author. speaker. motivator.
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]
political powerhouse. media mogul. author.
Arianna Huffington is the co-founder and Editor in Chief of the Huffington Post and the author of twelve books. [www.huffingtonpost.com]
author. speaker. linchpin.
Seth Godin is a prominent author, blogger and speaker. [www.squidoo.com/linchpin]
yogi. philanthropist. dynamic teacher.
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]
producer. philanthropist. tv legend.
Norman Lear has enjoyed a long career in television and film. He is also a political and social activist and philanthropist. [www.normanlear.com]
race car driver. activist. carbon free girl.
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]
Freedom Fighter. Philanthropist. Game Changer.
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]
mom. big dreamer. lady in red.
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]
Writer. Entrepreneur. Daily Lover.
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]
singer. musician. crier.
Liz Phair is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. [www.lizphair.com]
archbishop. author. peaceful leader.
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]
author. ceo. humanitarian.
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]
speaker. psychotherapist. life embracer.
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]
yogi. meditator. teacher.
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]
creator. writer. idea geek.
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]
Strategist. Writer. Life Coach.
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]
Designer. Art Director. Passionate Creator.
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]
Agent. Producer. Photography Enthusiast.
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
embodiment
Laura Amazzone
jewelry artist. yogini. goddess.
Author, teacher, jewelry artist, and Yogini Laura Amazzone teaches goddess classes and workshops and is adjunct faculty at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles. [www.lauraamazzone.com]
I teach goddess classes all about the divine mother in India and Nepal. There’s so much we’re not told. It’s essential that we consider the lives of the women who came before us, especially their spiritual contributions.
My relationship with the divine mother and knowing about her throughout spiritual history, across the globe and back to earliest times, has really made a difference in my life. Seeing the difference the teachings have made in my students’ lives has also been profound.
I’ve found that applying the many different layers of myths of the divine mother to inner and more global struggles brings liberation, calmness, and a deeper understanding of our place in the universe. There’s so much conditional layering from culture and orthodox religion that keeps us in a more limited place. But the divine love embodied in strong women from mythology and in the living role models around us is available to us all the time.
My childhood was quite challenging and abusive. When I found the myth of Durga – a goddess from South Asia who’s the goddess of invincible power and strength and the remover of difficulty – I realized I’d been fighting battles at home against patriarchal ego constructs that threatened the equilibrium of the world. That sent me on a quest for other strong female role models. There are incredible women all over the globe who can share their rich knowledge about confronting fear and transforming pain into a source of power that helps us liberate not only ourselves, but others facing similar challenges.
That’s the power of women’s history – sharing our experiences and talking about things that are considered taboo. There’s treasure in our darkest experiences. If we dive deep into that darkness, we find fertile ground. Instead of being afraid of the places we don’t want to see, we can go there with the fierce mother, who’s really ourselves. There are all these divine mother traditions that mirror back to us our own divinity. The history and study of goddesses is not about transcendent deities out there or back then. It’s about the divinity within.
When we pay attention to how connected we are to each other and to the unseen realms, we find meaning and synchronicity. There’s so much magic around. Not magic that’s superficial and light, but a deep, earth-based connection, a connection of body and heart that’s beautiful and useful.
– Laura Amazzone
Explore More Meaning
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yogi. meditator. teacher.
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]
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communications coach. author. master of charisma.
Richard Greene, an author and international expert in the field of communication, coaches clients using powerful techniques that transform careers and lives. [www.richardgreene.org]
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speaker. life balance coach. affection spiller.
Renée Peterson Trudeau is the author of the book Nurturing the Soul of Your Family. Thousands of women participate in Personal Renewal Groups based on her first book, the award-winning The Mother's Guide to Self-Renewal. [www.ReneeTrudeau.com]
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conversationalist. author. spiritual messenger.
A modern day spiritual messenger, bestselling author Neale Donald Walsch founded the Conversations with God Foundation, dedicated to inspiring the world to move toward peace, clarity, and love. [www.nealedonaldwalsch.com]
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shadow reader. broken heart hugger. whole self lover.
Amanda Enclade is an unschooler, DIY educator, progressive parent, far-out thinker, non-conformist, foodie, lover, inventor, aromatherapist magic mixer, and healer of everyday things. [www.auntvis.com]
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17 cents dreamer. adversity ignorer. julie's daddy.
Daniel Milstein recently chronicled his rise from cleaning bathrooms while enduring hunger and relentless bullying to becoming the #1 loan officer in the U.S. and head of one of America's fastest-growing finance companies. [http://danmilstein.com/book/]
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curious writer. time-traveler. knowledge cultivator.
Author-historian Vicki León delights in writing about the hidden side of history in The Joy of Sexus and other books that have won rave reviews from Publishers Weekly to People. [www.vickileon.com]
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relationship guru. cupid assister. blessing counter.
Dave Elliott is a relationship expert and coach who founded Legendary Love For Life. He develops content and products, and blogs for a number of relationship websites. [www.legendaryloveforlife.com]
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