Jack Canfield 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]

Arianna Huffington

Arianna Huffington 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]

Seth Godin

Seth Godin author. speaker. linchpin.

Seth Godin is a prominent author, blogger and speaker. [www.squidoo.com/linchpin]

Krishna Kaur

Krishna Kaur 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]

Norman Lear

Norman Lear 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]

Leilani Münter

Leilani Münter 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]

Kevin Bales

Kevin Bales 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]

Sophie Chiche

Sophie Chiche 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]

Mastin Kipp

Mastin Kipp 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]

Liz Phair

Liz Phair singer. musician. crier.

Liz Phair is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. [www.lizphair.com]

Desmond Tutu

Desmond Tutu 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]

Zainab Salbi

Zainab Salbi 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]

Sean Stephenson

Sean Stephenson 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]

Kia Miller

Kia Miller 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]

Simon Mainwaring

Simon Mainwaring 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]

Shannon Bindler

Shannon Bindler 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]

Mathieu Bitton

Mathieu Bitton 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]

Jorge Perez

Jorge Perez 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

trust

Kate Northrup grounded flyer. northrup team member. self-truster.

Kate Northrup created early financial freedom and spent 2011 exploring and teaching financial, emotional, and spiritual freedom. She co-created Team Northrup, a league of wellness entrepreneurs aligned with the work of her mother, Dr. Christiane Northrup. [www.teamnorthrup.com]

I organize my life around what feels good. Since I know that when I feel good everything around me is affected, it’s my first and primary responsibility. Feeling good comes from being willing to love all aspects of myself (even if I think they’re unlovable), take care of myself, make sure there’s a lot of pleasure in my life, and fill myself up so I have enough overflow – energetically and emotionally – to be of service.

I’ve been working a lot lately on opening my heart, which I can do anytime and which doesn’t require any additional equipment. I do this in different ways, like visualizing a gate on my heart opening and my breath going in and out through the gate so there’s flow through my heart. A really easy way to open my heart is by tapping into what I love. If I’m with someone, I’ll express my gratitude for what I love out loud.

This past year has been a lot about boundless freedom, and being free without constraint or structure has been an amazing experiment. I have financial freedom and location freedom, which is amazing, but that amount of freedom sometimes makes it challenging for me to get traction in my creative and writing lives, so I’m exploring having a more stable physical location, having a schedule, and having some commitments – to allow myself to expand within a structure that makes me feel a little more grounded.

There’s a physics concept I recently learned about called the “piezoelectric effect.” It’s the way crystals are formed in rock because of intense pressure. I love that as a metaphor for life. For example, even though I feel some pressure about buying a home, I’m very much looking forward to expanding and growing from having that structure and stronger foundation.

The work I do is about helping people realize what their values are, then organizing a life around those values. That looks different for each of us, but we each have an inner compass we can trust for guidance. That’s so important to me. I’m grateful that my mom raised me and my sister to really trust ourselves. I have a good sense of self, of what’s good for me and what’s not – without having to check in with other people. While there are still sometimes moments when I get totally lost, I really trust my internal compass to show me the way.

– Kate Northrup

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Your Turn

What are three of your most valued freedoms?
What’s the greatest pressure you’re experiencing in your life right now?
How could one of those valued freedoms help you address and resolve the pressure?

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