
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
brat

I’m what people call a military brat. The first time my dad deployed in 2003, I was in grade school. I didn’t really understand what was going on until it was time to say goodbye. Then I cried and cried, and wouldn’t let go of his leg.
Five deployments later, I’m older and every goodbye gets a little easier. I get into my routine and worry less as time goes on. But that feeling I get when my dad comes home never changes.
No one likes to see someone they love deploy, we just want to see them come home. From day one, we anticipate their arrival. As each day passes, we look forward to a phone call or an email until the big day finally arrives. The day they are coming home.
Words can’t describe this emotional reunion. Wives and husbands wait with big smiles. Excited kids stand with their homemade “Welcome Home” signs, and proud parents anxiously await their child’s return. And when those buses arrive, the tears start coming. There is no better feeling then hugging your loved one, knowing they’ve made it home safely.
I often come across people who believe the military lifestyle is no way for a child to be raised. They think that all the moving around and a parent’s absence is too much stress on us. I believe that military children actually have an advantage. Change and adaptability are our way of life.
Yes, at times it’s stressful, but I’ve never met a military child who doesn’t appreciate what their parent does. Plus, we learn coping skills and independence at a young age.
Yes, we move around a lot, but we meet so many people and even experience living in other countries. We’re fortunate to have friends from all over the world from many different cultures and backgrounds. We’re even more fortunate to understand that although people may look and act different on the outside – on the inside, we are not all that different.
My greatest advice for others? Don’t spend your whole life in a bubble, doing the same old thing, in the same old place, day after day. Get out! Explore! Try new things! Meet new people! This is how our hearts and minds are opened. There is so much more in this world, and I want to see it!
I’m a military brat, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
– Maurina Scott
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