Louise Hay (1926-2017) was a pioneering self-help author and founder of Hay House publishing. Her ground-breaking 1984 book "You Can Heal Your Life" sold over 50 million copies worldwide and has been translated into more than 25 languages. As one of the founders of the self-help movement, Hay was dubbed "the closest thing to a living saint" by Australian media for her work connecting the mind and body.

Overcoming a troubled childhood marked by poverty and abuse, Hay discovered the transformative power of positive thinking through her studies of Religious Science in the 1970s. She began counselling clients and teaching workshops on self-healing, compiling her philosophies into her first book "Heal Your Body" in 1976.

Hay put her own teachings to the test when diagnosed with cancer in the late 1970s. Through affirmations, visualization, and nutritional changes, she claimed to have healed herself within six months. This experience formed the basis of "You Can Heal Your Life."

In 1985, at the height of the AIDS crisis, Hay began leading support groups for people with HIV/AIDS, which grew into gatherings of 800 people. She established the Hay Foundation as a non-profit to support diverse charitable causes.

Louise Hay lived in San Diego, California until her passing in 2017 at age 90. Her legacy as an influential teacher of self-love and healing continues through her books and Hay House publishing.