Richard Cohn founded Beyond Words Publishing in 1983 and serves as the publisher and president. A Stanford graduate with a master’s from Johns Hopkins SAIS, he has spent four decades championing transformative books and multimedia, including landmark titles The Secret and The Hidden Messages in Water. Under his leadership, Beyond Words has expanded into film, audio, live-streaming, and international distribution through its partnership with Atria Books, an imprint of Simon & Schuster. A poet and creative listener, Richard’s work reflects innocence, benevolence, and deep insight. He is also a treasure hunter, motivational speaker, and film coproducer who enjoys traveling and spending time with his wife Michele, their family, and thirteen grandchildren.

Rassouli describes himself as a "madman" who is a drunk, an ogler, and a libertine. His drunkenness comes from within to make him create, because he breaks away from his mind and rational thinking. As an ogler, he looks at places others don't see. This allows him to see through the veil, to see the heart of everything and the pearl that is hidden inside the shell. As a libertine, he is both an iconoclast and a freethinker who is constantly breaking the rules and creating new rules in his artwork.