^{Denis E. Waitley (born 1933), is an American motivational speaker and writer, consultant and best-selling author. Waitley is a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis, and claims to have counseled leaders in many fields: Apollo astronauts, Fortune 500 top executives, Olympic gold medalists, Super Bowl champions, returning POWs. He was a founding member of the National Council for Self-Esteem. He has authored 16 books and has released hundreds of audio lectures.}