PROFESSIONAL & AUTHOR BIO
The former Health and Fitness Editor for the Los Angeles Times syndicate, Marilyn Murray Willison is an eight-time author and a respected international journalist who has contributed to over 25 publications in both the UK and the US. Her byline has appeared in The Sunday Times of London, The Daily Mail, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, Chicago Tribune, and many other publications. Marilyn’s column, POSITIVE AGING, was internationally syndicated. Her expertise ranges from book reviews, fashion trends, health, lifestyle, and travel articles to high-profile celebrity interviews.
In 1984, Marilyn was diagnosed with MS. One of every 350 Americans has this illness, so that is an all-too-common diagnosis. In Marilyn’s case, from the very beginning, she elected to forego traditional MS medication. Instead, five years ago, Marilyn chose an unconventional alternative — Bee Venom Therapy (BVT).
For the past five years, Marilyn has received 50(!) bee stings every Thursday afternoon. BVT is not for everyone*
WHAT THE HONEYBEES TAUGHT ME: How 10,000 Stings Improved Both My MS and My Life, Marilyn’s health memoir and her most recent book, shares how Marilyn structured a meaningful and productive life with — rather than dominated by — multiple sclerosis, and the important lessons she learned from the remarkable honeybees.
Today, Marilyn lectures, writes non-fiction books, promotes her work, and edits manuscripts. She is known locally as “The Book Doctor.” With the help of others, Marilyn also runs three beehives and harvests honey in the backyard of her home in West Palm Beach, Florida.
Marilyn’s other books include Be Bold: Cultivating Health and Happiness for Older Adults; One Woman, Four Decades, Eight Wishes: A Journalist’s Memoir of Challenge, Change & Growth; The Self-Empowered Woman: 17 Characteristics of High Achievers; When Your Life Includes a Wheelchair; The Self-Confidence Trick; Time Enough for Love; and Diary of a Divorced Mother.
Specialties: Inspirational speaker, editorial assistance, book editor, dubbed “the rock start of women’s issues” by FPL’s Women in Energy, The Self-Empowered Woman Blog
*WARNING: It’s important to remember that approximately 5% of the American population is extremely allergic to bee venom, and can experience serious anaphylactic shock if stung, so obviously, BVT is not for everyone.
PERSONAL BIO
Marilyn Murray Willison began her journalism career in the sixth grade when she wrote and mimeographed her summer school newsletter. By the time she was in high school, she was a page editor of her weekly school publication. At UCLA, she contributed book reviews to the university’s daily newspaper.
In the late 1980’s, Willison and her two sons (B.G. and Geoffrey) moved to London where her Fleet St. responsibilities included covering Sarah Ferguson and Prince Andrew’s royal wedding. Willison’s newspaper and magazine interviews and profiles of celebrities have included: Jackie and Joan Collins, Placido Domingo, Kirk Douglas, Audrey Hepburn, Heather Locklear, Paul McCartney, and Jane Seymour. Her articles have appeared in a variety of British magazines and newspapers, including: Marie Claire, Women’s Journal, The Daily Mail, The Express, The London Sunday Times, and The Sunday Mirror Magazine.
Since returning to the United States, Willison has continued to contribute to American magazines and newspapers. Her byline appears regularly in the Florida Home and Accent sections of the Palm Beach Post. In her spare time, she helps aspiring authors organize and polish their manuscripts.
