
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
authenticity

At some point, I realized that I became stressed out whenever I thought about the future, and I’d think about the past almost as if I regretted it. When I went through yoga teacher training, I picked up a lot of great tools for applying what I learn on my yoga mat to my everyday life. The most important lessons so far are to stay in the present moment, focus on taking care of myself so I can take care of others, and serve without expecting anything back in return.
Yoga has been transformational. I do it every day. It keeps my body and mind healthy. I’ve become more aware of what I put into and do with my body. Yoga has made me super conscious about every decision I make.
I’ve started doing little meditations to make sure I’m staying true to myself. It may sound silly, but I’ve made washing dishes a meditation. If I find myself starting to feel out of balance or stressed, I take a really deep breath and tell myself that exactly where I am is exactly where I’m supposed to be. These little rituals help me come back to my center.
When I was 14, I created an affirmation I still live by to this day, every day: “I’m a unique woman, sharing my love and standing in my strength.” I repeat this to myself as often as I can, especially when I feel like I’m getting lost. It’s helped me stay true to myself, be completely honest with myself, and reach out for good support.
I used to be scared to reach out and ask for help. I’ve learned to let that go. Now, if I feel like I need support and want guidance, I just go for it. Most of the time, people are willing to be there for us, especially when we’re honest.
For anyone who’s feeling lost, the most important thing is to first learn how to love and respect yourself. Then you’ll be able to love and respect everything and everyone in every situation in your life.
Find a way to love yourself wholly and support yourself. Do things that make you happy. Be happy being alone. If you’re feeling lost, ask yourself what you want to do today, what would be for your highest good, and then take the next step to see what’s out there. For me, it was yoga. I went to yoga classes to find that relief. Then I became a teacher to be able to share that knowledge with others.
– Natasha Marvis

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