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
love now
Kute Blackson
motivational speaker. coach. video star.
Life coach and motivational speaker Kute Blackson assists people in living life's wild free-fall. He dares you to pick up the instrument that is your heart and play it fully. [www.kuteblackson.com]
Growing up on four different continents and seeing the reality that diverse people live daily has deeply impacted my heart. From those experiences came the profound and simple realization that at the core we are all the same, we are all one. On the surface, it might seem that we’re different, but we’re not. We all have the same hopes, fears, wants, and concerns. Everyone wants to be loved and everyone wants to love. Each time I come across another human being I’m so humbled. How beautiful we all are.
Inside all my studies of and experiences with religion and philosophy, I find the same thing at the core: At our highest possibility, we are love itself. Are you loving in this moment or are you not?
There are moments when I realize I’m not in tune with the state of loving that’s at the core of my being. If, in that moment, I say to myself, I’m not loving right now. What’s wrong with me? I judge myself and am thus doubly unloving. What helps me if I find I’m not in a loving state is to bring my awareness to the moment, to simply observe without judgment.
It takes real heroism and courage to be willing to love now. It’s easy to love when we feel like loving. It’s easy to love what’s typically lovable. It’s easy to love ourselves when we’re doing great things. But when we open our hearts and dare to love what challenges us, what might collapse us, or what we don’t want to love, we make a profound commitment. When I stop resisting my heart and allow love to flow, that’s when miracles happen.
If we shift our focus and let go of our attachment to the form – the form of a relationship, for example – and commit instead to the loving itself, we remain open. Forms will always change. People will change. Experiences come and go. Guaranteed. What’s important is a commitment to the process of loving, so we remain open and ready and available in every moment.
At times, loving hurts and the heart feels like it might break. But I think it hurts more to hold back. It hurts more to not love. It hurts more to contract rather than to expand, to not risk expressing the depth of love that’s within us. When our hearts feel like they’re breaking, they’re trying to break open to more love. The heart itself can never truly be broken. There’s an unshakable strength there that’s unbreakable at the core.
– Kute Blackson
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spiritual psychologist. philanthropist. happiness harvester.
Lisa Cypers Kamen is a happiness expert whose blend of positive and spiritual psychology coaching, workshops, and philanthropic projects cultivates well-being in private and public audiences around the world. [www.HarvestingHappiness.com]
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spiritual teacher. truth finder. peace achiever.
Guy Finley is the best-selling author of more than 40 books and audio albums on self-realization. He is the founder and director of Life of Learning Foundation, a non-profit center for self-study. [www.guyfinley.org]
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laughter inducer. animal lover. good wife.
Bridget McManus is recognized for her provocative and uninhibited style. She's toured the world as a stand-up comic and appeared in a number of television specials. [www.bridgetmcmanus.com]
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bio-physician. pond builder. whole person.
Dr. Chris Johnstone is an author, bio-physician, and coach. He writes and teaches about resilience, happiness, and positive change. [www.chrisjohnstone.info]
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body healer. fear overcomer. joy indulger.
Mary Beth LaRue is a yoga instructor and writer whose mission is to inspire others to live their best life, and to fully inhabit, enjoy, and heal their bodies and minds through yoga and intention-setting. [www.mblarue.com]
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self transformer. former addict. gratitude visitor.
Frank Ferrante is a fifty-four year old Sicilian from Brooklyn whose journey to reclaim his life and fall in love again was the subject of a recent documentary. [May I Be Frank]
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former dieter. current helper. self acceptance discoverer.
Julie M. Simon, MA, MBA, MFT is a psychotherapist, life coach, personal trainer, speaker and author of The Emotional Eater’s Repair Manual: A Practical Guide for Putting an End to Overeating and Dieting, based on her 12 Week Program. [www.overeatingrecovery.com]
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natural manager. innovator. love tuner.
John Mackey, Chairman and CEO of Whole Foods Market, is a leading practitioner of empowerment management. He co-founded FLOW, a think tank focusing on "Liberating the Entrepreneurial Spirit for Good." [www.wholefoodsmarket.com]
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