Rhonda Byrne - Hero

Every new project involves a journey that begins with the seed of an idea and travels its own unique path until its final creation in the world. I love the thrill of the journey, with its unexpected twists and turns, surprises, excitement, and joy. But more than anything else, when I look back on the journey I have taken I am completely humbled by the number of incredible people who played a vital role in helping bring the project into the world. The journey of creating Hero was a joy from beginning to end, and I would like to acknowledge the following extraordinary people who made it possible for you to hold this special book in your hands:

Hero s contributors, who came from all over the world to inspire and uplift others through sharing their experiences and whom I had the immense honor and privilege to work with: Liz Murray, Peter Foyo, John Paul DeJoria, Anastasia Soare, Michael Acton Smith, Peter Burwash, Mastin Kipp, G. M. Rao, Pete Carroll, Laird Hamilton, Layne Beachley, and Paul Orfalea. Thank you for trusting in me, for unhesitatingly giving your precious time, and for seeing the vision and potential of Hero when it was just a seed of an idea.

The contributors wonderful assistants for their invaluable help. The amazing people working for the contributors foundations and charities; thank you for being a part of Hero and allowing us to highlight the great work you are doing. Special thanks to Mayra-Alejandra Garcia, Luca Carp, Bhuvana Chakravarthy, Jaime Davern, Megan McGrath, and Tamara Azar.

The Secret team members Skye Byrne and Paul Harrington, who worked closely with me in creating the structure of Hero , who undertook the enormous task of compiling the contributors words, and who provided genius insights throughout its creation. In addition, thanks to Skye, for her depth of understanding and brilliant editing of my writing; Hero would not be what it is without her editing.

Glenda Bell, who project managed Hero , and who not only brought the contributors to Hero but who managed the scheduling of interviews and liaised with all the contributors foundations, and Andrea Keir, who worked diligently side by side with Glenda to bring the perfect contributors to Hero . Thank you.

Jan Child, who is in charge of publishing for The Secret. Thank you for your encouragement, enthusiasm, and tireless work on Hero in uniting the publishing, graphics, and website teams from across the planet into a united creative force.

The creative director of The Secret, Nic George. Thank you for your magnificent drawing and original artwork for Hero , and for continually inspiring me with my writing to live up to your graphic work. To our graphics team at Gozer Media, Shamus Hoare and Anna Buys, thank you for your dedication and talent yet again.

My phenomenal publishing team at Atria Books and Simon & Schuster for their support of my books, of The Secret, and me. Thank you to Carolyn Reidy, Judith Curr, Dennis Eulau, Darlene DeLillo, my editor Sarah Branham for her guidance, Lisa Keim, Eileen Ahearn, Paul Olsewski, Jim Thiel, Daniella Wexler, and copyeditors Isolde Sauer and Kimberly Goldstein.

The Secret team members whom I am blessed to work with every day: Donald Zyck, Lori Sharapov, Mark OConnor, Josh Gold, my personal assistant Jill Nelsen, Cori Johansing, Peter Byrne, Chye Lee, and Marcy Koltun-Crilley.

Our legal team at Greenburg Glusker: Bonnie Eskenazi and Aaron Moss. My eternal thanks to Brad Brian of Munger Tolles. To Laura Reeve and the team at our P.R. company, Edelman, thank you.

My dearest friends and family, who continue to support and inspire me in my work, and whose presence in my life I dearly cherish. Thank you. And to my wonderful parents you were the absolute best.

My daughter Hayley, who teaches me to ask for answers beyond what is known in the material world, and her perfect creation, Savannah Byrne-Cronin. For their love and support, Kevin Kid McKemy, the beautiful Oku Den, Paul Cronin, and Angel Martin Velayos for his continual spiritual guidance and wisdom.

Lastly, the idea for Hero came through a flash of insight that I received one evening, and so my deepest gratitude to the Universe and the Universal Mind for inspiring me with such a special project, and for guiding me through every step of its journey to its creation on planet Earth.