
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
awake + be

I first became consciously aware of the difference between what I was doing and why I was doing it one day on the strike lines at UC Berkeley, back in 1970. You know the drill: “On strike! Shut it down! Power to the people!” On that spring day I was hit by a tear gas canister. I picked it up to throw it back (no one told me it would be so HOT), and suddenly I was outside by body, about 20 feet up in the air, looking back down at myself: long hair, beard, angry expression. I heard myself screaming: “Why don’t you a##%$&*s love us?” Then – Bam! – I was back in my body, flooding with the awareness that my message was peace, love, and caring, yet my strategy was to scream and throw things.
Fritz Perls wrote that simple awareness can be curative. In this instance, I can’t say I was cured of the anger, but I did have an awakening that life – my life – would be about loving, caring, and being the peace I seek.
Shortly thereafter, I heard a slightly mangled Eric Hoffer quote: You can never get enough of what you don’t really want. Now, my life’s work can be summed up as combining the counsel of Perls and the wisdom of Hoffer in this way: I help people get what they think they want as fast as possible so I can ask: “Was that it?”
You know this drill as well: Work your tush off to get something and then wonder why the heck you ever wanted it in the first place. Why not live the life you want rather than the life you settled for?
When I started Insight Seminars in 1978, we called it Insight: The Awakening Heart. I used the tag line Becoming More of Who You Already Are. In many ways, those phrases still sum up my life.
Something that awakens was previously asleep. And something that’s asleep was previously awake. I’m doing my best to awaken and not let myself fall asleep to the divine presence inside of me. And who am I? A being of light, part of the Divine, here to come into one accord with the love, peace, and divinity that already is. And to live the blessings.
– Russell Bishop


Explore More Meaning
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loss educator. transition encourager. hope infuser.
Carole Brody Fleet is a popular motivational speaker, helping people touched by the pain and challenge of loss, regardless of age. She's been a regular guest on local, regional, national, and international media programs. [www.widowswearstilettos.com]
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