
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
love

The key to my health, joy, and resiliency is love. It may sound cliché, but it’s absolutely true. I’m committed to fearlessly and constantly staying connected to what I love in all I do. When I see things through a loving perspective, judgments, attachments, and desires for control don’t accumulate within me. Though it’s not always easy, I can almost always find something to love about what I’m doing. If nothing else, I can take a break and connect instead with something that evokes the quality of love within me. And if that’s still not enough, then I know something needs to change.
Here are a few simple tricks that keep me in love with myself, the people around me, and the Spirit of Life.
When I wake up in the morning, my first commitment is to never get out of bed with an unloving thought on my mind. So, if I wake up and feel tired, sick, or stressed about my day, I take a moment to lovingly allow my self to have that feeling, and then I choose to shift my focus to a different thought, such as one of gratitude or inspiration.
When I wake up, no matter where or what the day may hold, I take time to pray and to slow down my mind with my breath. Some days I need ten minutes and other days I only need two. As I breathe, I take the time to feel and think about what I love, who I love, what I love to do, and how I will bring compassion into my day.
Throughout the day, I take time to stop and return to a caring mindset as often as I can, or as often as I need to. I use touchstones. The trick is not in the thing used as a touchstone, but in the feeling it evokes: a walk, a seashell, time for a laugh, a photo – whatever works.
Finally, I try to base as many of my decisions as possible on love. In some cases, this means asking myself, What is the most compassionate next step? and in other cases it means asking myself, What would I love the most? Love isn’t always about making people happy or getting what we want. For me, love is a feeling of balance, compassion, and kindness, a feeling of being centered and knowing I’m connected and I’m empowering others. When I act from love, I find that life sorts itself out and no matter what comes to pass I can always learn something and enjoy the process.
– Jonathan Ellerby


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infant vocalist. continuous learner. light shiner.
Chandrika Tandon is a Grammy-nominated singer & composer who has received praise from NY Times for her "limpid, serene voice.” Her new album “Soul March” reinterprets “Raghupathi Raghava Raja Ram,” a song sung by Gandhi and his followers during the 1930 Salt March.
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narrative multitasker. life saver. creative activist.
James Lecesne has been telling stories for over 25 years, though acting, writing, and teaching. He's one of the creators of The Trevor Project, an organization focused on suicide prevention among lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning youth. [www.thetrevorproject.org]
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