
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
love + time

I’m one of 11 children, so I have a huge family that’s really loving and close. Love is meaningful because of all the important ways we love – love of self, love of career, love of family, love of just being able to wake up every day and say we’re alive.
I’ve lost so many people in my life. I lost my mom when I was 16 and my dad six years ago. I had a younger brother who drowned five years ago when he was 27. I know how little time we have, so I try to make the most of it. I try to make every increment of time filled with love. Noticing what I’m doing with my little pieces of time makes life most meaningful.
I’m not afraid to tell someone I love them, because I never know when I’m going to wake up and that person’s not going to be there anymore. I don’t want to live with regret. I don’t want to wish someone I love had known how much they meant to me before they’d gone. Every significant, meaningful person in my life knows how much they mean to me. I make it a point to let them know.
In those moments and days when I feel off track, I fall back on my wonderful friends and family. Sometimes all it takes is a quick phone call to snap me back on track. I’m a spiritual person and I always find that if I’m having a bad day there’s usually something that happens right in front of me that’s the universe telling me I shouldn’t complain, reminding me that I’m actually very blessed.
I try to visualize positive things happening to me and positive things happening to my friends and family. My mantra right now is “If you can visualize, if you can conceptualize, it shall materialize.”
What is it that makes you happy? Look deep within your soul. There’s always something that makes your soul sing. Concentrate on that. We get so caught up in what society expects us to be and what our families and friends expect us to be that we forget how important it is to indulge in ourselves and our souls, focusing and spending time on what we love, on what makes us happy.
– Edward Roque
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