Louise Hay
Born 1926 · Age 99
American motivational author, speaker, publisher and AIDS advocate; author of You Can Heal Your Life and founder of Hay House and the Hay Foundation.
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Life & Career Timeline
Birth
Born Helen Vera Lunney in Los Angeles, California to Henry John Lunney and Veronica Chwala.
Childhood sexual assault (reported)
Hay later recounted being raped by a neighbor at about age five; formative traumatic event in her early life.
Worked low-paying jobs in Chicago (approx.)
Moved to Chicago and worked in low-paying jobs before later relocating to New York.
Left home / ran away (approx.)
After an unstable and abusive childhood Hay ran away from home and moved away from Los Angeles (timeline from later interviews).
Dropped out of high school
Left University High School in Los Angeles at about age 15 (no diploma).
Birth of daughter and adoption
Gave birth to a baby girl and relinquished the child for adoption on her 16th birthday.
Modeling career begins (Hay site)
Hay site timeline states she became a fashion model in New York for designers including Bill Blass (date per Hay site: 1946).
Moved to New York and changed name
Moved to New York City (Wikipedia places this move in 1950); around this time she changed her first name and began modeling.
Married Andrew Hay
Married English businessman Andrew Hay (marriage lasted 14 years).
Marriage ended (approx.)
Marriage to Andrew Hay ended after 14 years (1954 + 14 = 1968); she later cited the end of marriage as a catalyst for personal transformation.
Begins ministerial training at Church of Religious Science (start)
Started attending meetings and ministerial training at the First Church of Religious Science in New York; began counseling and speaking (Hay site references 1970; other sources say early 1970s).
Formal studies at Science of Mind (Hay site)
Hay site timeline specifically lists 1972 as the year she started studies at the Science of Mind church in New York City.
Self-publishes Heal Your Body (pamphlet/book)
Wrote and self-published Heal Your Body — originally a pamphlet listing mental/metaphysical causes of physical ailments; later expanded.
Diagnosed with cervical cancer (reported)
Hay later reported a diagnosis of 'incurable' cervical cancer around 1977/1978, which became central to her healing narrative.
Reports healing from cancer; releases related audio
Hay stated she reversed her cervical cancer through therapy, nutrition, affirmations and cleansing; Hay site lists an audio 'Cancer: Your Healing Power' in 1978.
Becomes Science of Mind minister / moves back to Southern California
Hay site notes she became a Science of Mind minister and moved back to Southern California in 1980, developing workshop methods on paper.
Establishes Hay House (founding)
Hay established Hay House publishing to publish her own and like-minded authors' work (sources list establishment in 1984; later timeline items indicate expansion through the 1980s).
Publishes You Can Heal Your Life
Released You Can Heal Your Life (1984), her bestselling exposition of her metaphysical healing ideas; the book reached the NYT bestseller list and became widely influential.
Starts 'The Hayride' support group and founds Hay Foundation
Began the support group 'The Hayride' for men with AIDS (initially six men) and established the Hay Foundation as a nonprofit to support those with AIDS and other crises (Hay site cites 1985).
Hay House company opening / New Yorker cartoon
Hay site timeline notes 1987 as the year she 'opens her publishing company, Hay House'; The New Yorker also featured her in a cartoon that year (recognition milestone).
The AIDS Book published
Published The AIDS Book: Creating a Positive Approach (1988), based on work with the Hayride support group.
Reid Tracy joins Hay House (accountant)
Reid Tracy joined Hay House as an accountant in 1988; he later became CEO and helped grow the company.
Oprah and Donahue appearances; You Can Heal Your Life returns to NYT list
Appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show and The Phil Donahue Show in the same week (March 1988); You Can Heal Your Life re-entered the NYT bestseller list, an unprecedented repeat.
A Garden of Thoughts published
Published A Garden of Thoughts: My Affirmation Journal (1989) and other late-1980s works that built her catalog.
Moves to San Diego (per Hay site timeline)
Hay site timeline lists 1990 as the year she moved to San Diego, California.
Publishes I Can Do It and other works
Published I Can Do It (1993) and continued to release affirmation books and audio recordings that expanded her reach.
Heal Your Body A–Z and Colors & Numbers (publications)
Published expanded Heal Your Body A–Z and Colors & Numbers, extending her core catalog of mind-body works.
Honorary Doctorate of Divinity
Received an Honorary Doctorate of Divinity from Religious Science International in Asilomar, CA.
75th birthday celebration; Hay House international offices open
Celebrated her 75th birthday publicly; Hay House opened offices in Australia and Canada in 2002 (Hay site timeline).
Hay House opens UK and South Africa offices
Hay House expanded internationally with offices in England and South Africa (Hay site timeline lists 2003).
Publishes I Can Do It: How to Use Affirmations to Change Your Life (reissue)
Published I Can Do It® and continued to release recorded and written affirmation materials.
Hay House Radio launches
Hay House Radio® broadcast its first episode — 'Radio for your Soul' — as part of Hay House's multimedia expansion.
80th birthday celebration
Louise celebrated her 80th birthday in 2006; continued public appearances and product releases.
You Can Heal Your Life reaches ~35 million copies; film released; Minerva Award
By 2008 Hay site states You Can Heal Your Life had reached 35 million copies sold; the film 'You Can Heal Your Life: The Movie' was released and she received the Minerva Award presented by Maria Shriver. The New York Times dubbed her 'The Queen of the New Age'.
First mobile apps and Balboa Press imprint
Released first mobile apps (Power Thought Cards and I Can Do It! Calendar); Hay House launched Balboa Press, a self-publishing imprint; special edition box set released.
Publishes Experience Your Good Now! and Colors & Numbers reissue
Released Experience Your Good Now! (with CD) and Colors & Numbers; continued publishing and collaborations.
You Can Heal Your Life reaches 40 million copies
It was announced that You Can Heal Your Life had reached 40 million copies sold (Hay site/Wiki noted figure in 2011).
Hay House celebrates 25 years
Hay House marked 25 years of publishing (founded mid-1980s) and produced early films in its 'Tales of Everyday Magic' series.
HealYourLife.com and Hay House World Summit milestones
HealYourLife.com hit one million Facebook fans; inaugural Hay House World Summit reached over 2 million people; Meditation Affirmation app released and reached 100,000 users within 9 months.
First gallery opening of Louise Hay artwork
Held first gallery opening of her artwork (Hay site timeline lists 2014).
Publishes You Can Heal Your Heart; Hay House revenue milestone reported
Co-authored You Can Heal Your Heart (with David Kessler) and other books; industry reporting (TopResultsAcademy citation) lists Hay House generating roughly $100M revenue in 2014 after selling 6.3M products (company milestone; affects founder's net worth).
Publishes Life Loves You and other collaborations
Co-authored Life Loves You with Robert Holden and released other books including a coloring book and The Bone Broth Secret (with Heather Dane).
Publishes Mirror Work and card deck releases
Published Mirror Work: 21 Days to Heal Your Life and collaborated on Life Loves You Card Deck; continued publishing through Hay House.
Death
Louise Hay died at her home in San Diego, California on August 30, 2017, aged 90.
Posthumous publications (listed editions)
Posthumous and co-authored works appeared (e.g., The Bone Broth Secret, Trust Life—editions listed with 2018 publication dates).
Documentary 'Another Hayride' released (archival)
The 2021 documentary 'Another Hayride' (assembled from archival footage) explored her work with gay men with AIDS in 1980s Los Angeles; posthumous documentary bolstered legacy.
Key Achievement Ages
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