Denis Waitley

Last updated
Denis E. Waitley
Born1933 (age 9091)
NationalityAmerican
Occupation(s)Motivational speaker
Consultant
Author
Known forAuthor of The Psychology of Winning

Denis E. Waitley (born 1933), is an American motivational speaker, writer and consultant. [1] He has been recognized as the best-selling author of the audio series, The Psychology of Winning and books such as Seeds of Greatness and The Winner's Edge. [2] Waitley has been inducted into the International Speakers' Hall of Fame. [3]

Contents

Early life and education

Waitley was born in San Diego, California. His mother was a factory worker and his father worked in a warehouse, after serving during World War II. Waitley's parents divorced when he was ten and he had little contact with his father thereafter. He attended the United States Naval Academy at Annapolis and became a naval aviator after graduation. Waitley received a Bachelor of Science from the Naval Academy.[ citation needed ]

Career

After leaving the navy, Waitley became a financial public relations representative for an electronics company. Later, he was offered a job by Jonas Salk to be a fundraiser at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies. [4] In 1976, Waitley recorded some of the audiotape that would become The Psychology of Winning at a local church. He released the audio program in 1978, which has sold more than 2 million copies and generated $100 million in sales. [5]

During the 1980s through the 2000s, Waitley released more than 15 books such as Seeds of Greatness, The Winner's Edge and Empires of the Mind. In 2007, Waitley announced his retirement from the board of directors of Usana after Usana found that contrary to his claims, Waitley did not hold a graduate degree from the US Navy, and that Waitley's Ph.D. credentials were similarly unverifiable. [6] [7] [8]

Waitley was also a founding member of the National Council for Self-Esteem and a former chairman of psychology for the U.S. Olympic Committee's Sports Medicine Council. [9]

Selected bibliography

Waitley has authored 16 books and has released more than 10 best-selling audio programs.[ citation needed ]

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References

  1. Polk, Laffoon (September 11, 1988). "Self-esteem Sells Well in Pop-psych marketing". The Miami Herald. p. 2G.
  2. "Denis Waitley". Success. 3 September 2008. Retrieved 16 December 2015.
  3. Sonja Ams; Alisa Cooper (30 October 2014). Transformation in Action: Breaking Through Limiting Beliefs to Live the Life of Your Dreams. Balboa Press.
  4. Reagan, Karyn (5 December 2012). "Legends: Denis Waitley is Planting Seeds of Greatness". Success. Retrieved 16 December 2015.
  5. Philippe Matthews (December 2011). "The Psychology of a Winner – An Exclusive Interview with Dr. Denis Waitley". The Philippe Matthews Show. Retrieved 16 December 2015.
  6. "Usana Director and Official Spokesman Has a "Secret"". Fraud Files Blog. 2007-03-28. Retrieved 2024-02-14.
  7. Winstein, Keith J. (March 31, 2007). "Credentials Flap Sends Usana Shares Down 7%". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved August 15, 2011.
  8. Evelyn M. Rusli (August 8, 2007). "Hard To Swallow". Forbes. Retrieved June 24, 2016.
  9. Waitley, Denis (1995). Empires of the Mind. HarperCollins. p. 82. ISBN   0-688-14763-1.