more movement and greater joy in their lives, while others go around on remote control, with bad knees and an aching back, feeling miserable?

To help discover the answers, I decided to train and get certified as a professional Wellcoach. Check out Wellcoacheschool.com. They’ve been around since January, 2000, the nation’s first coaching school for health and wellness professionals, still one of the best, partnered with the American College of Sports Medicine and the American College of Lifestyle Medicine. Their track record is impressive too: 20 years. 12,000 coaches, 50 countries.

Full disclosure: not only did I train as a Wellcoach, I go out of my way to sell the concept of health coaches whenever I can. Why? Because doctors are for sick care. Coaches are for well care. Doctors don’t know how to help you change your behavior. Wellcoaches do. They also promote prevention, the key to success when it comes to fixing our horribly broken health care system, but I digress. Back to coaching.

I’m not always available but when I am, I work one-on-one with clients who are ready to be helped. Together, we turn your own personal wellness vision into reality.

No matter what, don’t give up on the idea of working with a wise and supportive coach to help you sleep more, stress less, breath better and feed your body real food. If it were up to me, free weekly coaching for lifestyle change would be built into our health care system. Isn’t that a beautiful dream?

Please contact me for more details.