Debra Baumgarten

Debbie Baumgarten is an author, health educator, and advocate for simpler, healthier living.Her work is shaped by a deeply personal journey from chronic illness to renewed health, and by a passion for making reliable health information easier for everyday people to understand and use.

Diagnosed with fibromyalgia at the Mayo Clinic in 2000, after years of high stress, poor and erratic sleep, excessive caffeine, smoking, and other unhealthy habits, Debbie began an extensive journey of research, education, and exploration. She studied health and wellness, visited clinics, investigated different approaches to treatment, and gradually developed a deeper understanding of the many factors that can influence health and wellbeing. After years of trial and error, she found her own path toward recovery and a healthier way of living.

The experience changed the direction of her life. Having experienced firsthand how confusing it can be to navigate chronic illness and conflicting health information, Debbie became determined to make the information she had worked so hard to uncover more accessible to others.

She founded "Fibromyalgia Recovery", a resource dedicated to helping people understand fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue, and chronic illness. Her book, "Fibromyalgia, Chronic Fatigue and Chronic Illness: Navigating Through the Confusion and Lies and Uncovering the Real Solutions to Recover Your Health", brings together the knowledge and practical insights she gathered through years of research and personal experience.

Debbie later founded "HealthKick", with the goal of simplifying healthy living and making better choices feel achievable rather than overwhelming.

After moving to New Zealand with her Kiwi husband of several decades, Debbie developed an even deeper appreciation for the country's extraordinary natural environment, strong sense of community, and growing awareness of health and sustainability. Living in New Zealand also prompted her to look more closely at the everyday chemical exposures that can enter our homes through food, water, personal care products, cleaning products, furnishings, and other household items.

This became the inspiration for "Clean Kiwi", a practical approach to reducing unnecessary chemical exposure without fear, overwhelm, or expensive lifestyle changes.

Debbie's latest book, "Clean Kiwi: A Practical Guide to Non-Toxic Living", explores the often-overlooked cumulative impact of everyday environmental exposures and provides simple, affordable alternatives for creating a healthier home and lifestyle. Rather than promoting perfection, the book focuses on practical changes that can gradually reduce unnecessary exposures and make healthier choices easier.

Her approach is grounded in research, personal experience, and a belief that knowledge gives people the power to make better-informed choices. Debbie believes that creating a healthier life does not have to mean changing everything at once. Small, practical changes, made consistently, can make a meaningful difference.

Today, Debbie continues to write, research, and share information designed to help people live healthier, more informed lives. Her goal is simple: to take complicated health and environmental information, make sense of it, and turn it into practical guidance that people can actually use.

As Debbie states, "Knowledge is power—and knowing what to change is the first step toward changing it."