
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
impact

I want my life to have impact. By living with that mind-set and being engaged in every aspect of my life – as a mom, an entrepreneur, a friend, and a wife – I want to inspire others to do the same.
Until recently, I felt a lot of cynicism around that idea. I thought living that way wasn’t even possible. I’d worked in investment management for a long time and had become jaded by that environment. When I had children, I felt internal conflict about my work, about what I was learning regarding who I was, and about my deeply embedded values. When I was fired from my last job in the investment management industry, I thought, Well, then, I’ll just be a mom. But that didn’t work either. So I started a blog, which me led to a big community. Now I see what’s possible. I see that I can absolutely love my work and make it lucrative and be a great mom. That’s been the biggest gift.
What I see working for people in my community is creating small goals and moving from that focus – staying focused on who we are and what we care about and acting from there. When we listen really carefully to those things, that’s when we see results.
I have a tendency to overschedule, so when life gets hectic, I quiet down and free up my schedule for some time alone. I’ll spend three hours painting or taking a long walk out in nature. I slow down and listen to my heart. I accept what I’m feeling, instead of thinking about what I’m supposed to feel or be, or focusing on what other people think. I ask myself, What do I want to do?
So much of my life is about connecting with others that I’ve come to value the time I spend by myself. It helps me recharge so I can go out and do all the things I want to do and be all I need to be for the people in my world.
– Kiva Leatherman
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