Linda R. Harper, Ph.D., is a licensed clinical psychologist in private practice for 30 years with her husband in Evergreen Park, Illinois. She has Ph.D. and M.A. degrees from Kent State University and a B.A. degree from Northwestern University. Specializing in eating and dieting-related challenges, her doctoral dissertation explored society’s influence on dieters’ perceptions of their bodies and the resulting impact on their self-esteem. She has presented papers on the psychology of eating-related problems at the Midwest Psychological Association conference and has given talks in schools, health food stores, bookstores, clinics, and hospitals on the problems of dieting. She has led workshops at the International Association of Eating Disorders Professionals (IAEDP) national symposium, The National Association of Fat Acceptance (NAAFA) conference, and the Annual Women's Wellness Workshops in Chicago. She has also lectured at academic and medical institutions and public libraries throughout the Chicago area, as well as the American University in Paris. Dr. Harper has conducted numerous radio and television interviews, and feature stories about her first book, The Tao of Eating, have appeared in Fitness, Women's Sports and Fitness, National Health, Women's World, and various newspapers across the country.
Harper is also the author of The Tao of Eating: Feeding Your Soul through Everyday Experiences with Food, Give to Your Heart's Content...Without Giving Yourself Away, and Give: A Guide to Discovering the Joy of Everyday Giving.