Raeleen D'Agostino, Ph.D., "The Dolce Vita Doctor"

Best-selling author, and dynamic professional speaker, Dr. D’Agostino is a former psychology professor, and Dolce Vita weekly columnist for the Italian language newspaper, America Oggi. She also served as the Research Director for the Italian American Defense Association (AIDA) for whom she developed a survey to examine stereotypical attitudes, and distributed it nation-wide, in conjunction with Zogby Pollsters.  D’Agostino is the founder of Dolce Vita Seminars; a company that offers professional speaking, seminars, and other services improve lives using her proprietary Dolce Vita protocols. Her book  “Living la Dolce Vita: Bring the Passion, Laughter, and Serenity of Italy into Your Daily Life” (Sourcebooks, Inc)  was recognized as a book selection by the Order of the Sons of Italy in America (OSIA), and has been translated into several languages, including Korean and Portuguese. She is a proud recipient of the Fred Factor Award, presented to her by fellow humanitarian Conrad Villella of Las Vegas, for helping others. She conducts speaking engagements and workshops in the US and Italy. Dr. D’Agostino holds a PhD in educational psychology, and has been widely interviewed on various radio and TV shows, including the A &E Channel’s Breakfast with the Arts. She has also been quoted in many national publications, such as First for Women, Elle, WeightWatchers.ca, Seventeen.com, and Family Circle Magazine. Her articles have appeared in a wide variety of publications, such as Italian America, Quirks Market Research Magazine, the International Journal of Obesity, eDiets.com, and most recently in the Sunday Travel section of the Chicago Tribune. She served as a behavioral consultant to a hospital-based weight loss program, and is also the author of "Change Your Mind, Change Your Weight", a book endorsed by the late world-renowned cognitive-behavioral psychologist, Dr. Albert Ellis.