
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
innovate

With the help of a friend, I found my “why.” Giving back and helping others use social media to scale the act of good. I learned that my purpose in life is helping others to accomplish difficult things. For several years I had been running a successful social media agency. It seemed like the perfect life. I was jet setting around the world working with high-profile clients, helping them innovate their businesses using social media. In the span of a year, I was on 210 flights and often forgot what city I was in. I was exhausted and running on adrenaline.
One day, while jogging and listening to Simon Sinek’s TED Talk, his words “if you don’t know why you do what you do, how do you expect anyone to follow you?” stopped me in my tracks. I knew I had a purpose problem. I was helping influential people become more influential, while neglecting my own health and well-being. I decided to inject more purpose into my life. I pivoted my company to focus more on social media education through our Teach For America partnership. Giving teachers social media training will help them bridge the learning gap, increase parent-teacher communication, and overall student achievement.
We are all in the business of humanity and we are only bound by the speed of technology. While up late one night in 2011, I witnessed live footage on CNN of the earthquake in Japan. Semi-trucks were washed away and people were trying to outrun the waves in their vehicles. I wasn’t sure what to do, but I felt accountable and compelled to help in some way given my reach with 1.2 million Twitter followers. I sifted through relevant tweets and links. Conveniently, the most valuable people, stories, and media outlets found their way to the social surface fairly easily. Not knowing what to do, I started retweeting, asking people to send me valuable content to share to a larger audience so that together we could connect the dots.
Life and work can get pretty stressful at times, so I make sure I schedule a daily Ready, Set, Pause into my calendar. I put on my headphones and relax while listening to two songs. When I am finished, I feel refreshed and ready to continue. The concept of taking an “adult time out” to reset and refocus is one of the best things you can do to manage your stress level and increase your productivity.
– Amy Jo Martin
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