Pam Stephens Lehenbauer, Ph.D., MBA, and PMHNP-BC, is an author, epidemiologist, clinician, and university adjunct professor who investigates wonder, joy, and well-being in individuals and communities. Her debut book and companion journal discuss why so many people feel chronically stressed, fatigued, and disconnected, why the traditional wellness model is no longer serving us, and what we should be doing instead.
What and Why:
As a clinician and researcher, I became increasingly frustrated with the wellness model. In the early 1980s the model became the accepted standard for patient care when it was expected to herald a golden age for decreasing chronic diseases like heart disease, hypertension, and depression. But, 45 years later, hypertension, heart disease and depression are still with us, in addition to anxiety, suicide, substance abuse, and domestic and gun violence. Humanity has always faced stressful times. So why hasn’t the current wellness model – with all its hope and hype – better supported our individual and collective health now? I wanted to know what we were missing. To find out, I conducted an international study to find the answers and then wrote a book.
Wonder and Joy for the Wired and Tired takes a hard look at the wellness empire; an industry that initially helped millions of people achieve better health by promoting healthy lifestyles and better work-life balance, but later morphed into a multi-trillion-dollar corporate colossus that now promises to improve or eliminate virtually any ailment or imperfection one can imagine. The book also examines the impact technology has on our health, how chasing happiness is creating a culture of toxic positivity, why humans have an innate need to interact closely with nature, the worsening “nature-nurture deficit”, and how the emotions of wonder and joy are powerful supports for our physical and emotional well-being.
The book is not a conventional self-help manual. Instead, it is part science-backed reflection, part celebration of the world’s awe-inspiring wonders, and blends commentary with bite-sized facts and trivia that encourages readers to pause, reflect, and reconnect – with nature, with curiosity, and with what truly matters. I wrote it as a gentle and joyful invitation to look up, look around, and rediscover the extraordinary in the ordinary.
How:
If someone told me a year and a half ago, I would be a published author, I would have laughed out loud. Writing a book was simply not on my radar. I was happy teaching, seeing patients, doing research, and writing for my blog, Mother Nature’s Apprentice. But the blog on FB unexpectedly developed a considerable number of followers around the same time a book editor approached me about my study. Deciding that fate was sending a clear message, I sat down at the computer a few days later and started the first draft of the now published book.
Being a scientist, educator, and clinician and not a member of the writing/publishing community, I was quite naïve about the nuances of book publishing. Therefore, my learning curve was very steep. Thankfully, I had – and continue to have – incredibly talented and patient people guiding me along the way. As for my writing process, I try to write 4-5 days a week – sometimes more, sometimes less – depending on my lecture and speaking schedule and the level of creative energy I have that day. Currently, I’m writing posts for my blog and preparing for an author event at Barnes and Noble next week. But I’m most excited to share that yesterday, I finished the outline for my second book. Once you catch the writing bug, it never leaves you.
Bio:
Dr. Pam Stephens Lehenbauer is an epidemiologist, researcher, nurse practitioner, adjunct professor, and popular guest speaker. She is also a Master Gardener, Certified Home Horticulturalist, and conservationist who has won awards for gardening, landscaping, and creating sustainable wildlife habitats. In addition, she is the voice behind the popular blog, Mother Nature’s Apprentice where she writes about topics related to gardening, health, nature and the environment, quirky science, and life. Pam is married to Marty, a family doctor, who is kind, funny, infinitely patient, and a fellow nature lover. They are the natural and adopted parents of several human and non-human children who walk, fly, flutter, swim, crawl, and burrow. They live and garden on a small acreage in beautiful northern Kentucky.
Thank you for visiting! Author Linda K. Sienkiewicz is a wrangler of words and big messy feelings in fiction and poetry. Her second novel, Love and Other Incurable Ailments, is coming October 27, 2026, from Regal House Publishing: When love letters from a despondent stranger land in her lap, an anxious overthinker becomes convinced she’s the cure, and sets off to save him, and herself, blissfully armed with nothing but magical thinking. Connect with Linda on social media via LinkTree. Check out Linda’s Books. Sign up for her newsletter and never miss an event, announcement or giveaway.
For the camera and beyond:
When I was a girl, my father would often encourage me to clown around for the camera. We enjoyed being silly together, but I soon learned to enjoy acting out.
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