Hi! I’m Pilar Gerasimo, award-winning health journalist, speaker, and author of The Healthy Deviant: A Rule Breaker’s Guide to Being Healthy in an Unhealthy World. Here you’ll find a collection of my work — and some fun ways you can work with me, if you like!
Welcome to a Decidedly Different Way of Living …
Healthy Deviant: n. One who willingly defies unhealthy norms and conventions in order to achieve a high level of vitality, resilience, and autonomy.
Join Me for Healthy Deviant Day Camp — Saturday, Aug. 9, 2025!
Like summer camp — but all wrapped up into one unforgettable day and evening.
This delightful in-person event will take place at my family’s lush, regenerative farm in Western Wisconsin from 9AM to 8PM Central — with lots of chill time, breaks, and scrumptious food in between active discovery and experiential sessions.
And we’ll be enjoying a very special conversation and dinner with Beard-Award winning Forager Chef Alan Bergo. Group size is limited to 20. Learn more and apply here.
Take the Quiz: Are You a Healthy Deviant?
Find out where you fall on the Healthy Deviant spectrum now — and learn more about where you might be headed next.
My Book: Part Manifesto, Part Whispered Wake-Up Call …
The Healthy Deviant is a modern-day survival guide for being healthy in an unhealthy world.
Combining well-researched insights from evolutionary biology, positive psychology, and the school of hard knocks, The Healthy Deviant helps you …
Reframe your health challenges in an empowering, exhilarating new way
Radically upgrade your energy, focus, resilience, and self-regard
Escape the downward cycle of repeated, demoralizing “diet and exercise” attempts
Overcome stubborn obstacles, including chronic depletion, anxiety, and distraction
Address the root causes of unhealthy cravings and unwanted weight gain
Create a healthier, happier, more gratifying life that reflects who you really are — NOT what others expect you to be.
This category-defying book also invites you to embark on your own 14-Day Healthy Deviant Adventure, so you can experience for yourself — through experiments, reflective exercises, worksheets, progress trackers, and more — just how rewarding Healthy Deviance can be.
The Healthy Deviant:
A Rule Breaker’s Guide to Being Healthy in an Unhealthy World
Available now — in print, audio, and kindle formats
Don’t Settle for Normal.
Here are some easy ways to begin deviating in healthier, happier directions …
Get a free subscription to my weekly newsletter — or upgrade to a paid subscription for lots of extras!
Hire me for an in-person talk or video presentation — and get a free digital goodie bag for all your attendees.
So Glad to Meet You …
Pilar Gerasimo, author of The Healthy Deviant.
Hi, I’m Pilar, your intrepid Healthy Deviant guide. I’m an award-winning health journalist, founding editor of Experience Life magazine, and former co-host of the top-rated The Living Experiment podcast.
My passion is helping people master the art of being healthy in an unhealthy world.
I’ve served as senior vice president of Healthy Living for Life Time Fitness, as lead health editor at the The Huffington Post, and as chief creative officer for the Institute for Integrative Nutrition.
These days, I mostly speak, teach, and consult with organizations striving to create healthy culture change.
I have a Substack titled Healthy Deviant Digest that reaches about 7,000 subscribers weekly.
My work has earned attention from the New York Times, Psychology Today, Mindful, Blue Zones, Thrive Global, and many other leading media outlets.
I’ve presented for the World Economic Forum, International Monetary Fund, Institute for Functional Medicine, the Institute for Integrative Nutrition, and a variety of healthcare organizations.
What matters most to me, though, is the direct impact my work has in regular people’s lives. Day in, day out, all around the globe.
