ALASDAIR BARCROFT was born in Malaya where his father was Director of Agriculture, and many of his relatives, on his mother's side, were involved with the rubber industry. He is married with two sons and one daughter.

He spent eight years in Malaya before returning to Scotland where he was educated at the Edinburgh Academy and then at the University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, where he graduated with a BSc (Hons) in Agricultural Economics.

He readily admits his university days were heavily focused on playing sport - gaining university colours for both rugby and cricket.
Subsequently his career has been in banking and industry and since the mid-eighties he has run his own marketing and PR consultancy.
During this time his work took him all over the world: to Africa, South East Asia, the Far East, Australia, the Middle East and the USA and Mexico.

In 1995, Alasdair Barcroft established the Aloe Vera Centre - a London-based distribution and retail mail order business supplying natural health products. The background to how and why he did this are explained within this book and are a fascinating insight as to how a personal experience can change one's career and life path.

His life and career are now firmly focused on and around his family and working with other people all over the world to help them achieve the enormous potential that he believes exists within all of us but is often hampered by a lack of opportunity and vision or entrenched views, beliefs and prejudices in society.

He jokes to people that nobody in their right mind would ever employ him now because of his often controversial and rather anti-establishment views on work and employment practices. Having spent most of his working life developing his own businesses, he firmly believes that everyone should consider the opportunity to build their own businesses - even on a part-time basis - so they are more in control of their own destinies and indeed, financial futures.

He and his family now have an international business with one of the world's leading network marketing companies, which is also the largest grower and producer of aloe vera and beehive products. He feels that this association has, in his words, 'set us free to develop our lives and our lifestyle in the way that we want'.'and everyone, wherever they live and whatever their background, should have a chance to do the same'.
Over the last ten years, his love of and commitment to sport have moved from playing to coaching and managing junior cricket and rugby teams in the London area. His main interests outside his family are sport, travel and cooking.

AUDUN MYSKJA was born in Trondheim in Norway and studied philosophy, psychology and comparative religion at university. He then qualified as a medical doctor and has worked in both general practice and as a hospital doctor.

His career has encompassed not only allopathic medicine (since 1981) but he has also gained considerable recognition in Norway and other countries for his work in a number of complementary therapies. He has qualifications in herbal medicine, energy medicine and flower remedy treatment, and has practised complementary and herbal medicine for nearly thirty years.

He teaches and lectures on medical music therapy at universities in Oslo, Bergen and Sandane and for the Norwegian Medical Association (NMA). He has been awarded two prizes by the NMA for his work on music therapy in the Norwegian health service.

He has been at the forefront of the development and use of music in geriatrics and palliative care in Norway.

He is also a leading teacher and lecturer on symptom relief, terminal care and complementary medicine at the Norwegian Academies of Advanced Nursing in Oslo, Bergen and Drammen.

He was Chief of Staff at a large hospice in Oslo and a consultant to the Norwegian Cancer Association on complementary therapies and terminal care. He was also engaged in a cancer research project at the Norwegian Cancer Hospital on music therapy and relaxation as support measures in advanced breast cancer.

He and his wife, Reidun (an aromatherapist and reflexologist) also run the Norwegian Aloe Vera Centre and a private medical and natural health clinic in Oslo.

Audun Myskja often lectures on complementary medicines, herbal remedies and natural therapies and is also a prolific author and has had over 100 articles and papers on complementary therapies and palliative care published in newspapers and periodicals. His published books include: Den musiske medisin (Musical Medicine - Sound and Music in Medicine, 1999 and 2000); Flower Remedies for Growth and Healing (2000); Aloe Vera - naturens skattkammer (Aloe Vera - Nature's Treasure Chest, 2001) and Aloe Vera - Nature's Silent Healer (2003) which he is co-authoring with Alasdair Barcroft.

He is fluent in Norwegian, Danish, Swedish, English, French and German.

Audun is also an accomplished musician. He plays a number of instruments, as well as writing his own music and songs. In 2002, he achieved one of his life's greatest ambitions - he set up his own rock band with two close friends. The band, now six strong, is called Aum and has already played a number of live gigs and has just produced its first commercial CD.

Audun is married with three children and enjoys all winter sports and travel.