Wayne Walter Dyer was an American philosopher, self-help author and lecturer, and motivational speaker. He was born in Detroit, Michigan, to Melvin Lyle Dyer and Hazel Irene Vollic. Dyer spent much of his first 10 years of life was spent in a orphanage on the east side of Detroit after his father had left the family, leaving his mother to raise Wayne and his two siblings. Wayne Dyer graduated from Denvy High School and also served in the United States Navy from 1958 to 1962. He received his Ed.D degree in counseling from Wayne State University

Wayne worked as a high school guidance counselor in Detroit, and later as a professor of counseling psychology at St. John's University in New York City. He further pursued his academic career and was published in several journals. Wayne would eventually establish his own private therapy practice. The lectures he gave at St. John's University attracted many students, and were primarily focused on positive thinking and motivational speaking techniques. Around this time, a literary agent persuaded Dyer to document and develop his theories into a book. Wayne Dyer wrote his first book titled "Your Erroneous Zones", in 1976. It became one of the best selling books of all times, with an esitmated 35 million copies sold to date.

After quitting his teaching job, Wayne began touring throughout the United States to promote his book. Dyer would go on to write many more best-selling books. The success of his books eventually led to national television talk show appearances including The Merv Griffin Show, The Tonight Show, and The Phil Donahue Show.

Dyer proceeded to build on his success with lecture tours, a series of audiotapes, PBS programs, and regular publication of new books. Dyer's message resonated with many in the New Thought Movement and beyond. He often recounted anecdotes from his family life and repeatedly used his own life experience as an example. His self-made man success story was a part of his appeal. Dyer told readers to pursue self actualization, calling reliance on the self a guide to "religious" experience, and suggested that readers emulate Jesus Christ, whom he termed both an example of a self-actualized person and a "preacher of self-reliance".

Dyer was married three times. With his first wife, Judy, he had a daughter. With his second wife, Susan Casselman, he had no children. With his third wife, Marcelene, he had five children, and two stepchildren from Marcelene's prior marriage. Wayne and Marcelene legally separated in 2001, after 20 years of marriage. Dyer died from a heart attack in Maui, Hawaii, on August 29, 2015, at age 75. He had been diagnosed with leukemia back in 2009.

[New Thought Authors]