“I grew up in an era of pretty severe poverty. My parents weathered the Great Depression, and money was always a very big concern. I was weaned on a shortage mentality and placed in foster homes largely because there simply wasn't enough money to take care of the most basic of needs.”

American self-help author and motivational speaker

Wayne Dyer was an American self-help author and motivational speaker. He earned advanced degrees in psychology and counseling, and taught counselor education at St. John’s University before his ideas were turned into books. His first book, Your Erroneous Zones, appeared in 1976 and helped make him a widely known public speaker and writer. Dyer went on to publish 20 more best-selling books and produced several popular PBS specials. His early work focused on motivation, self-actualization, and assertiveness, while his later writing shifted toward spirituality. He drew on figures such as Abraham Maslow, Albert Ellis, Swami Muktananda, and New Thought, promoted the idea of the power of intention, and often appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show.