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
inspiration
Brenda Adelman
moving actor. encouraging coach. forgiveness advocator.
Brenda Adelman is the recipient of a Hero of Forgiveness award from the Hawaii Forgiveness Project. She facilitates workshops based on her ebook, My Father Killed My Mother and Married My Aunt: Forgiving the Unforgivable. [www.forgivenessandfreedom.com]
My father shot my mother in the head and killed her. Within a month he moved in with her sister—my aunt—and shortly thereafter they married. This was a defining point in my life. Was it an act of rage mixed in with undiagnosed mental illness, greed (divorce can be very expensive in New York), and lives lived without tools for coping? I think so.
This is the thing – I loved my parents. I was an adult when this happened, but they were everything to me. After plunging into a depression, thinking about taking my own life, as well as fantasizing about taking my father’s, I could no longer live with this hatred that was new to me. My first step to truly healing was honestly acknowledging how angry I was at my father (and that meant losing my relationship with him). I had to courageously uncover my self-hatred and change the behavior that went along with it.
By writing a monologue about these events for my acting class, I unleashed my creativity, vulnerability, and my strength. Looking at all the characters of my life as three-dimensional beings helped me to forgive the judgments I held against my parents. And with the release of the judgments, freedom came. I forgave my father and yet never saw him again. Then I went to school and received a Master’s Degree in Spiritual Psychology. I wanted to learn how to transcend this tragedy and no longer feel like a victim to my life circumstances.
What’s important to me now? Being present, being a loving partner, raising my son consciously, and acknowledging when I’m feeling down or upset. In addition to taking radical responsibility for my feelings and thoughts, I make sure to release any negative emotions and thoughts in a healthy way.
I feel privileged to use my life story and my journey as a way to inspire others to let go of the past so they can experience an amazing NOW.
– Brenda Adelman
Explore More Meaning
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phd candidate. lecturer. flyer.
PhD candidate and lecturer Magdalena Gilewicz is currently training to be a certified transformative coach. She's also conquering her fear of heights by becoming a helicopter pilot. [www.maggiegilewicz.com]
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people connector. summer camper. born traveller.
Dan Lack created Meeting of the Big Minds, a summer camp for adults, bringing together 15 of the country's biggest dreamers and doers at a time to connect and collaborate at four-day retreats. [www.mbmclassic.com]
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urban storyteller. coat angel. friend at any hour.
Writer, designer and storyteller, Sarah Kathleen Peck, is the brain behind the blog "it starts with" and founded the online Landscape Urbanism journal at the nexus of cities, landscape and design. [www.itstartswith.com]
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creative teacher. storyteller. kid sparker.
Lee is an actor, director, and a founding member of Story Pirates. He enjoys playing music and being a teaching artist. [www.storypirates.org]
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fearless creator. passionate solopreneur. avid supporter.
Michelle Ainslie is the go-to expert for aspiring creative solopreneurs who want to quit their boring jobs and make money doing what they love. [www.michelleainslie.com]
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philosopher. author. integral theorist.
Ken Wilber is a philosopher, mystic, author, and the originator of Integral Theory, in which the insights of mysticism, science, and systems theory come together to form a coherent picture of the Kosmos. [www.kenwilber.com]
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filmmaker. writer. word maker-upper.
Stephanie Angel is the founder and Executive Director of Angelight Films, a non-profit production company that helps children with brain tumors express themselves by creating their own short films. [www.angelightfilms.org]
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television journalist. author. chief correspondent.
Jim Moret is a veteran television journalist, author, and attorney who's currently Chief Correspondent for Inside Edition and a CNN contributor. [www.jimmoret.com]
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