
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
exchange

Exchange and business and being an entrepreneur have always fascinated me. I’ve been an entrepreneur since I was little. When I was six or seven, I’d put a sign in the window that said, “Cat Show – 5 Cents.” Basically, I charged my friends to come over and watch my cat.
I’ve realized since then that what appeals to me is the connection. If someone wants something that I created or that I have, there’s the potential for an interesting and meaningful exchange. I find a personal exchange so much more meaningful than going to a store where I have no idea where the stuff came from. Getting to know the person who’s buying from me at a craft fair, or being at an art gallery opening and meeting a buyer, is exciting. That’s a connection on a creative level.
A fascination with details also gives my life meaning. I took creative writing in school and always thought I’d eventually be a writer because of this fascination. I’m a big watcher. I can sit back and watch people in the streets of New York for hours. I find out a lot about someone by noticing the little details.
I’d love to be able to sit down with my grandparents, who died when I was a teenager, and talk with them about life and what they went through in their lives, including those little details I love so much. Where did they grow up? What did they eat? What did they wear? I’d want to exchange stories with them, to have the meaningful conversations we were never able to have.
One of the strengths I got from my mother is being able to overcome fears about what I want to say or do or make and put out into the world. I’ve been working on helping people overcome their fears and let down their boundaries when they need to. By letting go of all those negative voices, exchanging them for encouragement, we can make choices and decisions out of love and excitement, out of curiosity, and with wonder about what’s coming next. Being able to do this has helped me so much in my life that I’d like to pass it along to others.
– Danielle Maveal


Explore More Meaning
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afterlife communicator. awakened sister. imperfection embracer.
In her new book, The Afterlife of Billy Fingers: How My Bad-Boy Brother Proved to Me There's Life After Death, Dr. Annie Kagan shares the extraordinary story of her after death communications with her brother Billy. [www.anniekagan.com]
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