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.
THE
PROFESSIONAL STORY
Harlan's
writing career started at Indiana University's school
newspaper, the Indiana Daily Student. He shifted
his path toward advice after interning at The Tonight
Show with Jay Leno in the summer of 1995. Harlan
came up with the idea to write his column after speaking
with a writer who had penned an advice column in college.
Upon returning to IU, he immediately launched his Help
Me, Harlan! column. At first, he wrote questions and
answers to himself (he helped himself), then the "real"
letters started arriving. He consulted experts on and
off campus to help with his replies. This delicate mix
of honest advice, valuable resources and a touch of
humor turned the column into an instant success on campus.
Like a bad rash at a nudist camp, Harlan's column soon
spread throughout the country and beyond.
Harlan is the author of the book, The
Naked Roommate: And 107 Other Issues You Might Run Into
in College (Sourcebooks) and Campus Life Exposed: Advice
from the Inside (Petersons. He is a contributor
to Chicken Soup
for the Teenage Soul III, an occasional contributor
to the Chicago
Tribune, and has written a monthly column
for the Classroom Edition of The
Wall Street Journal. His expert advice
expert has been featuresd in Psychology Today, The
New York Times, Seventeen magazine, and Details
magazine. When not writing his column, Harlan
speaks across the country, acts as a consultant
on young adult issues, appears on radio
and TV, hosts online chats, writes
and performs music from his new album, Fortunate
Accidents, and expands his award-winning Web site.
He is the founder of Rejection
Awareness Week (R.A.W.) and the president of the International
Rejection/Risk-Taking Project. Harlan is currently
writing his next book which will expose the unspoken
and secret truth to dating and relationships (a.k.a.
How to find a date while sober).Harlan's ongoing goal
is to redefine rejection in love and in life as part
of an ongoing effort to help people find the courage
to take risks.
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 about. It's great
to have you here!
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
Help Me, Harlan!
