
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]

Arianna Huffington is the co-founder and Editor in Chief of the Huffington Post and the author of twelve books. [www.huffingtonpost.com]

Seth Godin is a prominent author, blogger and speaker. [www.squidoo.com/linchpin]

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]

Norman Lear has enjoyed a long career in television and film. He is also a political and social activist and philanthropist. [www.normanlear.com]

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]

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]

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]

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]

Liz Phair is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. [www.lizphair.com]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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
family focus

I was on a fast-track, trying to make a buck, to rise up the corporate ladder but when my daughter, Julie, was born, it really made me stop and think about what was truly important in my life.
My parents had always focused on family. That really was the center for my life, but when you leave your parents nest, and you start to make it on your own, you begin to shift focus on trying to survive. Then you are trying to compete with your work mates and finally trying to establish yourself as an adult. When Julie was born it really reminded me that family really is most important for me.
Without my grandfather, I would not be where I am today. We were living in the Ukraine. We knew life could be better, but we just didn’t have the motivation. He told me at an early age that anything was possible. Although we experienced tremendous discrimination, and anti-Semitism, he taught me to look above and beyond that.
Not being grateful for what you have, be it little or be it much, can throw anyone off course. That’s hard to say when you’re trying to figure out how you’ll pay rent tomorrow, but believe me, I’ve been there. When we first came to this country, we were on welfare and food stamps. We didn’t know where our next meal was going to be. We’d walk miles to the store in the dead of winter just to save .52 cents. Not because we were cheap but because that’s all we could afford. We needed every penny we could get.
It’s so easy to get caught up in the whirlwind of life that you forget what you really should focus on. It’s those times when you have 400 phone lines going, and you’re thinking about a million things that your son or daughter will come in and announce that they just drew a picture just for you. That’s something so simple, but it calms me.
– Daniel Milstein
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