
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
juicy

I’m a martial arts teacher with a black belt in karate. In 30 years of working with myself and with students, what’s become meaningful for me is self-mastery.
I grew up watching David Carradine in the TV show Kung Fu and fell in love with that way of life. He was strong, yet he had a beautiful heart. He found a place between power and peace. The way he handled conflict seemed revolutionary. I wanted to be like that.
So I built a school, a martial arts dojo, and opened it with the intention that it would be a place where people could use the practice of martial arts to evolve themselves and experience self-mastery in any area of life.
One day, an ex-soldier walked into my dojo. He’d been through a lot of pain in his life and was extremely angry at the world, always getting into fights. It didn’t take long to realize he was in a dark place, yet I felt a connection with him, like we were meant to meet for a higher purpose. When I told him that martial arts came from Shaolin monks, who fought as a way to transform anger and fear into self-mastery, I saw a shift as he became intrigued. He wanted a way to transform, and I gave him one he wasn’t expecting.
He spent almost 10 years with me, then went to China to study. Today, he owns his own marshal arts dojo, is one of the most respected teachers in the area, and has become one of the most beautiful people I know.
When you squeeze an orange, what comes out? Orange juice. When we’re under pressure, what comes out is what’s inside. If what comes out under pressure is anger or fear, it’s because that’s what’s inside. It’s a big wake-up call. You can point your finger and say, “You made me feel this way!” but all they did is put the pressure on.
One day, after the ex-soldier had spent many years meditating and doing marshal arts, I pushed him hard, punching and kicking. He was close to getting his black belt and I needed to be sure he could remain in a peaceful zone no matter what. I gave him everything I’ve got. He looked back at me the whole time with the most loving smile on his face. When we were done I said, “How do you feel?” He looked at me and said, “All I feel is juicy love.”
– Tristan Truscott


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tv host. satisfied customer. car washin' smiler.
Melissa Francis, author of Diary of a Stage Mother's Daughter, hosts two daily business shows on the Fox Business Network, including Money with Melissa Francis. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics from Harvard University. [www.melissafrancisofficial.com]
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