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
soul
January L'Angelle
honesty seeker. brilliance infuser. really great mom.
A go-getter in all endeavors, motivational speaker January L'Angelle likes to stir up trouble. She writes and directs films and co-founded Stay Brilliant, an organization working to better the lives of people living with mental anomalies. [www.staybrilliant.com]
The soul is what makes us who we are. It’s the truth about who we are. No matter who we are on the outside or who we pretend to be, we can’t hide from our own soul.
I was not the easiest child to raise. I was fiercely independent. At every age, I wanted to be ten years older than I was, and I got into a lot of trouble. I would always lie about things in a sneaky way to get myself out of trouble. Then, in my late teens, I realized that the only person I was lying to was myself.
Everyone around me already knew I was lying, so I was only hurting myself. Every time I lied, I took a little bite out of my soul. As I grew older, I realized that knowing the truth for yourself is the most important thing, and it’s the soul that keeps that truth. Being truthful to yourself is being true to your soul.
You know when you’re being dishonest. Not feeling good about it is your soul speaking up. We’re not perfect, but we can do some soul searching and make some repairs. You can say to yourself, “Okay, I can’t take back what I said, so I can try to repair things with that person, or not.” Maybe trying to repair it with them would make things worse. You can do repair work internally, too: “I’m not a bad person. I’m a good person in so many other ways. I won’t beat myself up about this. I’ll learn a lesson and not do it again.”
Change doesn’t happen overnight – we learn slowly – but at some point, we have an epiphany. We wake up and say, “Wow, I am really not going to do that again.” When we learn and don’t repeat, we repair the soul.
I have a little story that keeps me motivated. Every time I tell it I get chills. I have a 22-year-old son. We went through a rough patch when he was a teenager. He was very, very difficult (like mother, like son). I kept firm with my values and kept saying the things I needed to say. He disregarded it all. A few years ago, he said, “You know, Mom, I’ve been spending a lot of time with my friends and their families, and their moms are just not great moms. They don’t pay attention. They don’t listen. They don’t care. I want to tell you that you’re a really great mom.”
– January L’Angelle
Explore More Meaning
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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]
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manager. student. joy infuser.
As a business manager, Nicholas Brown frees artists from the daily responsibility of handling their money, demonstrating trust, integrity, and service as the platform of his business foundation. [www.gsogroup.com]
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creative problem solver. writer. questioneer.
Writer, photographer, and creative problem solver April Larson founded The Questioneers, an organization providing children throughout the world with opportunities to participate in meaningful communication. [www.thequestioneers.com]
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balancer. humanity embracer. women protector.
Buddhist Monk Lama Tenzin founded Children's Education and Development International, providing homes, education, and health care for destitute Himalayan children.
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good girl. light footed leader. experience owner.
Sarah Jones sees Life Itself as her lead in an epic, ongoing partner dance. She teaches women how to go from feeling uptight and invisible around men to beautiful and free. [www.sarahamandajones.com]
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seemingly impossible creator. game changer. transformation coach.
John Hittler coaches teams and individuals to transform their lives by design and choice, partnering with them to create significance in their lives. [www.evokinggenius.com]
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venture capitalist. kiteboarder. dream achiever.
Bill Tai rides the waves of the stock market as a successful venture capitalist and the waves of the ocean as a sponsored kiteboarder. [www.about.me/BillTai]
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doctor of optometry. life coach. holistic balancer.
Robert Dirksen is a life coach and doctor of optometry who specializes in holistic care. His passion is helping people balance all aspects of life mind, body, and soul. [www.DrRobWellness.com]
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