Rhonda Byrne | |
|---|---|
| Born | Rhonda Izon (1951-03-12)12 March 1951 (age 74) Melbourne, Australia |
| Occupation | Writer, producer |
| Notable works |
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| Children | 2 |
Rhonda Byrne (/bɜːrn/BURN; néeIzon; born 1951,Melbourne, Australia) is an Australian television writer and producer. Her bookThe Secret is based on thepseudoscientific belief of thelaw of attraction, which claims that thoughts can change a person's life directly.[1][2] She wrote several sequels to the book, includingThe Power andThe Magic.
Byrne was born in 1951 inMelbourne,Australia, to parents Ronald and Irene Izon. She worked as an executive producer for television, with credits includingOz Encounters: UFO's in Australia (1997),Sensing Murder: Easy Street (2003),Loves Me, Loves Me Not (2003), andThe World's Greatest Commercials (1995–2004).[3][better source needed]
After the death of her father in 2004, Byrne became very depressed. At the instigation of her daughter Hayley, she readThe Science of Getting Rich (1910) byWallace D. Wattles. She began to work onThe Secret.[4]
Byrne claims that all great men in history knew about thelaw of attraction, suggestingAbraham Lincoln,Ludwig van Beethoven,Winston Churchill and others. She asserts that current proponents of the laws of attraction include authorJack Canfield, ministerMichael Beckwith, self-help speakerJames Arthur Ray, authorJoseph Vitale, and authorJohn Gray.[5]
Byrne found success with both theDVD and the book ofThe Secret.The Secret was published in 2006, and by the spring of 2007 had sold more than 19 million copies in more than 40 languages,[6] and more than two million DVDs.[7]The Secret book and film have grossed $300 million.[8]
In 2007, Byrne was featured inTime Magazine'sTIME 100: The Most Influential People.[7] She gained mainstream popularity and commercial success after appearing onThe Oprah Winfrey Show.
Byrne wrote a sequel toThe Secret calledThe Power after answering several thousand letters from readers ofThe Secret.[9] On 17 August 2010,The Power was published as both a hardcover edition and audio CD.[10] In 2012, Byrne published a third book,The Magic.
More of Byrne's published works includeHero (2013),How The Secret Changed My Life (2016), andThe Greatest Secret (2020).[10]
