author. speaker. motivator.
Affectionately known as "America's #1 Success Coach," Jack Canfield is the originator of the Chicken Soup for the Soul series and a leading authority in the areas of self-esteem, achievement motivation, and peak performance. [www.jackcanfield.com]
political powerhouse. media mogul. author.
Arianna Huffington is the co-founder and Editor in Chief of the Huffington Post and the author of twelve books. [www.huffingtonpost.com]
author. speaker. linchpin.
Seth Godin is a prominent author, blogger and speaker. [www.squidoo.com/linchpin]
yogi. philanthropist. dynamic teacher.
Krishna Kaur is the founder of YOGA for Youth, a program that takes yoga, meditation, and stimulating discussions on the philosophy of yoga to urban youth. [www.yogaforyouth.org]
producer. philanthropist. tv legend.
Norman Lear has enjoyed a long career in television and film. He is also a political and social activist and philanthropist. [www.normanlear.com]
race car driver. activist. carbon free girl.
Leilani Münter is a professional race car driver and an environmental activist who uses her voice in the number one spectator sport in America as a catalyst for change. [www.leilanimunter.com]
Freedom Fighter. Philanthropist. Game Changer.
By going undercover to meet slaves and slaveholders, Kevin Bales exposed modern slavery's penetration into the global economy. He co-founded Free the Slaves, which has helped to liberate thousands of slaves. [www.freetheslaves.net]
mom. big dreamer. lady in red.
Sophie Chiche, lifebyme.com founder and curator, enjoys asking deep questions and living a life of meaning. Today she's launching Shape House, an urban sweat lodge, a place to melt away fears and fat. [www.shapehousela.com]
Writer. Entrepreneur. Daily Lover.
Entrepreneur and writer Mastin Kipp founded TheDailyLove.com, which merges pop culture with inspiration, and co-founded The Love Yourself Company, an apparel company that has started a global self-esteem movement. [www.TheDailyLove.com]
singer. musician. crier.
Liz Phair is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. [www.lizphair.com]
archbishop. author. peaceful leader.
Archbishop Desmond Tutu is Chairman of The Elders, a group of world leaders who address some of the world's most pressing problems. He works energetically for human-rights and in his ministry. [www.tutu.org]
author. ceo. humanitarian.
Zainab Salbi is the founder and CEO of Women for Women International, a group dedicated to helping women survivors of war rebuild their lives. [www.womenforwomen.org]
speaker. psychotherapist. life embracer.
Despite his physical challenges, Sean Stephenson has taken a stand for a quality of life that has inspired millions of people around the world. He's a professional speaker, psychotherapist, and author. [www.timetostand.com]
yogi. meditator. teacher.
Kia Miller teaches Yoga at Yoga Works in Los Angeles, leads teacher trainings, and runs retreats and workshops on meditation, chakras, pranayam, and mantras, and other practices. [www.kiamiller.com]
creator. writer. idea geek.
Simon Mainwaring is an ex-Nike/Wieden creative, former Worldwide Creative Director at Motorola/Ogilvy, branding/advertising writer, author/speaker/blogger, Australian, idea geek. [www.simonmainwaring.com]
Strategist. Writer. Life Coach.
Shannon Bindler is a style editor, life coach, and the co-founder of Get Up Girl, an empowerment company that inspires women to shine. [www.getupgirl.com]
Designer. Art Director. Passionate Creator.
Grammy-nominated art director/designer/photographer Mathieu Bitton has designed over 450 CDs and movie posters. He's a renowned collector of and authority on black films and their soundtracks. [www.candytangerine.com]
Agent. Producer. Photography Enthusiast.
Opus Reps founder and agent-producer Jorge Perez travels the world producing photo shoots with great photographers and celebrities. He's also very involved with Meals on Wheels in Los Angeles. www.opusreps.com
deep
Abby Seixas
psychotherapist. author. life balancer
Abby Seixas is a psychotherapist, author, speaker, mother, calligrapher, gardener, life-long spiritual seeker, and work-in-progress. [www.deepriverwithin.com]
I slept well until I had children. I’ve tried many ways of dealing with being awake when I don’t want to be, from counting backward as I breathe deeply to taking prescription sleep medication. During wakeful times, my mind often spins anxiously forward to everything I need to do in the coming day and how tired I’ll feel if I can’t get back to sleep. For obvious reasons, that train of thought doesn’t soothe me back into a deep and restful sleep.
But occasionally I have a very different experience in the middle of the night. I get out of bed, go downstairs, wrap a blanket around myself, and sit on the living room couch. As I surrender to being awake, heavy eyelids and all, something shifts inside me. I find I’m no longer fighting myself or fighting the night. I relax and begin to notice how quiet it is. In that stillness, my body softens and I breathe more deeply. I feel as though I’m dropping down into myself, greeting an old, dear, trusted friend. Sometimes I think about my life, but more often I just feel grateful for having a life, for being alive. And sometimes I have an experience that’s not easy to describe. It feels as if I’m finding myself again, coming home to myself. I tap into a sense of fullness and wholeness that makes not getting enough sleep seem like a much smaller issue than it was an hour before. Whether or not I go back to sleep, I’m deeply renewed.
When I drop down into myself in those quiet hours of the night, it feels as though I’ve tapped into a deep river running strongly beneath the busyness of daily life. When I allow myself to fully experience that deep river within, I connect not only with myself and what matters most to me but also with a powerful stream of silence, mystery, clarity, aliveness – a universal source of deep nourishment that provides a healing balm when life on the surface is too much. That’s where meaning lies for me.
If I’m disconnected from myself and from that inner source, I can go through the motions of life, but there’s a sense of dryness and emptiness. When I tap down into the deep river realm and let those nourishing waters replenish me, I get more clear about how I do – and don’t –want to spend my time, and, in almost any activity I choose to do, including the ordinary everyday stuff, I experience more meaning and joy.
– Abby Seixas
Explore More Meaning
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strategist. speaker. catalyst for change.
Tracey Trottenberg is a business and leadership coach and an international speaker. She founded Amazing Women International, which connects and educates women leaders throughout the world. [www.traceytrottenberg.net]
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author. speaker. motivator.
Affectionately known as "America's #1 Success Coach," Jack Canfield is the originator of the Chicken Soup for the Soul series and a leading authority in the areas of self-esteem, achievement motivation, and peak performance. [www.jackcanfield.com]
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consultant. facilitator. life enhancer.
For two decades, Leslie Harradine, a partner and Managing Director of Exhact GmbH, has traveled the globe to help individuals, teams, and business leaders enhance their personal and professional lives. [www.exhact.com]
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balance guru. teacher. fortune cookie writer.
Jason Womack provides practical methods for maximizing tools, systems, and processes to achieve quality work/life balance. He's worked with leaders and executives for over 16 years in the business and education sectors. [www.womackcompany.com]
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color mixer. mother. naked explorer.
Kimberly Brooks is a contemporary American painter who exhibits internationally. Her studio is in Venice, California. [www.kimberlybrooks.com]
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journalist. advocate. godfather of slow.
Journalist Carl Honoré has written for The Economist, The Observer, and National Post, but he is best known for his advocacy of the Slow Movement. [www.carlhonore.com]
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choice advocator. fear extinguisher. transformation guide.
Vaishali is an international health & wellness speaker who has appeared on The Dr. Oz Radio Show and Oprah.com. Vaishali learned to transform her life from the threat of two terminal disease diagnoses, domestic abuse, and financial devastation. [www.purplev.com/alivehealthy]
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environmental healer. practical visionary.
Andy Lipkis is the founder and president of TreePeople. [www.treepeople.org]
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