
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
thank you

People mean a lot to me. I’ve felt that way most of my life, but particularly since I lost my mother, who was good to everyone. I was a brat growing up and spent a good portion of my adult life wanting things my way and being very judgmental and short-tempered. When I lost my mother, I adjusted my life. I believe I’m walking on Earth for her now, carrying on in her footsteps. I love to be good to people, to do special things and to make people feel special.
By nature, I’m quick to react and maybe not in the kindest, most thoughtful, most patient manner. I’ve always had a big heart and been loyal to those I love and care about, but if someone hurt someone I loved or did something I found offensive, I was quick to react in a negative way. That’s changed as my outlook on life has changed.
A great thing about the work I do at my company, Be Good to People, is being surrounded by reminders, which I see all around me all the time on our products. Not only that, but the people I employ and am partnered with hold me to a high standard and it’s very important to me, too, to be authentic and practice what I preach about being good to people. My work is great because it holds me accountable.
Being good to people has given me so many prizes. I’m an entrepreneur, I own two businesses, and I’m constantly working with other women entrepreneurs and start-up companies, with my employees and clients, with my children and their friends and their schools – and being good to people is a context I can always apply, no matter what the situation. This simple practice has changed my life, because of how I feel when I’m good to people and also when that goodness comes back to me. If I had unlimited resources, I would just go out and do good things for people all day, every day.
Saying “Thank you,” being grateful, is so meaningful to me. I think one of the biggest problems we have in this world of people who are too busy and too caught up is that people don’t say “Thank you” enough – to the check-out person or to the person who made dinner at home. The things people do for each other are amazing – from little things all the way to huge things. Saying “Thank you” makes a big difference.
– Kris Wittenberg
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