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
equanimity
Joan Barnes
creator. truth seeker. jourrneyer.
Joan Barnes was the principal owner of YOGASTUDIO. She also founded and was CEO of Gymboree. She continues to be involved in creative recreation for all age groups.
What’s most meaningful to me now is to live really authentically and with equanimity – with calmness and mental composure. I spent so many years living inauthentically. Even though I had a tremendous amount of outward success and a lot of accolades, I felt as if I was a fraud.
In 1976, I moved to California, had kids, and started a company, Gymboree. It turned out to be slowly quite successful, though I was in over my head from the beginning. I was in the first wave of women entrepreneurs. I raised a bunch of money, gained a lot of momentum, was on all the talk shows, and started to believe my own press, yet I was killing myself trying to make the business work. There was a growing chasm between what I was creating in the outer world and how I felt inside. I had a nervous breakdown and developed an eating disorder and a cocaine habit. But nobody knew and I looked okay on the outside.
When I was 43, I left my business. I went away with one suitcase to what I thought would be a 30-day treatment program for the eating disorder and was gone four and a half years. I hadn’t realized how messed up I was. It took me a long time to grow new shoots.
Now I go to women’s conferences and that’s the story I tell. I’ve talked to thousands of women and everybody’s looking for the magic potion. But it’s not something we can package or buy. It’s not in a self-help book. There’s no recipe. What they’re looking for is not outside. It’s all inside. And everyone’s got it.
My equanimity is different from your equanimity. And it’s a moving target. Finding it is a very personal journey of diving inside to locate our own voice. That’s what makes our creations so uniquely our own.
When I line up to my own value system, what the world thinks doesn’t matter. I don’t do this or that to please the world. When we call upon ourselves to align with what’s right for our own value system, we start to really live. But we need to keep adjusting. What was true for me yesterday that worked so well isn’t working when I try it today. We’re always having to keep growing and learning how to live in this moment with this particular challenge. That’s the journey and the art of life.
– Joan Barnes
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inspiration seeker. laughing yogini. true listener.
Jennifer Pastiloff is a lover of life, laughter, poetry, yoga, and a really good glass of wine. She created Manifestation Yoga, which is all about causing serious breakthroughs in life without being too serious. [www.manifestationyoga.com]
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home finder. businessman. completer.
Nick Segal is the president of Partners Trust Real Estate Brokerage & Acquisitions. [www.thepartnerstrust.com]
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leader. education producer. essence expresser.
Kelley Raleigh founded Leading by Example, a multi-media company that showcases young people who are doing good through local and international service projects, comedy web series, coaching, and workshops around the country. [www.leadingbyexample.co]
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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]
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free spirited mom. life lover. plant-eater.
Sandy Corso created Peaceful Daily as well her book, Peace Salad (100 Tips to Inspire a Peaceful Life), to create a community founded on principles of compassion, well-being, and taking action to make the world a better place. [peacefuldaily.com]
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avid creator. free time scheduler. man of action.
Richard Arthur is a Navy commander, filmmaker, and self-described "opinionated bastard." He has worked on NCIS, Commander in Chief, Hawaii Five-O, several features and he has just returned from a humanitarian mission to Southeast Asia aboard the hospital ship, MERCY. [www.ricarthur.com]
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movement specialist. passion cultivator. soultree planter.
Karin McDermott is the founder and owner of Soultree Motion, Inc., a movement and lifestyle company. She teaches movement as a method for unearthing the passionate human soul. [www.KarinMcDermott.com]
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sales psychologist. president. connector.
Gregory Stebbins, Ed.D., is the co-founder and president of Insight University.
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