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. TED-talker. no-bullsh**er.
Sophie Chiche, founder of lifebyme.com, is the single mom of an amazing 16-year-old, Leah, and wicked step-mom of 22-year-old, Sarah. They all live in LA. You can find them boxing, cooking, collaging, hosting brunches, laughing their head off or bickering over who’s washing and who’s drying the dishes.
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
out of box
Ayn Carrillo Gailey
author. columnist. creative strategist.
Ayn Carrillo Gailey is a published author and creative strategist who uses words to power ideas, companies, and movements. www.ayngailey.com
When I look back on my life, it seems I spent the first half of it trying very hard to be like everybody else or lamenting the fact that I wasn’t like them. In the second half of my life, I became wise enough to reject such notions. I gained confidence, shed peer pressure, and embraced the things that made me different. Suddenly, standing alone outside the smothering cliques felt empowering and I could see that the very things kids made fun of, like my ethnicity, were the things that made me special. It was about more than merely embracing my flatter nose and darker skin. It was about so much more than looks. My non-white, non-majority, multi-cultural heritage shaped the way I think. And the way I think – the way anyone thinks – is what gives us the potential not only to be different or special, but to be extraordinary. It’s a gift. I became proud to use my alternate point of view to stop thinking inside the box and start thinking outside the box. Especially during my college years, I reveled in forming unorthodox, provocative thoughts and stirring things up with my peers and professors.
But something still wasn’t quite right. Thinking and acting outside the box gave new meaning to my life, but the box was still there. By ignoring it, I was still reacting to it. Then it hit me. There was an alternative to thinking either inside the box or outside the box. Maybe there didn’t even have to be a box. At that moment, the box evaporated, along with all the things it represented: my prejudices about myself and others, my dispassionate expectations, and my insecurity.
Ignoring your box is not enough. You must get rid of it. But before you do, pack it with every ounce of anything that has ever weighed you down rather than helped you to soar. Load in old resentments, new frustrations, and especially all those limiting beliefs – not only the limiting beliefs that nag at you, but also the limiting beliefs you lay on those you love. Pack the box with everything but the things that bring your life joy and meaning, then send it on its way. Drop it off at the landfill or vaporize the damn thing … just do whatever it takes to rid it from your life. Throw out the box.
- Ayn Carrillo Gailey
Explore More Meaning
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candid author. passionate speaker. peaceful warrior of change.
Nancy Rosenfeld Daly is a speaker, author, facilitator, and former CFO who merges neuroscience, consciousness, tribal wisdom, and business savvy to ignite discovery and change. www.nancyrdaly.com
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Author. Success Coach. Happy Guy.
Best-selling author Robert Holden's innovative work on happiness and success has been featured on Oprah, Good Morning America, and in two major BBC TV documentaries. www.robertholden.org
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Divorce Recovery Specialists. Psychologists.
Allison Pescosolido, M.A., and Andra Brosh, PhD, are divorce recovery specialists at Divorce Detox ,the leader in divorce recovery. www.divorcedetox.com
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therapist. conscious chef. wave balancer.
Chef and Culinary Coach Caspar Poyck’s business, Consciously Culinary, is well-known throughout the central and southern California coastal regions. www.consciouslyculinary.com
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high climber. responsible risker. philanthropist.
Alison Levine is a mountaineer, explorer, teacher, and founder of the Climb High Foundation, dedicated to improving the lives of African women by training them to be local guides and porters. www.alisonlevine.com
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author. speaker. inner gamer.
Tim Gallwey is the author of The Inner Game series of books. His teachings, built on a foundation of Zen thinking and humanistic psychology, heighten learning, performance, and enjoyment. www.theinnergame.com
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actress. environmental advisor. world peace representative.
Leigh Taylor Young is an Emmy Award-winning actress. She’s also been a Special Advisor in Arts and Media for the United Nations Environment Programme. www.lty.com
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organizational consultant. internal change agent. conversation starter.
Brad Rassler is the founder and Chief Catalyst of A Sustainable Way, an organizational development consultancy. www.asustainableway.com
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