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Deb Weilnau is a Toledo-area author, speaker and educator whose work demonstrates how resilience can be transformed into meaningful action. Through memoir, children’s literature and community collaboration, Weilnau uses storytelling to foster empathy and to promote mental health awareness, creating healing opportunities for children and families. Rather than focusing on hardship, her work highlights what can be built after adversity—and how shared stories can help others feel less alone.
Creating connection
The COVID-19 pandemic marked a pivotal moment in Weilnau’s creative journey. During a time of widespread uncertainty and loss, a personal tragedy reshaped her understanding
of grief and responsibility, inspiring deeper reflection and purpose-driven writing. This experience informed her contribution to Scars to Stars — a series of online gatherings, live events and books where writers vulnerably share authentic stories of overcoming
adversity — where she explored the lasting impact of loss, the importance of kindness and the value of human connection during moments of crisis.
Weilnau’s voice is grounded in personal experience and growth, allowing her to speak with honesty and empathy.
Her SPEAK event presentation, “Self- Centered to Survive,” expands on this perspective, encouraging individuals to view self-care as a necessary foundation for resilience. Through her speaker platform, The Chain Reaction (the-chainreaction.me), Weilnau continues to engage audiences in conversations that lead to understanding, healing and action.
Weilnau is also deeply committed to children’s literature, writing books designed to nurture empathy, inclusivity and emotional awareness for children facing physical, emotional or situational challenges.
Community partnerships and charitable work
Weilnau actively collaborates with organizations that align with her mission of compassion and inclusion, including:
- Planned Pethood – Partnering on the upcoming launch of “Marnie’s Message”
- Helping Feline Friends – Hosting a special book reading at Adventures, Ink in Milan, MI, featuring cats and kittens with disabilities in need of loving, permanent homes
- Triangular Processing – Participating in the Festival of Trees in Wauseon
These collaborations reflect Weilnau’s belief that storytelling can extend beyond books and into realworld impact.
Connect, collaborate and learn more
Weilnau welcomes opportunities to collaborate with local groups and institutions with book readings, signings and educational events that are at the heart of her work. What sets her apart is her commitment to using her voice for the greater good. By focusing on what can be created after hardship, her work offers reassurance, understanding and hope, turning experience into impact—one story, one child and one conversation at a time.
To learn more, explore her books or book an event, visit www.debweilnau.com or www.thechainreaction.me. Her books are available at local booksellers, including Grounds for Thought – Bowling Green, Finch & Fern Bookstore – Sylvania and The Casual Pint – Toledo.
