Career Stories: These are stories I post monthly as blogs on my website. These stories are of individuals who have overcome significant personal obstacles to create a successful life and career. Below is career story #2.
Louise Hay
Louise Hay was born on October 26, 1926 in Los Angeles. She was born with the name of Helen Vera Lunney. Helen’s parents divorced when she was 18 months. Her mother started working as a live in domestic and boarded Helen out. She shares in her book, You Can Heal Your Life that she was told she cried nonstop for three weeks. Hay’s mother was poor and remarried a man who became Helen’s violent and abusive stepfather. When Vera was five, a neighbor raped her. When her father moved from physically to sexually abusing her, Vera left home, dropped out of high school, and had a child, who she gave up for adoption at the age of sixteen. “I grew up in a family where you were taught, you were no good, you were worthless, nobody loved you, and nobody would love you.”
Helen moved to Chicago and worked in low paying jobs. In 1950 Helen, changed her name to Louise, moved to New York City, worked as a fashion model, and became successful in this work. In 1954 she married the English businessman, Andrew Hay. After 14 years of marriage, Louise was devastated when he left her for another woman. “I did not believe in myself; thought I was worthless. I had a lot of resentment, not thinking about what I was doing or how it was affecting my life.”
Dealing with low self-esteem, Louise was drawn to the First Church of Religious Science in Manhattan (also known as the Science of Mind church), whose message about the power of thought to improve one’s circumstances resonated with her. “I heard somebody say there, ‘If you’re willing to change your thinking, you can change your life,’” she told the Times Magazine. “My jaw dropped. I said, ‘Really?’”
There Louise became a teacher and eventually a licensed practitioner and counselor. Not long after she was diagnosed with cervical cancer. She collaborated with her teacher at the Science of Mind Church and used affirmations, holistic and spiritual methods to recover. She “She considered the alternatives to surgery and drugs, and instead developed an intensive program of affirmations, visualization, nutritional cleansing, and psychotherapy. Within six months, she was cured of cancer. (www.louisehay.com).” Out of these experiences Louise wrote her first book “Heal Your Body,” and eventually “You Can Heal Your Life,” in 1984; both of which were self-published. “You Can Heal Your Life,” has now sold fifty million copies and has been published in twenty-five languages.
In 1985 Louise addressed the AIDS epidemic by offering support groups to men afflicted by AIDS and started what became, “Hayrides,” offering these men acceptance, love, and kindness.
In 1988, at the age of 62, Louise started Hay House Publishing in her home. Hay House grew steadily and became a tremendous success having published many New York Times bestsellers and many famous authors such as Wayne Dyer, Dr. Joe Dispenza, Brendon Burchard, Deepak Chopra, and Ester Hicks. Louise herself has written over 200 titles.
Louise founded the Hay Foundation, a non-profit organization that encourages and financially supports organizations that supply food, shelter, counseling, hospice care and money to those with AIDS, battered women and others in crisis.
Louise passed away in her sleep, peacefully in her home on August 30th at the age of ninety. Hay House has continued, now run by Reid Tracy. www.hayhouse.com
Louise is an incredible example of an individual who faced her challenges, changed her thinking, became successful and has been a positive influence on the lives of many.
If you are exploring your career options and would like some guidance, resources, and support, please contact me to set up a free 20-minute consultation to determine if we would like to work together.
www.danmacy.org, 303-819-6178
Sources:
- New York Times: Louise Hay, Widely Read Self-Help Author, Dies at 90 (2017)
- Famousaurthors.org
- You Can Heal Your Life, 1984, Hay House Publishing
- louisehay.com