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. TED-talker. no-bullsh**er.
Sophie Chiche, founder of lifebyme.com, is the single mom of an amazing 16-year-old, Leah, and wicked step-mom of 22-year-old, Sarah. They all live in LA. You can find them boxing, cooking, collaging, hosting brunches, laughing their head off or bickering over who’s washing and who’s drying the dishes.
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
laughter
Leslie Harradine
consultant. facilitator. life enhancer.
For two decades, Leslie Harradine, a partner and Managing Director of Exhact GmbH, has traveled the globe to help individuals, teams, and business leaders enhance their personal and professional lives. www.exhact.com
What’s most meaningful to me is a combination of laughter and humor. I have a tendency towards seriousness, but have noticed that when I take myself or situations or life too seriously, I move into judgment and that creates separation – me vs. them, or me vs. the world, or me vs. myself. It actually narrows my vision, my perception of what’s true, so that I focus on what’s not working, what I’m doing wrong, or what they’re doing wrong. But when I bring forward humor or laughter, it lifts me. Finding the humor in a situation and being able to laugh at myself lifts me above the situation. I gain a higher perspective.
When I find myself in a serious situation, I use a little trick I learned from watching Cesar Millan’s TV show. When Cesar trains a dog to consider him the alpha dog, he flips the dog onto its back and makes a sound like “Sheee.” The dog quickly learns to stop his crazy behavior whenever he hears Cesar’s “Sheee,” which is a reminder that Cesar is dominant. So I treat my seriousness, my judgment, my separation like a crazy dog. I tell myself “Sheee” and it reminds me that I can take charge over it. And I get a little inner giggle going.
Also, I’m on the lookout for things that spontaneously happen to help me move out of a perspective of seriousness. An example of this is what happened when I had to put my cat Buster to sleep. The vet had come to the house to do it. I sat in a recliner and held Buster to say my final farewell. I was really sad, grieving and crying, but then I needed to sit up more to hold the cat for the vet. As I sat up, I said, “This is really hard.” With great compassion, the vet said to me, “I know it is.” But what I’d meant was that getting the footrest of the recliner to fold down while I was holding the cat was being really hard. In that moment, through my tears, I started laughing. I suddenly saw that there are sometimes such different perspectives or interpretations of a situation. And I saw that even within deep grief, there’s always the potential for a smile and a giggle.
- Leslie Harradine
Explore More Meaning
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survivor. fitness motivator. serenity manifester.
In 2000, Jenna Phillips survived a head trauma accident and was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. She motivates and inspires people through Mission Possible, her health and fitness company. www.jennaphillips.com
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filmmaker. lateral thinker. mellow visionary.
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Marc Rosenbush is an award-winning film director, writer, and producer who connects seemingly unrelated ideas – like Zen and film noir, vampires and compassion – to entertain, enlighten, and inspire. www.lightwheelent.com
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writer. activist. asker of questions.
Pat Thomas is a journalist, campaigner, and author specializing in health and environment. She’s the author of dozens of books for adults and children and creator of the interactive game Infrequently Asked Questions. www.iaqs.org.uk
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environmental healer. practical visionary.
Andy Lipkis is the founder and president of TreePeople. www.treepeople.org
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author. teacher. expressionist.
Author, coach, counselor, teacher, and workshop facilitator for Café Gratitude and Challenge Day, Erin Ross has inspired and empowered thousands to take positive action toward living their lives fully expressed. www.getthatyoumatter.com
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chairman. media mogul. nicher.
Jason Binn is the Founder and Chairman of Niche Media, one of the largest networks of exclusive, city-specific custom publishing companies in the country. www.nichemediallc.com
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blogger. mother. possibility creator.
Claudia Pornaro is a mother, blogger, writer, and creator of amazing possibilities – now that she knows what she want to be when she grows up. www.facebook.com/claudiapornaro
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artist. designer. heart threader.
Artist, designer, and manufacturer Scott Wilson is the founder and CEO of HeartThreads, a clothing line designed to inspire from the inside out. http://heartthreadsclothing.com
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What do you do to expand your consciousness?
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