intimacy

Technically speaking, Christina Rasmussen is a Grief Counselor – she prefers to call herself a Strategist for Life After Loss. She crusades to change the way we cope with grief, devastation, and longing. [www.secondfirsts.com]

By fusing acting, writing, comedy, and poetry, Steve Connell has become a transformative and sought-after speaker, performing privately for such luminaries as President Obama, Oprah Winfrey, and Norman Lear. [www.stevenconnell.com]

Interactive marketing and online PR strategist Jennifer Sall works with companies of all sizes to leverage the immediacy of the Web to build brand awareness and revenue. [www.unionxunion.com]

Nova Spivack is a technology futurist, serial Internet entrepreneur, and one of the leading voices on the next generation of searching, social media, and the Web. [www.novaspivack.com]

Queena Lee-Chua is a professor of math and psychology at Ateneo de Manila University in the Philippines, and a daily newspaper columnist. She also works with government and civic groups to improve math, science, and education in the country.

Edward Biagiotti shares practical philosophies on the subjects of parenting and education. He works and grows in the field of education as a writer, speaker, consultant, and learner. [www.tappingintogenius.com]

Marianne Williamson is an internationally acclaimed best-selling author and lecturer. She founded Project Angel Food, a meals-on-wheels program that serves homebound people with AIDS in the Los Angeles area. [www.marianne.com]

Michael Bernard Beckwith is the founder of Agape International Spiritual Center and a celebrated author. [www.agapelive.com]

Arianna Huffington is the co-founder and Editor in Chief of the Huffington Post and the author of twelve books. [www.huffingtonpost.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]

Sarah Taylor is an actor, comedian and meditation teacher who continues to discover daily how to get in and out of her own way while helping others with the same. [www.sarahtaylor.org]

Dennis N.T. Perkins is the author of Into the Storm and Leading at The Edge. He is CEO of The Syncretics Group, a consulting firm dedicated to helping leaders and teams thrive under conditions of adversity, uncertainty, and change. [http://www.syncreticsgroup.com]

Anney Smith is fueled by creativity, invention, and intuition. She's an executive and entrepreneur coach, designer, wife, and mom who blends left- and right-brained tools to ignite major transformations. [www.thesmithconnection.com]

Chaz Guest creates inspiring paintings, drawings, and sculptures. Over the past 20 years his work has been acquired by a growing number of private and public collectors, including U.S. President Barack Obama. [www.chazguest.com]

Pat Verducci is a writer and a teacher of screenwriting at UCLA Extension. She's worked as a story consultant for Disney/Pixar, and recently co-produced the documentary Somewhere Between. [www.patverducciscreenwriting.blogspot.com]

Christine Grumm, formerly President and CEO of the Women's Funding Network, now heads the Chris Grumm Consulting Group. She's dedicated to helping her clients unleash their potential to transform the world.

Leigh Taylor Young is an Emmy Award-winning actress. She's also been a Special Advisor in Arts and Media for the United Nations Environment Programme. [www.lty.com]

James Lecesne has been telling stories for over 25 years, though acting, writing, and teaching. He's one of the creators of The Trevor Project, an organization focused on suicide prevention among lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning youth. [www.thetrevorproject.org]

Eli Davidson is a motivational speaker, internationally best-selling author, and executive coach who helps individuals and organizations re-kindle the zeal that fuels success. [www.elidavidson.com]

Adam Borelli is the Executive Director of New Leaders Council. In 2011, he received the Gerbode Fellowship, an award given to the top five non-profit leaders. [www.newleaderscouncil.org]

Megan Maione works with clients on clearing points of view, judgments, projections, and conclusions utilizing tarot. Her goal is to identify their targets while helping them be in allowance of the way things show up and integrating intuition. [www.tarotbymegan.com]

Cartoonist Dave Kellett previously worked as a writer and toy designer at Mattel Toys. He founded Sheldon Comics and is the creator of Sheldon cartoons. [www.sheldoncomics.com]

Bestselling author Sharon Salzberg co-founded the Insight Meditation Society. She's been a student of meditation since 1971 and has guided meditation retreats worldwide since 1974. [www.SharonSalzberg.com]

Jeff Semigran is a senior at UC Berkeley studying environmental and civil engineering. He is an alumnus of the Teen Insight Seminars and Leadership series. This piece is part of the Insight University and Life By Me week of giving back. www.givingtuesday.org/insight-university