Is Stephanie Weaver, MPH really Fun To Be Around?

Yes. Here's why.

Welcome! I’m Stephanie Weaver, MPH a writer and speaking coach living in Oceanside, CA. My pronouns are she/her, I’m a blue voter, and an ally of LGBTQIA+ and BIPOC folks. A few highlights…

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MPH doesn’t stand for miles per hour, it’s the Master of Public Health degree I got when I thought I was going to be a nutrition educator.

I went through certification to become a health and wellness coach just before my book The Migraine Relief Plan came out.

In 2020 I realized my food restriction was disordered, and had been for FORTY YEARS. Since then, I have been working with a coach to unlearn all the diet culture bullshit I absorbed, and some that I’ve inadvertently passed on to others.

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You can’t meet me without my constant companions:

• Fibromyalgia: Which prevents working out but does allow daily walks.

• Acid reflux: My friend Tums and I have to stop eating at 7 pm—which may or may not be a good thing—see my eating disorder, above.

• Migraine disease: Attacks anywhere from 2-8 days a month, mostly due to weather.

• Chronic lymphocytic leukemia: Showed up to the party in 2022. I’m currently in the watch-and-wait category, which doesn’t require treatment. CLL makes it harder for me to fight infections so I’m still masking indoors in public.

• Thyroid disease: The World’s Smallest Thyroid Cancer along with half my thyroid left me in 2021. I take meds to keep my TSH levels in check.

• Depression and anxiety: Childhood trauma, meet Wellbutrin.

My writing doesn’t focus exclusively on disability because I’m so much more than what my body is doing on any given day.

Every week I find a topic or idea that intrigues me, bugs me, or is taking up space in my brain and write a VERY short piece about it. Examples include excessive consumerism, the first out LGBTQIA+ winner of The Voice, and how I failed someone during an emergency. You’ll also get notes on what I’ve been watching, reading, and eating.

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I’ve published four how-to/self-help books since 1997, most recently The Migraine Relief Plan Cookbook (Surrey Books, 2022). I have a memoir about family estrangement & forgiveness that will be published in 2026. I may write about healing from 40 years of food restriction once I get farther along.

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I have a Senior Lady Dog named Daisy May. My husband and I recently moved into a 55+ community. It’s not the same as a senior living community but definitely is… weird. I’ll probably write about that too.

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You can expect pieces on:

• forgiveness

• healing from trauma

• the impacts of trauma on people and communities

• art and creativity

• working through depression

• living with chronic illness and in an aging body

• being a decent person

• delicious things I’m eating that you might also want to make

What you won’t find:

• politics

• hot takes

• advice on what you “should” eat

• advice in general

Fun To Be Around is free. I post for the delight of writing and connecting. No paywalls, ever. If you enjoy my writing and find yourself looking forward to the next issue, support my work with a $5 monthly subscription. Feel free to try a paid subscription for a month or two, and no worries if you decide to cancel. Come back soon. I love seeing you here.