Amazing to work with!
Marisa Zeppieri
TEDx Speaker/Author/Chronic Illness Warrior, Inspiring People to Transform Dark Seasons into Defining Moments
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Atlanta, GA
Marisa Zeppieri
Biography
Marisa Zeppieri knows what it means to lose everything and what it takes to rebuild with intention. After being run over as a pedestrian at 50 mph and soon after diagnosed with a life-threatening autoimmune disease (Systemic Lupus), she lost her mobility, her independence, her nursing career, and nearly her life. In a season marked by hospital rooms, uncertainty, and learning how to walk again, Marisa faced the kind of darkness that reshapes a person. What could have been the end of her story became the beginning of something far greater. She chose not just to survive — but to rebuild with purpose.
Today, she is a 3x author, TEDx speaker, and founder of LupusChick, one of the largest chronic illness nonprofits and digital platforms in the world, reaching more than five million people each month. She is the author of the award-winning hybrid memoir Chronically Fabulous and the forthcoming Side Effects May Include Everything — a sharp, humorous, no-filter exploration of how to thrive in career, relationships, and purpose despite the chaos of chronic, incurable illness. What began as one woman sharing her truth without a roadmap or funding has grown into one of the most recognized patient-led movements across the globe — proof that resilience, when paired with vision, can move millions. Her TEDx talk quickly reached nearly 650,000 views in just a few months, underscoring the universal hunger for conversations rooted in empathy, courage, and transformation.
With more than 20 years in national media as a journalist, including work with Gannett/USA Today Network, BBC, Al Jazeera, HuffPost, and Healthline, Marisa brings rare dual authority to the stage: investigative rigor and lived experience under extreme pressure. She understands both the data and the human cost behind it. She has advised corporations, pharmaceutical and biotech leaders, healthcare organizations, and advocacy groups on patient-centered innovation, communication strategy, and building trust in complex environments where credibility and compassion must coexist.
Her keynotes do more than inspire — they connect. Marisa speaks to the anatomy of comeback: how individuals and organizations navigate disruption, rebuild identity after loss, and transform seasons of setback into strategic advantage. She shares what it feels like to stand in uncertainty and what it takes to move forward anyway. Whether addressing corporate executives, healthcare innovators, or national conferences, she equips leaders to rise in moments that threaten to define them — and to turn their greatest challenges into legacy, influence, and renewed purpose.
Marisa lives in the mountains of the Carolinas with her husband and family; when she is not speaking or writing, you can often find her in her art studio, painting.
Marisa Zeppieri
Featured Video
Current: When Illness is Invisible, Let Curiosity Lead Marisa Zeppieri TEDxCharleston
Time 14:24
Marisa Zeppieri
Featured Keynote Programs
The Missing Voice in Healthcare Innovation
Behind every clinical trial, treatment, or campaign is a human story. Drawing from her own journey of surviving catastrophic injury, navigating life-threatening illness, and rebuilding her life from the ground up, Marisa reveals what happens when companies truly listen to the patients they aim to serve. She equips leaders with a blueprint for bringing patient insight inside the walls of their organization — not as a checkbox, but as a catalyst for trust, smarter innovation, and hope-driven impact.
The Anatomy of Comeback
Rebuilding After Collapse
Losing everything can either define you or refine you. Marisa reveals how resilience is built in the dark moments — and how people can convert crisis into clarity, long-term impact, and legacy. This keynote inspires audiences to see disruption not as defeat, but as a moment of reflection and redesign.
Storytelling as Strategy
What Story Is Your Company Telling?
Trust is the currency of modern leadership and every organization is telling a story, whether they realize it or not. Drawing from her background as an investigative journalist, bestselling author, and founder of a global nonprofit platform, Marisa challenges leaders to examine the narrative they are crafting inside and outside their walls. She reveals how honesty, vulnerability, and human-centered communication transform storytelling from marketing language into connection and long-term credibility.
Other Topics I Have Spoken On:
Other Topics I Have Spoken On:
Invisible Doesn’t Mean Inactive: Empathy, accommodation, and empowerment in the workplace
Patients Are Not Personas: Incorporating real voices into clinical and commercial strategy
Curiosity Over Judgment: Building empathetic workplace cultures that support employees facing invisible challenges
Patient-First Messaging: How language choice impacts engagement, trust, and outcomes
Marisa Zeppieri
Featured Books
Side Effects May Include Everything: A Guide to Living and Thriving with Chronic Illness
by Marisa Zeppieri
When life hands you a diagnosis that upends everything, there’s no pamphlet that tells you how to keep living—and laughing—through the chaos.
In Side Effects May Include Everything, award-winning journalist, TEDx speaker, and lupus warrior Marisa Zeppieri offers the brutally honest, laugh-out-loud, and deeply compassionate guide she wishes she’d had twenty years ago. Drawing from two decades of hard-earned experience navigating autoimmune disease, she tackles every corner of life chronic illness touches—love, work, sex, friendship, self-worth, and the constant battle to be believed.
With empathy and wit, Zeppieri replaces medical jargon with real talk: how to deal with dismissive doctors, set boundaries that protect your energy, and find joy in a body that’s still learning to cooperate. Whether you’re newly diagnosed, still searching for answers, or supporting someone who’s sick, this book is a lifeline—a reminder that even when it feels like your body is betraying you, laughter, love, and purpose are still possible.
Raw, funny, and fiercely hopeful, Side Effects May Include Everything is part survival guide, part sisterhood, and 100% proof that you can rebuild a beautiful life—no matter what your diagnosis says.
Chronically Fabulous: Finding Wholeness and Hope Living with Chronic Illness
by Marisa Zeppieri
Winner of the 2022 Goody Business Book Award for Health-Wellness.
When Marisa Zeppieri was 22-years-old she found herself face-to-face with a raven-haired elderly woman who had emerged from a crowd and gently taken her hands: "God will use these hands to change people's lives."
Years later Marisa's once-spirited demeanor was shrouded in anger and bitterness. Triggered first by a near-fatal car accident that sent her 100-lb body flying from a crosswalk and later by a painful Lupus diagnosis, she became stuck in a season of brokenness.
But in the seasons that followed, an insatiable emotional, spiritual, and physical hunger took over: She learned how to nourish her broken body with the help of food, herbs, and a gastronomically-gifted Italian grandmother, while also nourishing her broken heart and crushed spirit through a deeper relationship with God.
With Chronically Fabulous, Marisa fulfills the old woman's prophecy by offering pure nourishment to those of us living with chronic illness, helping us create wholeness and well-being through a love of food. Here, the founder of LupusChick, a nonprofit supporting those with autoimmune diseases, offers guiding principles, personal stories, and recipes that support whole-life thriving. With the depth, smarts, and spiritual advice beloved by her dedicated followers, Marisa shows us how faith, passion, and persistence can radically change our lives.
Marisa Zeppieri
Featured Reviews
Frequently Asked Questions
Quick answers to some of the most common questions about booking Marisa Zeppieri for your event.
How do I book Marisa Zeppieri for my event?
Booking Marisa Zeppieri with Premiere Speakers Bureau is a streamlined 4-step process:
- Availability Check: Contact us with your event date and budget to verify if your desired speaker is available.
- Hold Date: We place a temporary "hold" on the speaker's calendar while you finalize internal approval.
- Contracting: We issue a contract outlining the fee, cancellation policy, and event expectations.
- Logistics: Once signed, our event management team handles all travel booking, itinerary, and AV requirements.
Why should I partner with Premiere Speakers Bureau rather than contacting speakers directly?
Partnering with Premiere Speakers Bureau provides a comprehensive safety net for your event that direct booking cannot match. You get the same speaker for the same price, but with a dedicated team with over 30 years of event experience handling contracts, logistics, and are prepared for any emergency. We know what it takes to run an excellent event.
What makes Premiere Speakers Bureau unique compared to other agencies?
Premiere Speakers Bureau distinguishes itself by having over 30 years of experience while partnering with more than 35,000 events. PSB has also built a streamlined, fully online process that makes booking a speaker, handling travel and payments extremely easy for anyone looking to plan a speaker led event.
How does Premiere Speakers Bureau's 'Zero Cost Service' model work?
Premiere Speakers Bureau operates on a 'Zero Cost Service' model for event planners. Our services—including research, booking, and logistics—are always free to the client. The speaker covers our commission from their standard honorarium as payment for our role in marketing and managing their engagements.
How are speaker fees structured, and what is typically included?
A speaker's fee typically covers the keynote presentation, a pre-event planning call, and standard customization. Travel expenses are usually billed separately.
What are the standard policies for speaker travel and expenses?
Travel expenses are negotiated during contracting. We generally recommend a flat travel fee for simplicity, though we also offer line-by-line invoicing when preferred. PSB ensures these expenses adhere to professional standards, and our Event Portal allows for easy tracking and invoicing.
