
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
motion

If I’m not helping people achieve their dreams, I’m exercising.
I was a mess when I was a little kid. If I’d been born later, I’d probably have been diagnosed with ADD or ADHD. My mother would complain that there was always a part of my body that was moving. Sitting at the dinner table, she’d put her hand on my leg to stop it from moving, but then my other leg would move.
My parents used to be horrified at my bad grades. When I was in third grade, they were called in for a conference with my teachers, who told them I was getting Cs, even though I tested really high on the standardized tests. “There’s something wrong with your kid,” they said. They spent the next five or six years trying to fix me.
Then I started exercising, and everything was fine. I was able to channel my energy better and get on track. My personality mellowed out. And sports sucked up all my time and so kept me out of trouble. In high school, I worked out after school and did sports and then was too tired to do anything else.
Exercising has led to a life of great fitness. It helps me burn off excess energy. I didn’t know that consciously at first, but as I kept exercising I saw that I was changing. The reward of exercise for me is the magical thing that happens in my head.
Twenty or thirty years ago, society spent a lot more time trying to put people into boxes. If you didn’t fit into the box, something was wrong with you, by definition. But no matter how messed up someone is and no matter what stage in life they’re in, if they find their passion, they just go.
I was always insanely focused on my own stuff when I was younger – in a hurry to achieve and in a hurry to finish everything. I founded and ran couple of companies. That can be really hard. You can’t do everything by yourself. Once I got to a certain point, it felt more rewarding to help other people.
Being in the position I’m in now allows me to experience the joys of creating a company without having to partake significantly in the agony. So I feel like I’m in a good spot.
What’s meaningful to me is a life filled with enrichment and creating value, interacting with creative and interesting people on a daily basis, and putting myself and my network out there to help them achieve their dreams.
– Bill Tai
Comments