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
space
Deborah Monaghan
Deborah Monaghan is creator and founder of ThinkBody.com, a recently launched design outfit that creates wallpaper, textiles and dry goods based on anatomy and systems of the body. [www.thinkbody.com]
I grew up in the suburbs of Massachusetts, where there was just enough woods for rambling and one pond called Peck’s down a trail through the neighbor’s backyard. These were days when you could find freedom from home and parental structures by riding your bike around cul-de-sacs. Discovery was yours for the taking—that is until the streetlights came on. Long summer days of pondering and wonderment slowly dripped by, and I was acutely aware that so many tales of my life had yet to be written. There was no way for me to know what was in store for me (though I had dreams), and the tone of this dwelling in the unknown was a combination of contentment, airiness and apprehension. As a kid, most of my life was out of my hands.
There is something that happens when space and the unknown are allowed in one’s life. And when I say space, I mean all kinds: physical, emotional, mental, the built world, the natural world, time. Slowness seeps in, subtlety reigns in the quiet, the vulnerability of the human experience becomes palpable and truths of one’s self emerge. Spaciousness can feel like emptiness. Spaciousness can feel like giving up control. And it is.
I recently moved to Montana as a newly single person. There’s a lot of physical and natural space here, not to mention the emotional because everything is new, and I don’t have the distractions of a well-worn routine. Alongside all of that, I put together my first art show and launched a small business. I took a leap into the unknown, into tales that have not yet been written. What has emerged here has been a collaboration of my choices and space. The experience has been rich and deep.
Summer is in full swing here. My cruiser bike takes me to places I need to go and down side streets I’ve never travelled. The sky here is vast, the wilderness I could forever ramble. I’m no longer a kid, my choices affect many of the outcomes of my days, and so as an adult I’ve chosen to return to a life with built-in space.
As the Tao Te Ching says, “We shape clay into a pot, but it is the emptiness inside that holds whatever we want.”
Space is enough. In space there is enough. You in space is enough.
– Deborah Monaghan
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curious writer. time-traveler. knowledge cultivator.
Author-historian Vicki León delights in writing about the hidden side of history in The Joy of Sexus and other books that have won rave reviews from Publishers Weekly to People. [www.vickileon.com]
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Author. Lecturer. Wellness Authority.
Deepak Chopra is a world-renowned authority in the field of mind-body healing, a best-selling author, and the founder of the Chopra Center for Wellbeing. [www.chopra.com]
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designer. artisan. spirit elevator.
Calleen Cordero brings the Old World art of handmade artisan footwear and accessories back to the United States, elevating the spirit one sole at a time. [www.calleencordero.com]
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bestselling author. childhood reconnector. messy laugher.
Michael Neill is an internationally renowned transformative coach and creative sparkplug to CEOs, celebrities, and royalty. His books have been translated into thirteen languages around the world. [www.insideoutrevolution.com]
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spiritual parent. entertainment lawyer. kin connector.
Cynthia Litman is an entertainment lawyer. She founded the spiritual parenting brand Momma's Pearls, providing depth and support to busy families via blog, talk radio show, newsletter, and coaching. [www.mommaspearls.com]
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nut butter aficionado. ceo. green visionary.
Justin Gold, Founder and CEO of Justin's Nut Butter, says he can't live without his maple almond butter, snow covered mountains, or moments that make his heart race. [www.justinsnutbutter.com]
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horse partner. contentment holder. inner critic silencer.
Angela Dunning founded Equine Reflections in 2007 to share her passion for learning life skills through interactions with horses. In addition she writes and dances the Argentine Tango. [www.equinereflections.co.uk]
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Coach. Leader. Truth Teller.
Pioneering seminar leader and life coach Breck Costin encourages people to realize their personal, career, and spiritual aspirations. His couples-counseling practice, BCC Associates, is based in Los Angeles. [www.bccfreedom.com]
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