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
teaching
Sue Sommer
teacher. author. world traveler.
Award-winning teacher Sue Sommer developed and teaches the English Honors and Creative Writing course for Marin School of the Arts at Novato High School. She also leads summer educational tours to Europe. www.newworldlibrary.com
I teach 150 students a day, and my joy comes from showing them what’s beyond Facebook and Gameboys.
A lesson that gets the kids to think past their teen bubbles is our school’s Sophomore Speech tradition. Students research a topic of global interest, present both sides of it in a short speech, then take one side and defend it. As they listen to each other, hearing thirty speeches on a variety of topics, their minds open to plights and possibilities across the globe.
I have the privilege of taking students to Europe and seeing their delight as they ride the tube in London, absorb the gilded majesty of the Vatican, and look at the stunning masterpieces in the Louvre. Those experiences are sometimes juxtaposed against the experience of seeing an ancient woman begging, her skin too cracked to wrinkle, kneeling head down on the hot sidewalk. Those trips stretch their beliefs and their boundaries.
What disconnects me with the bliss of teaching is The System stepping in … or stepping out. When inane rules or projects are added that keep teachers from doing what we must do, I disconnect, grumbling. And when The System steps aside, blaming others for a lack of resources for books or salary increases, the give-it-up ghost kicks in. What puts me back on track is getting back to the actual teaching.
We lead ineffective lives because we’re unaware or afraid, which cripples us. When people stagnate they stop learning. An innate desire flows in each of us to stretch, to help others, to create something new, and to learn.
As much as I’m touched and buoyed by my current students, I’d also like to teach kids who have few resources and really need the guidance, like kids in Haiti or Afghanistan. It would be very fulfilling to go where the need is great.
- Sue Sommer
Explore More Meaning
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candid author. passionate speaker. peaceful warrior of change.
Nancy Rosenfeld Daly is a speaker, author, facilitator, and former CFO who merges neuroscience, consciousness, tribal wisdom, and business savvy to ignite discovery and change. www.nancyrdaly.com
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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
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author. philosopher. connector.
Marianne Williamson is an internationally acclaimed best-selling author and lecturer. She founded Project Angel Food, a meals-on-wheels program that serves homebound people with AIDS in the Los Angeles area. www.marianne.com
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producer. storyteller. j.k.ster.
Mark Gustawes is president of film and TV production at j.k. livin. www.jklivin.com
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filmmaker. writer. word maker-upper.
Stephanie Angel is the founder and Executive Director of Angelight Films, a non-profit production company that helps children with brain tumors express themselves by creating their own short films. www.angelightfilms.org
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edutainer. musician. balancer.
Aaron Ableman is an acclaimed “edutainer.” He grew up under the mentorship of Hopi elders and children’s musician Raffi, and has shared stages with K’NAAN and Joan Baez, among others. www.balanceedutainment.com
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writer. teacher. service connoisseur.
Brooke Burton writes and teaches as a way of celebrating her love of the food and hospitality industry. She sees glamour in the whir of a busy dining room. www.foodwoolf.com
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non-profit leader. progressive mind. gerbode fellow.
Adam Borelli is the Executive Director of New Leaders Council. In 2011, he received the Gerbode Fellowship, an award given to the top five non-profit leaders. www.newleaderscouncil.org
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