author. speaker. motivator.
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]
political powerhouse. media mogul. author.
Arianna Huffington is the co-founder and Editor in Chief of the Huffington Post and the author of twelve books. [www.huffingtonpost.com]
author. speaker. linchpin.
Seth Godin is a prominent author, blogger and speaker. [www.squidoo.com/linchpin]
yogi. philanthropist. dynamic teacher.
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]
producer. philanthropist. tv legend.
Norman Lear has enjoyed a long career in television and film. He is also a political and social activist and philanthropist. [www.normanlear.com]
race car driver. activist. carbon free girl.
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]
Freedom Fighter. Philanthropist. Game Changer.
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]
mom. big dreamer. lady in red.
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]
Writer. Entrepreneur. Daily Lover.
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]
singer. musician. crier.
Liz Phair is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. [www.lizphair.com]
archbishop. author. peaceful leader.
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]
author. ceo. humanitarian.
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]
speaker. psychotherapist. life embracer.
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]
yogi. meditator. teacher.
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]
creator. writer. idea geek.
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]
Strategist. Writer. Life Coach.
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]
Designer. Art Director. Passionate Creator.
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]
Agent. Producer. Photography Enthusiast.
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
compassion
Frank Ferrante
self transformer. former addict. gratitude visitor.
Frank Ferrante is a fifty-four year old Sicilian from Brooklyn whose journey to reclaim his life and fall in love again was the subject of a recent documentary. [May I Be Frank]
I’m not a person who starts every day with a joyful smile on my face. There are times when I wake up in the morning and I’m filled with doubt about the meaning and value of my life. So I move. I get up, I meditate, I pray, or I call a friend who has a firmer grasp on reality than I do at that moment. The most beneficial thing I can do is help somebody else.
When I’m undergoing a crisis of some kind, it’s easy to get stuck thinking about myself and either what’s wrong or what needs to be fixed. But when I direct my attention to helping someone else, the next thing I know I’m getting out of whatever I was in. I direct my full attention to someone else and wherever my attention goes, I go. My circumstances may not have changed, but exercising love and compassion for another human being makes me feel better.
I spent a lot of years asleep. I tried to extinguish who I was with drugs and alcohol. Now I use my past experience and the difficulties I’ve gone through for the benefit of others. I live with an open heart and I look at all that’s happened in a way that enables me to be of maximum service to others.
People sleep through life in a variety of ways, but when we listen, what people need is revealed. It may come in the form of a bunch of questions, but if we listen to the sound of their voice and what they’re asking, people will reveal what they need to hear and what they need to know.
We all have two basic kinds of fears: the fear of losing what we have and the fear of not getting what we want. When we allow ourselves to be afraid, we forget who we are and relinquish our power to something that’s an illusion.
I try to remind people who we really are. We’re part of creation. We’re children of the universe and children of God. Who we are is our greatness. We’re lovable and entitled to love. We’re entitled to express our love and to be loved. It’s when we forget this that we get crazy and think the world is going to collapse.
Remembering who we are isn’t always easy. It’s a daily practice. I don’t remember all the time. So I try to teach what I desperately need to learn. We are all teachers and students at the same time.
– Frank Ferrante
Explore More Meaning
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poet. editor. observer.
Pearl Adler Saban says, "I'm not a writer. I simply write." She shares her life in Toronto, Canada, with her husband, three children, and a dog. When not writing, she does freelance editing. [wwwpearliesofwisdom.blogspot.com]
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juxtaposer. course corrector. chicken soup maker.
Alan Cohen loves to extract lessons from the practical experiences of daily living and find beauty in the seeming mundane. He's an inspirational leader, author, and contributor for the Chicken Soup series. [www.alancohen.com]
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yoga instructor. entrepreneur. latte-lovin' montana cowgirl.
Margaret Burns Vap is a yoga teacher and entrepreneur in Bozeman, Montana. She's a former city-girl fashionista transformed by yoga and motherhood into an outdoorsy Montana cowgirl who still loves a latte. [www.cowgirlyoga.com]
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heart doctor. resilient dad. lesson seeker.
Dr. Terry Gordon, a Cleveland Clinictrained cardiologist who's nationally recognized in matters of the heart, practiced within mainstream medicine for over two decades. In 2002, he was named the American Heart Association's National Physician of the Year. [www.drterrygordon.com]
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astrologist. psychologist. joyicist.
Phyllis Mitz has enjoyed a flourishing astrology practice for over 20 years. She uses a unique blend of astrology, psychology, and spirituality to help people find success in life, love, and work. [www.AstrologerPhyllis.com]
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art devotee. fresh creator. eye-catcher.
Artist Daniel Maltzman's work draws from contemporary influences and incorporates a pop-culture bent. He's the new name on the short list of savvy art collectors. [www.danielmaltzman.com]
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radio show host. writer. unplugged mom.
As a radio show host, speaker, and writer, Laurette Lynn advocates independent home-education by encouraging parents to challenge the conventional assumptions of mainstream parenting and family living. [www.unpluggedmom.com]
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entrepreneur. visionary. media man.
As a serial entrepreneur and Internet visionary, Richard Rosenblatt co-founded Demand Media and is redefining the next generation of new media companies. [www.demandmedia.com]
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