Dennis E. Waitley is an American motivational speaker, author and consultant. He is recognized as the best-selling author of the audio series, The Psychology of Winning, and books such as "Seeds of Greatness" and "The Winner's Age." Wheatley has been inducted into the International Speakers Hall of Fame.

Waitley was born in San Diego, California. His mother was a factory worker and his father worked in a warehouse after serving during World War II. His parents divorced when Waitley was ten, and he had little contact with his father after that. He attended the United States Naval Academy at Annapolis and became a naval aviator after graduation. Waitley received a Bachelor of Science degree from the Naval Academy.

After leaving the Navy, Waitley became a financial public relations representative for an electronics company. Later, Jonas Salk offered him a job as a fundraiser at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies. In 1976, Waitley recorded some audiotapes that would become Joy's psychology at a local church. He released the audio program in 1978, which sold more than 2 million copies and grossed $100 million in sales. Between the 1980s and 2000s, Waitley published more than 15 books, including Seeds of Greatness, The Winner's Edge, and Empires of the Mind. In 2007, Waitley announced his retirement from Usana's board of directors after Usana failed to verify some of Waitley's claimed qualifications.

Waitley was a founding member of the National Council for Self-Esteem and former chair of psychology for the US Olympic Committee's Sports Medicine Council.

Waitley has written 16 books and published more than 10 best-selling audio programs.