
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
freedom

On my website, I committed to doing “40 Days of My Body,” and that helped me snap back into my body. I’d realized that, unattended, the body does what it knows how to do, which is store energy. I’d gained 40 pounds and was surprised about it. I had a feeling of “Who’s been in my house?”
I did that commitment on my website because I wanted to speak openly about what was happening to me. I knew the public commitment would give me accountability and I wouldn’t snap back out of my body and go into hiding.
After I finished, someone said to me, “You did the 40-day commitment on your body. What about doing a writing activity with me?” I didn’t identify myself as a writer at that time and didn’t feel like l had 1500 words a day in me. I started to flip out.
I decided to cheat and write down my dreams. I’ve always had very cinematic dreams, ever since I was a little kid. That “cheat” turned into the creation of a body of work like nothing I’d ever created before. It was remarkable!
I was flooded with an understanding of how important it is to express what’s meaningful. What’s meaningful to me is the freedom to move through the world with lots of flexibility and to talk with people about what’s at the core of how we make our best decisions.
There’s a generalized expectation that we’re supposed to know what our calling is, but we’re not generally taught how to find that out. We’re not taught processes of inquiry that help us know our truth. Generally, we’re taught processes of inquiry that tell someone else truths they can understand about us. We go to schools that teach us their vocabulary for our passions and calling. We’re given gurus who tell us, “This is what it is.”
When we learn to define our calling for ourselves, to put our own vocabulary on it and have it be an active, open, communal process where we can ask each other questions, then it gets really interesting!
– Dyana Valentine


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collaboration coach. house balancer. appreciative in-law.
Kanesha Baynard is an educator, blogger, and coach who supports people to live boldly by harmonizing mind, body, spirit, and creativity. She works primarily with multigenerational families trying to figure out life under one roof. [www.itsafullnest.com]
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