Richard Carlson, Ph.D.

Richard Carlson, Ph.D, was born and raised in the Bay Area. He grew up in Piedmont and received his bachelor's degree from Pepperdine University and his doctorate in psychology from Sierra University before opening a private psychotherapy practice.

During his life, he was considered one of the foremost experts in happiness and stress reduction in the United States and around the world and was a frequent featured guest on such shows as Oprah, The Today Show, The View, NNC, CNN, Fox, PBS, and more than 200 other shows. Don't Sweat the Small Stuff continued to be a publishing phenomenon with more than 20 titles in the brand franchise, two of which were co-authored and authored with his beloved wife, Kris.

The words "don't sweat the small stuff" have become a part of American culture thanks to Richard Carlson's book, which became a runaway bestseller and made publishing history as the #1 best-selling book in the United States for two consecutive years. The book spent more than 100 weeks on the New York Times Best-Seller list and is still considered one of the fastest selling books of all time and has sold more than 15 million copies worldwide.

In December 2006, Carlson died of a pulmonary embolism during a flight from San Francisco to New York, while on a promotion tour for his book Don’t Get Scrooged: How to Thrive in a World Full of Obnoxious, Incompetent, Arrogant and Downright Mean-Spirited People.