Author’s Bios

 Christy Michaels has a master's degree in clinical psychology and worked for over 15 years in the health prevention field with pregnant teens and family planning education.  She decided to shift her focus, so she went back to film school to learn the fine art of documentary film making and writing.   Having studied the research about the psychological impact of humor on healing, she began studying comedy as a tool for healing.  It was what she learned in several different spiritual weight loss programs combined with a newfound interest in humor, which finally made her successful at losing weight.. and keeping it off.

 In Diet Laughing, Christy speaks to her discovery that laughing about the craziness of her compulsive eating behavior with nonjudgmental people who were willing to be honest and laugh about their own shortcomings too, was one of the best tools to opening her heart and making it safe enough for her to look at how she had been fooling herself by "fueling" herself.  Integrating humor into the variety of spiritual weight loss principles she learned, she found her experience was helping others to produced the results she now enjoys-  the end to Yo Yo dieting.

Steve Bhaerman, a full-time comedian for the past sixteen years has had a varied career as author, teacher, and workshop leader. His career as a writer dates back to the early 70s when he co-authored a book about his experiences teaching in an alternative high school in Washington, D.C.

"No Particular Place to Go: Making of a Free High School "(Simon & Schuster, 1972).  He later worked as a freelance writer, and co-authored "Friends & Lovers: How to Meet the People You Want to Meet" (Writer's Digest Books, 1986) with Don McMillan.

Swami Beyondananda, (the Alter ego of Steve Bhaerman), whose wacky wisdom is featured in the book, is the author of three comedy books including his latest, “Duck Soup for the Soul”.  His column is regularly read by over 4 million people, in print and online, and has been featured in East West Journal and Funny Times.  In addition to the
Swami's own web site www.wakeuplaughing.com the Swami's material is currently referenced on over 500 web sites.

Brian Narelle began cartooning when he was 8 years old. No one has been able to stop him since. After graduating from USC Film School, his cartooning tendencies drove him into the arms of Sesame Street for whom he wrote, directed and animated for several years. Eventually this lead to the position of Supervising Animator and Sequence Director on the Korty/Lucas Film production of the feature "Twice Upon A Time". Afterwards Brian focused on screenwriting and created over 30 award winning educational films for Paramount/Simon & Schuster, combining live action, puppets and animation. His awards include:

• "The Wizard of No", won a Blue Ribbon at the American Film Festival.
• "Bingo and Molly", has received CINE "Gold Eagle" and Parent's "Choice
  Awards".
• "Hubert's Brain" for Wild Brain Inc. in San Francisco, in 2001 won the
  "ANNIE" Award from the International Animated Film Society (ASIFA) as
  well as First Place at the World Animation Celebration.
  
  

In addition he created the position of Clinical Cartoonist within the local hospital system and has joined up with Patch Adams' Gesundheit! Institute in exploring the healing power of humor within the medical setting.

Brian’s website is www.narellecreative.com where you can view his cartoons.