Mark Yaconelli is a speaker, facilitator, and author of five previous books. As founder and director of The Hearth nonprofit, Yaconelli has worked with the Lilly Endowment, Compassion International, and the Mexican American Cultural Center of Austin, among other organizations. Yaconelli holds an MA in Christian spirituality from the Graduate Theological Union and received a spiritual direction diploma from San Francisco Theological Seminary. Profiles of Yaconelli's work have appeared in the Wall Street Journal, as well as on BBC Radio 4, NPR, and ABC World News Tonight. He and his wife have three adult children and live in Ashland, Oregon.