
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
responsible

It’s not only important for me to be and feel human, but to practice humanity. I can’t wake up in the morning and pray and participate in practices that would make me a better human being and then later be cheating or killing. They don’t match.
It’s important to know our responsibility as human beings. It’s more than part of my religion or culture. It’s part of being human.
For example, women are the mothers of the universe. When we’re in our mother’s womb, we’re creating all these things. In very ancient times there may have been no organized religion, but they believed in the very important role of the female. Even in Christianity, Jesus Christ had to be born to Mary.
Men are part of this universe, too, and have a responsibility to protect it. That means to protect the women. It’s not a take-over. Women are like a green field and men are like the boundary.
As humans, we have a responsibility to feel our own suffering and happiness just the same as every other human. Before I talk to anybody, I check in with myself. What do I feel? I test to see if I feel good or bad.
Balance is important, because times change. As a monk, I shouldn’t be allowed to do any social work, but I find a balance for myself. I spent 11 years as a monk. Then I spent another 11 years doing the work I do now.
My hope is that every girl has the opportunity to be educated. If every single girl is educated, that’s going to have an effect on trafficking, birth control, AIDS – all of those things. I believe that in the future, when I’m no longer here, women are going to take over the planet, and there will be a lot of good decisions made as a result.
I live my life with a sense of responsibility to my fellow humans, especially to the girls I help. I learn from these girls and they have given me this voice. It’s not just me.
– Lama Tenzin
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