Judi Hollis: Dr. Judi Hollis has been counseling addicted families since 1967, when she helped open New York City's Phoenix house Programs. Since that time, she has been training counselors internationally, as well as opening addiction treatment centers around the country, most notably her own HOPE Institutes, which were the first 12-Step eating-disorder units.

She holds graduate degrees in rehabilitation counseling and psychology from the University of Southern California (USC) and is a licensed marriage and family counselor. She has taught at USC, Goddard College, Chapman College and the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA). She has also led community groups and served on hospital staffs around the world.

Her best-selling Fat is a Family Affair was a groundbreaking treatise in the treatment field. It was followed by Fat and Furious, Hot & Heavy and many workbooks, and video- and audiotapes. She currently maintains personal consulting practices on both coasts, dividing her time between New York and Palm Springs.