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
passion
Dawn Garcia
writer. single mom. awakened soul.
Dawn Garcia is a writer, screenwriter, editor, single mom, believer of dreams, beauty, truth, and hope. Since the moment she could put pen to paper she knew she had found her purpose. [www.atodmagazine.com]
I don’t want to create work that’s flat or lifeless or dishonest. I want to write from my core. I want there to be love in everything I let pour out. I never want it to lack passion.
I have lived my life believing in passion and love. I haven’t always been great at understanding either, but I care deeply about a lot in the world. I care deeply about the state of humanity. When I see civil war, atrocity, and hate, it makes me feel this aching inside to want to contradict that with love, beauty, hope, and possibility. I do it in action, but I cry out in words.
I have met some profoundly inspiring people in my life, but what actually did it for me were two pieces of art. The first is Van Gogh’s “Garden of the Poets.” The second came to me when I walked into a random bookstore in Burbank and asking for anything by Anais Nin. The bookshop owner, taking my hand without saying a word, showed me to the back and produced eight photographs that had been dropped off earlier that day – ALL original photographs of one of Anais’ last lectures. I purchased the one of her hands. Black and white, perfect light. Her instrument. On that day at that precise moment, inspiration had arrived.
Look in the simplest of things. I believe that there really are signs, but like in the book, “The Alchemist,” I also believe what we’re looking for we already possess. You have to trust your instincts. Give in to your passions. Get out of your own way. Then ask yourself, “What would I do if I wasn’t doing this?” I think of how I feel on days when I don’t write at all. It’s like someone cut off my oxygen and then tore me limb by limb. I was born with a passion for writing. I can’t survive without it.
In essence, don’t be afraid. Fear can stop us from living, from indulging in the moment. Thankfully hope is far more powerful and can easily disarm it. That gnawing feeling inside that tells you that you need to create – don’t ignore it. It’s your soul trying to wake you up.
– Dawn Garcia
Explore More Meaning
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mom. idea activista. no-bullsh**er.
Sophie Chiche, lifebyme.com founder and curator, enjoys asking game-changers deep questions, wallpapering her stairway, dancing with her staff, reading The Little Prince, and ... oh, you know living a life of meaning. [www.lifebyme.com]
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Writer. Former Political Aide. Identifier.
Roger Wolfson is a television and film writer who's written for four different hit TV series. A former political aide, he was staff to Senators Lieberman, Kerry, Wellstone, and Kennedy. [www.rogerwolfson.com]
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wellness educator. visionary. in-person communicator.
As co-founder of Stay Brilliant, Stephanie Hendler works to increase awareness about people living with mental anomalies. She helps create solutions for individuals' recovery through an integrated bio-psycho-social model. [www.staybrilliant.com]
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author. speaker. linchpin.
Seth Godin is a prominent author, blogger and speaker. [www.squidoo.com/linchpin]
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writer. teacher. service connoisseur.
Brooke Burton writes and teaches as a way of celebrating her love of the food and hospitality industry. She sees glamour in the whir of a busy dining room. [www.foodwoolf.com]
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eco-chef. culinary cooperator. good-time server.
Tom Hunt is a self acclaimed eco-chef and co-founder of Forgotten Feast, working on projects throughout the UK to revive our cooking heritage and help reduce food waste. [www.tomsfeast.com]
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empowering prof. student advisor. community inspirer.
Queena Lee-Chua is a professor of math and psychology at Ateneo de Manila University in the Philippines, and a daily newspaper columnist. She also works with government and civic groups to improve math, science, and education in the country.
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writer. speaker. empowerer.
Chris Cade is a spiritual author, speaker, impassioned parent, entrepreneur, and professional empowerment artist enabling people to discover their innate joy, peace, and abundance. [www.chriscade.com]
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