
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
vision

What gets me out of bed is the opportunity to do things a little better than they’ve been done before, to learn from others’ mistakes, and to drive change through passion. I want to be healthy and live an inspiring life and do good for others, but I also want to do things a little differently and to think differently about the way we treat our natural environment, the way we do business, and the way we treat each other.
My parents completely encouraged me to be a fire fighter or an astronaut or a doctor or a lawyer – whatever I wanted to do. When I told them I wanted to make organic peanut butter for a living, they were behind it 100 percent. I’ve always been encouraged to do what I want and to think outside of convention. That’s been very freeing.
I’ve also always had a deep admiration and respect for the natural environment. It blows my mind how ignorant we can be of where our food comes from, where the products we use come from, how they’re made, and where they wind up when we’re done with them. In my business, I’m trying to figure out how to use greener alternatives and drive inefficiencies out of the system. I care about making the world a better place and I want my company to be part of that.
My vision has been shifting more toward community and the strength I find in community. I spend more time with my co-workers than with my family, so I consider people at work to be my family, too. If work is my home away from home, I want it to feel like a home. So I challenge myself and my co-workers to really get to know and love one another, to respect one another, and to work together to solve problems and reach personal and company goals. We work on growing the company and being profitable, but we also work on encouraging change in our community and supporting the natural environment.
What helps me stay on a conscious path, or get back on it, is having a long-term vision. I’ve found that when I set a vision for myself, when I know exactly what I want and where I want to be, and then every day try to do something that gets me a little closer to my vision, even if it’s baby steps, before I realize it … I’m there.
– Justin Gold
Comments