
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
connect

It’s incredible that all the seemingly random things you do in your life can be connected like a beautiful patchwork quilt. I never thought that being a real estate broker in my early years, my time running a pub in England, becoming an author and motivational speaker, and now becoming a talk show host would have anything to do with one another.
Real estate is where it all began. In sales you need to master the art of communication, rapport and networking. However the icky, manipulative style we were all trained in didn’t work for me. I realized early on that I was going to have to take ‘the road less travelled’ and I copped some flack for that. “What is she doing wasting so much time talking to people?” or “Why is she having coffee with people and wasting time when she should be closing the sale?” were some of the comments I would hear. I went on to be awarded as one of the top 1% of 120,000 sales agents worldwide within three years.
People matter not just in business, but also in life. They are a key determiner of our success. They enrich the journey. They provide support and comfort, and if we spend time nurturing those relationships like seeds they grow.
Sometimes the value comes in a beautiful connection, by being able to help someone, learning and teaching. Every connection is a gift.
Sometimes we don’t realize the power our words can have on another. Our words are one of the most beautiful gifts we can give to others. As Zig Ziglar famously said, “You can get everything in life you want if you will just help enough other people get what they want.”
My most recent piece in my patchwork quilt was becoming an interviewer for my new talk show, KirstyTV. My first day shooting I interviewed a woman who had been abused in a domestic violence situation and another who suffered depression. I cried. It was the most incredible experience. Something happens in an interview. You have a level of permission to ask questions you wouldn’t normally ask and perhaps you reach a deeper connection, a vulnerability.
People truly want to feel heard. When we share our stories and listen to others’ stories, it heals us both.
– Kirsty Spraggon
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