
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
beyond

About twelve years ago, something happened that let me know there’s much more to life and beyond. After a terribly hectic three months of work, my wife and I took a vacation. During our drive to Lake Mohawk, my wife, trying to make small talk said, “Honey, we really need a new vacuum cleaner.”
The last thing I wanted to think about was a vacuum cleaner. I told her so and not in the nicest way, I admit. The rest of the drive was very quiet.
The next morning, I got up early and went down by the lake to unwind. While I was there, my wife left to go to the store. I knew I was still in trouble because usually she’ll yell down, “I love you honey,” but not that day.
Five minutes later, I heard her call my name. Strangely, the voice came from behind me in the forest. I stood up and looked into the forest. Nothing was there, and I went back to work.
A few moments later my daughter ran out of the cabin screaming, “Daddy come quick! Mommy’s at the front gate. There’s a man dying and they need you.” I quickly drove to meet my wife. With her was a man in full cardiac arrest. The paramedics arrived at that same moment. Together we got a heart rhythm back and resuscitated him. Then I rode with them to the hospital.
At the hospital everything was hectic. I started to approach his wife, but then just sent a silent prayer her way and left. Later, it hit me that I’d heard my wife call my name. Now she’s always believed in that sort of thing, but I was a scientist. I’ll believe it when you prove it to me. I wasn’t about to tell her what I’d experienced. Instead I asked her what she’d experienced.
She said her first thought was to turn around and go get me, but she knew every minute this man was in a cardiac arrest his chance of survival dropped. “So I decided to call you, but we’re down here so infrequently that I couldn’t remember the number. Then I just called your name out.”
I’m telling you, as God is my witness, four miles away, I heard my wife call my name. That night I received a phone call from the wife of the man I’d helped to resuscitate. “We’re so thankful you helped our loved one,” she said, “We want to get you something. We work for Hoover. Can we buy you a vacuum cleaner?”
– Dr. Terry Gordon


Explore More Meaning
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authors. citizens. peacemakers.
Gerda Weissman Klein and Alysa Ullman co-founded Citizenship Counts to promote the importance of multigenerational citizen programs. Alysa is an author and the Executive Director of Citizenship Counts. Gerda is an author, Academy Award winner, Holocaust survivor, and human rights activist. [www.citizenshipcounts.org]
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compassionate pianist. musical communicator. moment enjoyer.
Pianist Vanessa Perez, praised for her passionate performing style and keenly sensitive musicianship, is a product of the energized musical culture in Venezuela that produced international stars like conductor Gustavo Dudamel and pianist Gabriela Montero. [www.vanessaperez.com]
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