My name is Mike O'Brien and I'm a journalist-turned-ghostwriter. I spend my days writing for an ad agency and then when I come home, I write some more. I'm from New York, where I grew up with abnormally large adenoids and a wicked case of sleep apnea, and quite a few extra pounds as a result. I lost a bunch of weight about in my 20s but I've found some of it as I got older. I became less vigilant about what I ate and what I didn't eat and what I shouldn't have eaten, and trying to re-lose that weight in a healthy way is my biggest challenge.

For me, my health is managing to not obsess about my weight 25/8, an experience I'll be writing about in the "Health Perspectives" collection, along with all sorts of other topics because I do a lot of different things. I enjoy the beach, biking, being outside in general, kickboxing, comedy shows, a good book, a good Spotify playlist, and a good road trip. Traveling and exploring new places is my favorite and I like to have a trip in the works at all times. Up next is Hawaii, which will complete my lifelong goal of visiting all 50 states.