
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
shift

What’s most meaningful to me are the people around me and shifting into a higher consciousness so that I’m not operating from ego and fear. Who I surround myself with and the state of consciousness I’m in are so important.
When I’m in a situation I don’t want to be in, if something happens that’s not peaceful or that I don’t like, there’s a shift I make. It’s a matter of being calm or letting go or even not reacting. I train myself to do this. I resolve to try not to react in such situations, but to just let it pass. It feels good! And that good feeling seems to create a marker in my mind so that the next time I’m in a tough situation I remember how good it feels to let it go. It feels like it happens in my brain right between my eyes. I’ve discovered that non-reaction is very powerful.
When I practice this method, it’s like I’m coaching gently coaching people because they see the way I am in situations, they see that letting go and not reacting and even sometimes not thinking are options that shift things in a direction toward a more open place and a higher consciousness.
I became interested in consciousness about ten years ago, when I took a trip to India and began studying the wealth of information on the topic. I went through another turning point, a big shift that woke me up, during the aftermath of 9/11, when America entered the Iraq war. I had a feeling of disbelief during that time. I knew in my bones that America was killing innocent people there. Finding out about all the false documents and bombings caused an awakening in me. I thought There’s something not right with our government. There’s something not right with what’s going on in the world. I felt terribly sad.
And I shifted. Not everything being done by the government reflects my beliefs or what I want. I found myself shifting into a higher consciousness, into a place where I could choose not to operate from ego or fear. Knowing that I can choose how I react in situations, and even choose not to react at all, has been a shift that’s made my life much more meaningful and that’s helped me connect better with the people around me, particularly those who mean so much to me.
– Kenneth Schwenker


Explore More Meaning
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celluloid visionary. abandoner of ordinary. awe seeker.
Television personality, filmmaker and philosopher, Jason Silva has been described as "part Timothy Leary, part Ray Kurzweil, and part Neo from The Matrix." He recently launched a series of non-commercial micro documentaries exploring the co-evolution of human and technology.
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fearless lady. radio inspirer. challenge acceptor.
Fenesha Hubbard helps women use their innate intuitive abilities to create profound changes in their lives. Find her teaching Kemetic Yoga, facilitating group learning sessions, and serving up fuel for your mind and soul on her radio show. [fenesha.com]
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