
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
giving back

I’ve always worked for causes that were about giving back to the community. Giving back has always been my intention. When I work for a company I know is making a positive difference in the world, I work better. When you believe in something and you’re passionate about it, you’re destined to go far.
I’d spent a lot of time working for non-profit organizations when I read an article about Tom Szaky, the CEO and founder of TerraCycle. He basically said it’s easier to change major corporations if you’re in the boardroom than if you’re picketing in the parking lot. That floored me. I’ve come to think that for-profit industry creates the most opportunity for change.
Now I work at TerraCycle. One of the things we do is run recycling fundraisers for schools and nonprofits. We bring attention to the waste issue America faces.
Twenty-seven trillion pieces of consumer packaging go into landfills every year. An estimate of 90 percent of the things we buy will be in a landfill within six months of buying them. The average American creates four pounds of waste a day. That doesn’t mean we throw four pounds of waste a day away with our own hands, but our actions, on average, create four pounds of waste every single day – and that’s for all 360 million of us in America.
When you start hearing some of these stats, they can knock you loose. People are usually unaware of the effects our culture’s waste habits are having and how connected things are. A lot of people just need their eyes opened about our waste situation. I was once in southern Europe doing a beach cleanup as part of a volunteer project and saw stuff that had washed up on shore all the way from the U.S. It was staggering. That was the moment when I realized how connected the world really is.
Giving back also happens in smaller ways. In the PR department where I work, we revive and reconnect in different ways. We like to do exercise minutes. Anyone can call for them. One person in the department is a Pilates instructor, so she’ll lead us in a five-minute Pilates course. Or, on nice days, we’ll all get out and go for a walk.
I’ve found that getting up and moving can be really helpful.
– Albe Zakes


Explore More Meaning
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grounded flyer. northrup team member. self-truster.
Kate Northrup created early financial freedom and spent 2011 exploring and teaching financial, emotional, and spiritual freedom. She co-created Team Northrup, a league of wellness entrepreneurs aligned with the work of her mother, Dr. Christiane Northrup. [www.teamnorthrup.com]
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