Jack Canfield Jack Canfield 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]

 
Arianna Huffington Arianna Huffington 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]

 
Seth Godin Seth Godin author. speaker. linchpin.

Seth Godin is a prominent author, blogger and speaker. [www.squidoo.com/linchpin]

 
Krishna Kaur Krishna Kaur 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]

 
Norman Lear Norman Lear 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]

 
Leilani Münter Leilani Münter 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]

 
Kevin Bales Kevin Bales 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]

 
Sophie Chiche Sophie Chiche 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]

 
Mastin Kipp Mastin Kipp 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]

 
Liz Phair Liz Phair singer. musician. crier.

Liz Phair is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. [www.lizphair.com]

 
Desmond Tutu Desmond Tutu 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]

 
Zainab Salbi Zainab Salbi 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]

 
Sean Stephenson Sean Stephenson 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]

 
Kia Miller Kia Miller 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]

 
Simon Mainwaring Simon Mainwaring 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]

 
Shannon Bindler Shannon Bindler 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]

 
Mathieu Bitton Mathieu Bitton 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]

 
Jorge Perez Jorge Perez 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

 

self-connect

Laurette Lynn Laurette Lynn radio show host. writer. unplugged mom.

As a radio show host, speaker, and writer, Laurette Lynn advocates independent home-education by encouraging parents to challenge the conventional assumptions of mainstream parenting and family living. [www.unpluggedmom.com]

What’s most meaningful to me now is not the same thing it would have been ten or fifteen years ago, but now that I’m a mom, my kids and my family are most meaningful to me.

I take mothering very seriously. It’s about more than just giving birth. When I became a mother, it was natural for me to decide to do it all the way, but that didn’t actually happen until I had my new baby in my arms. I’d like to say it happened while I was pregnant, but it didn’t. I experienced a beautiful pregnancy and was certainly looking forward to motherhood, but it wasn’t until I was home and had my new baby in my arms that my perspective completely changed.

Soon after I had my first child, I realized I didn’t want to do anything else. At first, I went back to work, but I hated it. I wasn’t focused and wasn’t doing a good job. I had a pretty good career ahead of me, but I saw that it wasn’t going to fulfill me at all and I started to become a half-assed kind of person. I couldn’t think of anything but getting back home to my baby. My perspective completely changed. I embraced the role of full-time mom, loving it and feeling proud to do it.

On some level, motherhood has taken me deeper into having a determined focus. I make my own way in the world and have never been conformist. I’ve never been afraid to walk away from something I didn’t enjoy anymore. Now it’s important to me to unplug from the status quo and be an active part of my children’s lives.

Over the last couple of years, I’ve found a true path for myself. I’ve realized who I actually am. The next level beyond that for me is to go further, to be the best Laurette I can possibly be, and deliver to the world the best thing I can deliver.

The most important connection we can have in life is not necessarily to our spouses or our best friends, or even to our children, because we can’t connect with them until we know who we are. We have to connect with ourselves first. Embracing the beautiful, meaningful role of motherhood taught me who I am.

– Laurette Lynn

Comments

Explore More Meaning

  • Jane Grossman
    Jane Grossman Jane Grossman Consultant. Game Player. Team Builder.

    Jane Grossman, Catalyst of A Sustainable Way, works with individuals and work teams, helping them reach new levels of excellence and satisfaction. [www.asustainableway.com]

     
  • Robert Dirksen
    Robert Dirksen Robert Dirksen doctor of optometry. life coach. holistic balancer.

    Robert Dirksen is a life coach and doctor of optometry who specializes in holistic care. His passion is helping people balance all aspects of life – mind, body, and soul. [www.DrRobWellness.com]

     
  • Katie Visco
    Katie Visco Katie Visco runner. country crosser. first stepper.

    Katie Visco created Pave Your Lane, a campaign to enliven our world through connection to ourselves and each other. The second-youngest person and the 13th woman to run across America, Katie is now running her message across all 50 states. [www.paveyourlane.com]

     
  • Mike Dooley
    Mike Dooley Mike Dooley entrepreneur. author. philosophical adventurer.

    Mike Dooley, a former PriceWaterhouseCoopers international tax consultant, is an entrepreneur, inspirational author, and founder of a philosophical Internet Adventurer's Club with more than 350,000 members. [www.tut.com]

     
  • Rory Freedman
    Rory Freedman Rory Freedman Author. Activist. "Skinny Bitch".

    Rory Freedman is a vegan, animal rights activist, Skinny Bitch, and a #1 New York Times bestselling author. [www.roryfreedman.com]

     
  • Jenni Young
    Jenni Young Jenni Young constant learner. memory catcher. inspirational artist.

    Jenni Young is an award-winning film producer, professional photographer, and life coach who lives her dream daily, serving people around the world seeking health and inspiration. [www.simplereminders.com]

     
  • Elizabeth TenHouten
    Elizabeth TenHouten Elizabeth TenHouten glamour giver. secret sharer. slumber party hotshot.

    Accomplished beauty expert and author, Elizabeth TenHouten has devoted her career to bringing out the best in women, naturally. Her book, Natural Beauty: Homemade Recipes for Radiant Skin & Hair features recipes for homemade topical treatments and skincare remedies. [www.elizabethtenhouten.com]

     
  • Louis G. Herman
    Louis G. Herman Louis G. Herman professor. big medicine seeker. mystery inviter.

    Louis G. Herman is the author of Future Primal: How Our Wilderness Origins Show Us the Way Forward, as well as a professor of political science at the University of Hawaii–West Oahu. [www.futureprimalbook.com]

     
  • More

Contributors

  • Tristan Truscott
    Tristan Truscott Tristan Truscott coach. black belt. clarifier.

    Tristan Truscott is a Sensei (martial arts black belt), mindset coach, speaker, entrepreneur, and traveler who loves helping people create vibrant health, abundant wealth, and beautiful relationships. [www.satorimethod.com]

     
  • Angela Mayhoe
    Angela Mayhoe Angela Mayhoe designer. self-described perfectionist. knitting enthusiast.

    Angela Mayhoe is a retail girl by day, fashion designer by night, and blogger when time permits. [www.themuslin.com]

     
  • Ron McElroy
    Ron McElroy Ron McElroy surfer. heritage explorer. puanani.

    Ron McElroy is the CEO of Real Office Centers and the author of Wrong Side of the Tracks, a memoir about coming of age with a loving, hard-working mother's strong connections to her family's Hawaiian heritage. [www.realofficecenters.com]

     
  • Tanya Zoeller
    Tanya Zoeller Tanya Zoeller actress. passion pursuer. creative meditation practicer.

    When Tanya Zoeller was young she found herself seeing plays and films and hours later pondering the questions they raised about what it meant to be human. She dedicated her life to becoming a part of these stories. [www.tanyazoeller.com]

     
  • Dr. Jeffry Life
    Dr. Jeffry Life Dr. Jeffry Life fitness expert. lifestyle changer. anti-aging guru.

    Jeffry S. Life, M.D., Ph.D. is the bestselling author of THE LIFE PLAN and MASTERING THE LIFE PLAN. He is a Senior Partner at Cenegenics, the world’s largest age-management medicine practice. [www.drlife.com]

     
  • Christine Kloser
    Christine Kloser Christine Kloser herd escaper. spiritual messenger. pantyhose resister.

    Christine Kloser is a spiritual guide, award-winning author, and transformational book coach whose spot-on guidance transforms the lives of visionary entrepreneurs and authors around the world. [www.ChristineKloser.com]

     
  • Yvonne Mariko Martin
    Yvonne Mariko Martin Yvonne Mariko Martin matriarch. compromise advocate. wise daughter.

    Yvonne Mariko Martin is an accomplished educator in the field of adult education and special needs. She advocates for and gives voice to those who have yet to learn to speak for themselves.

     
  • Mark Whitwell
    Mark Whitwell Mark Whitwell life embracer. sex redefiner. body connector.

    Mark has taught yoga for over 20 years all over the world. His most recent book is The Promise of Love, Sex, and Intimacy. [www.thepromise.com]

     
  • Monika Zands
    Monika Zands Monika Zands relationship re-creator. self explorer. miracle believer.

    After more than 12 years of consulting for multi-billion dollar businesses and receiving her Master's in Spiritual Psychology, Monika helps her clients with the strategies that can immediately improve their business and their life. [www.blueprintconsulting.net]

     
  • John Selby
    John Selby John Selby mindfulness coach. author. moment expander.

    John Selby, author of more than twenty books, has worked as a therapist and mindfulness coach for two decades. [www.tappingdaily.org]

     
  • Catt Sadler
    Catt Sadler Catt Sadler award-winning journalist. mommy. limit-defying potentialist.

    Catt Sadler is an Emmy Award-winning journalist. She founded and is president of the Hollywood chapter of Women Like Us, a foundation started by her mother to enhance the lives of women in need around the globe. [www.womenlikeusfoundation.org/hollywood]

     
  • Steve Robertson
    Steve Robertson Steve Robertson transmedia philanthropist. music enthusiast. peace crusader.

    Steve Robertson is the founder and CEO of Project Peace On Earth, a music, entertainment ,and transmedia company producing inspirational content that benefits a variety of worldwide charitable causes. [www.Project-PeaceOnEarth.org]

     
  • Stephen Light
    Stephen Light Stephen Light inner connector. country hopper. boredom fighter.

    Stephen Light lives to serve. He loves who he is, and this has allowed him to love others. He serves people finding their inner love and letting it shine out. [www.peopleactiv.com]

     
  • Lynda Filler
    Lynda Filler Lynda Filler poet. photographer. lover.

    Lynda Filler is a poet, author, photographer, and would-be public speaker who lives in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. She has two published poetry books and is currently working on two memoir/biographies. [www.thelovefix.com]

     
  • Harvey Karp
    Harvey Karp Harvey Karp pediatrician. author. parent's best friend.

    Dr. Harvey Karp is a pediatrician, child development specialist, and best-selling author. He's taught thousands of parents his secrets for making parents and children happy. [www.happiestbaby.com]

     
  • Jenna Phillips
    Jenna Phillips Jenna Phillips survivor. fitness motivator. serenity manifester.

    In 2000, Jenna Phillips survived a head trauma accident and was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. She motivates and inspires people through Mission Possible, her health and fitness company. [www.jennaphillips.com]

     
  • Tal Ronnen
    Tal Ronnen Tal Ronnen vegan chef. author. king of yummy.

    Tal Ronnen is a chef, cookbook author, and teacher. He started the Veg Advantage program, which helps food-service operators integrate vegetarian options into their daily operations. [www.talronnen.com]

     
  • Sarah Samuel
    Sarah Samuel Sarah Samuel Writer. Linguist. Belly Laugher.

    Sarah Samuel lives in a mouse-infested apartment in New York City with three best friends. She likes to draw comics, write, and talk about linguistics. Whatever the future has in store, she hopes it includes an exterminator.

     
  • Shannon Bindler and Sophie Chiche
    Shannon Bindler and Sophie Chiche Shannon Bindler and Sophie Chiche shoeologist. meaning maven. ted x'ers.

    Shannon Bindler describes her pal, Soph, as a bridge, connecting countless people. Sophie Chiche describes her pal, Shan-Shan, as the sunshine that enters the room. In December of 2012 they presented their TEDxMalibu talk. [Happy Parents of Children who Live Out Loud]

     
  • Michael Neill
    Michael Neill Michael Neill author. coach. creative spark plug.

    Internationally renowned success coach and the best-selling author Michael Neill has spent 20 years as a coach, adviser, friend, mentor, and creative spark plug to people who want to get more out of their lives. [www.geniuscatalyst.com]

     
  • Leona Mizrahi
    Leona Mizrahi Leona Mizrahi revolutionary. miracle seeker. divine opportunist.

    Leona is a spiritual gangster by birth, radical mentor by default, and evolving entrepreneur by surprise. She ardently believes that life is lived best with faith, gratitude, love, and courage. [www.leonamizrahi.com]

     
  • Dan Lack
    Dan Lack Dan Lack people connector. summer camper. born traveller.

    Dan Lack created Meeting of the Big Minds, a summer camp for adults, bringing together 15 of the country's biggest dreamers and doers at a time to connect and collaborate at four-day retreats. [www.mbmclassic.com]

     
  • Jac McNeil
    Jac McNeil Jac McNeil self-leadership expert. seeker of meaningful quests. devoted mama.

    Jac McNeil is a self-leadership expert for women entrepreneurs. Her work helps women unearth their own powerful truths and create thriving, integrity-based businesses. [www.jacmcneil.com]

     
  • Patrick Hanlon
    Patrick Hanlon Patrick Hanlon brand innovator. author. thinktopian.

    Founder and CEO of THINKTOPIA, Patrick Hanlon is acknowledged as one of the top brand innovation practitioners in the world. [www.thinktopia.com]

     
  • Jonathan Ellerby
    Jonathan Ellerby Jonathan Ellerby outdoor explorer. diversity accepter. extension of earth.

    Jonathan Ellerby, PhD, is a spiritual teacher, healer, author, and the CEO for the Tao Center for Inspired Living in the Mayan Riviera. [www.jonathanellerby.com]

     
  • Pat Thomas
    Pat Thomas Pat Thomas writer. activist. asker of questions.

    Pat Thomas is a journalist, campaigner, and author specializing in health and environment. She's the author of dozens of books for adults and children and creator of the interactive game Infrequently Asked Questions. [www.iaqs.org.uk]

     
  • Jon Rose
    Jon Rose Jon Rose clean water champion. pro surfer. global changer.

    Jon Rose founded the non-profit organization Waves for Water, which works with world leaders and strategic partners to provide clean water to communities in need around the world. [www.wavesforwater.org]

     
  • Kris Wittenberg
    Kris Wittenberg Kris Wittenberg promotional product developer. veteran entrepreneur. be gooder.

    Kris Wittenberg, founder of Be Good to People, is a veteran entrepreneur whose company, SayNoMore! Promotions, is the go-to resource for promotional products. [www.begoodtopeople.com]

     
  • Jason Binn
    Jason Binn Jason Binn chairman. media mogul. nicher.

    Jason Binn is the Founder and Chairman of Niche Media, one of the largest networks of exclusive, city-specific custom publishing companies in the country. [www.nichemediallc.com]

     
  • More

Connection


© 2010-2023 lifebyme.com. All rights reserved. (design by nodethirtythree)