
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
inspiration

My art and creativity are meaningful to me, but even deeper than that is being authentic about who I am. My art plays a hand in that because I’m able to show myself authentically through my art in a lot of ways.
When I was a kid I enjoyed making art. As I got older and became a more rounded and spiritual person and learned more about who I am, art took on a deeper meaning and more of my passion went into it. Before, it was just fun. It’s still fun, but now it’s more than that, too. When I found the connection between fun and passion and putting myself into my art, that’s when my success came.
Art is very subconscious in a lot of ways. Someone who doesn’t know much about art still knows whether they like a piece of art or not, even if they don’t know why. I think this is because energy gets put into art. Successful artists carry the energy that’s within them through their brush and onto the canvas – or whatever medium they’re using – and it stays there, vibrating. Someone who looks at that art can feel it. It’s not only about that energy, but also about where the person who’s looking is in their world at the moment.
I don’t use my art to work out my issues. I need to be inspired before I can work on a piece. I work out my issues in other ways before I make art.
I used to be hard core about getting people to act more responsibly about the environment. Then I realized I was going about it in a way that was only giving the universe more energy for making me angry about it. I wanted to take a different approach, one more about being inspired to make the planet better rather than being angry about it.
So I do what I can do, without blame or hard feelings toward people who don’t necessarily do it the way I do, or even do it at all. Rather than using guilt or fear, I try to inspire people.
I’m inspired to make the world a better place and I have a lot of ideas. I want to help. The more I grow and learn about myself, the stronger I become and the more I’m able to be inspired and to inspire, to make this country and this world a better place.
– Cutter Cutshaw


Explore More Meaning
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melody maker. peanuts appreciator. energy seeker.
Gabe Morgan, music and business student at CSU Northridge, is a musician, songwriter, lyricist, and producer. He is a 2004 graduate of Teen Insight and our featured contributor for Giving Tuesday. [www.givingtuesday.org/partner-detail/insight-university]
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