Harlan is an author, speaker, and nationally syndicated columnist reaching millions of readers across the world. He is one of the youngest syndicated columnists and one of the most trusted voices when it comes to issues affecting people in their teens, twenties, and thirties. He's like Dear Abby, only he's a lot younger, a lot hairier, and he's a man.

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THE PROFESSIONAL CREDENTIALS

Harlan Cohen is the bestselling author of four books, a professional speaker, a musician, and one of the most widely read and respected male syndicated advice columnists in the country.

Harlan is the bestselling author of the books The Naked Roommate: And 107 Other Issues You Might Run Into in College (Sourcebooks), The Happiest Kid on Campus: A Parent's Guide To The Very Best College Experience (for you and your child) (Sourcebooks), Dad’s Pregnant Too! (Sourcebooks), and Campus Life Exposed: Advice from the Inside (Peterson’s). He is a contributor to Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul III and has been featured as an expert offering advice in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal Classroom Edition, Real Simple, Seventeen, Psychology Today, and hundreds of other newspapers and publications. King Features Syndicate distributes Harlan’s “Help Me, Harlan!” advice column worldwide. Harlan is a frequent guest on television programs across the country and has appeared on hundreds of radio programs.

He is a professional speaker who has visited over four hundred college campuses across the country. He is an expert who addresses teen issues, college life, parenting, pregnancy, dating, relationships, sex/no sex, rejection, risk taking, leadership, women’s issues, and a variety of other topics.

Harlan is the founder of the websites www.NakedRoommate.com, www.HappiestKidonCampus.com, www.DadsPregnant.com, and www.HelpMeHarlan.com. He is also active on Facebook at: www.Facebook.com/HelpMeHarlan and on Twitter @HarlanCohen.

He is the producer, lead singer, and musician on his album Fortunate Accidents. Harlan is also the founder and president of Rejection Awareness Week (February 7–14 annually) and the International Risk-Taking Project.

He lives in Chicago, Illinois, with his wife and two young children. In his spare time he thinks about how little spare time he has (and then his spare time is over, leaving him thinking about how he squandered his spare time, eating up more spare time).

THE PERSONAL STORY

This is the part of the site where I'm supposed to share something deeply personal with you. Considering what you've shared or will share with me. It's only fair. So, when I was 12, I was mugged on Halloween. I was with a couple friends. I didn't get beaten up. At least not physically.I just had my candy stolen by the neighborhood bully and his dog. He was this moron who rode around the subdivision terrorizing younger kids (the kid, not the dog). His insane Pit Bull would run next to him. It had no choice. Its leash was tied to the handle bars of the bully's dirt bike .

This particular Halloween, he must have been hungry because he and three of his friends stopped me while I was trick-or-treating with two of my friends. It was at the end of our candy route, and we were loaded. It was a very good crop that year. They rode up and ambushed us. They threatened to punch us. We didn't fight their aggression. It was only candy. The ringleader shouted to his hoodlum friends, "Whose candy should we take?" Hoodlum #1 answered, "Take the fat kid's, he doesn't need it anyway." The other one agreed with this logic. Yep, I was the fat kid who had his candy stolen on Halloween.

I was overweight in my early teens. My pants were tight and the girls were distant. That is, everyone except my first girlfriend, Little Debbie, the snack cake. It was quite a love affair. My friends joked around that my blood-type was cream filling (clever, but not funny). Life as an overweight teenager was heavy and hard -- a long way from sweet. I didn't go to homecoming or the turnabout dance (where the girls ask the guys) my freshman year. I didn't ask anyone and no one asked me. I was so uncomfortable in my skin. It was the summer of my sophomore year, after getting up to 193 pounds on my 5 foot 4 inch frame that I decided I would see if I could lose the weight. I attempted to do the impossible. And over the next 16 months, I ended up losing about 60 pounds. Although difficult, I did break up with Little Debbie. I also started running. I went to a diet center. I had the support of my family, friends, and teachers. It was a profound life-changing experience. From that point forward, anything became possible. Most importantly, I finally felt better in my skin for the first time in my life. It was a feeling I hadn't experienced for years.

It's feeling comfortable that's been the driving force of this column. My goal has always been to create a place where people can feel comfortable enough to share whatever happens to be on their minds. It's a place where young people have the courage to write and those who have "been there and done it" can share their thoughts, ideas and experiences. At the core, this column is a place for people of all ages to challenge themselves and attempt to do the impossible. It's a place for everyone to find that extra encouragment, to get that little push, to do the things each of us know we need to do in order to get happier. And that's what this Help Me, Harlan! website, column, and forum are all about. Thank you for visiting!

THE PHYSICAL STORY

Weight: 156
Height
5'6" (5'7"with shoes)
Eyes:
brown
Ears:
slightly protruding
Blood Pressure:
132/80
Teeth:
All of them (wisdom teeth, too)
Hair:
I' m considering starting treatment of my crown with monoxidil because Franco the barber said my crown is starting to thin...

THE END OF THIS STORY:

I'm always interested in all of your feedback. If you're thinking it, I'd like to hear it. Please send me all your questions, comments, and concerns. And seriously, feel free to say whatever you want if it will help you express your true feelings, because really, if you're that angry, you really need to WRITE HARLAN.

Thank you!

Harlan Cohen