Karen Duffy

From becoming an iconic MTV VJ to starring in Dumb and Dumber to being diagnosed with a life-threatening disease, Karen Duffy has been through a lot. Her most recent book, "Wise Up," offers advice on overcoming life's obstacles great and small, finding love in your life, and determining how much to duke the waiter (as with everything—be generous!). With irrepressible humor and the wisdom of experience, she shows how we all can learn from Stoic thinkers as well as from Bulgarian dancing bears. It’s written in the form of letters to her son, but it is rooted in Classical philosophy that is enlightening for everyone.

There are times in life when we should turn to the great thinkers for advice. And there are times when you need the kind of enlightenment that only a Jersey-born Revlon model can give. Duffy has offered profound insights in speeches to corporate clients such as Akzo Nobel and HireArt, professional groups including the Young President's Organization, commencement addresses, and numerous speeches and presentations to Stoic groups such as the Plato's Academy Centre, the Stoic Summit, and Modern Stoicism's Stoic Week.

Duffy is an actress, former MTV VJ, and New York Times bestselling author of "Model Patient" and "Backbone." She has written for the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, the New York Daily News, Oprah Daily and Oprah Quarterly, Airmail, and Cosmopolitan. She lives in New York.