
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
health

I trained my body for years in difficult sports and activities that really pushed me physically and mentally. My body became the initial great teacher of my mind. Those activities gave me the ability to discipline myself, compete, and remain positive. That has had a ripple effect on the rest of my life.
The next frontier is to train my mind to be supportive and encouraging. It’s so important to keep out any negative thoughts and focus on being positive. If we let it, fear can get in the way of our progress. There’s that debilitating “What do I do next?” that can totally shut a person down. Being supportive of ourselves and following our intuition can lead us to a place of joy and fulfillment.
It’s not always super easy. We grow up believing very set terms for achieving this to win that. What makes someone successful in their schooling doesn’t necessarily translate into having a fulfilling and meaningful life. It gets really hard. I can’t tell you how many friends I have who are the brightest of the bright, but who struggle, asking themselves, “What’s my meaning? What’s my purpose? Why am I here?”
Finding passion requires us to experiment and take risks. Find stuff, try stuff, and put yourself out there. We all get there in different ways,. We find our meaning or purpose by trying and doing. It’s through the exploratory process that we create the life we want to live.
It’s so important to keep our bodies healthy. Health can focus on food or on changing behaviors, but what it really boils down to is creating an ability to have meaningful and full lives. It’s fun to think about how we can encourage ourselves and others to make good decisions that will serve us well all through life.
My ninety-three-year-old grandmother is a great example of what a healthy life can result in. She’s vibrant and active. Every morning she does her sit-ups and calisthenics. She has an insatiable energy, a desire to learn, and a get-up-and-go attitude. We recently took a trip to China, traveling around together for three weeks. I was the one who had to say, “Mercy! Can we stop and take a nap?”
If we’re in poor health, it can be hard to do things. Health is the key to all the rest of it. When we’re healthy in both body and mind, we can exploring now and keep exploring through our twilight years. Isn’t that what it’s all about?
– Ashley Tudor
Comments