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
listening
Rahi Chun
all ears. conscious counselor. avid traveler.
As a life coach to creative executives, actor Rahi Chun facilitates alignment between core values and authentic self-expression through entertainment properties. [www.beingtruelifecoaching.com]
There are so many aspects to the experience of listening. I firmly believe that our bodies are incredibly intelligent and we all know all there is to know. Our hearts are wise and resourceful. They know. When we tune in and listen, we realize we already know. Listening in this way is a daily practice of quieting the mind and listening for what wants to be expressed and communicated.
Really listening happens in two parts. One is clearing out the distractions – tuning out all the noisy ways we avoid being with our beloved truth. The other part is tuning in to what wants to be heard. Especially when we’re going, going, going, we can get into patterns that have nothing to do with what’s present here and now.
The experience of noise inside the mind is like being in a crowded restaurant with our beloved truth and having to yell to have a conversation above the blaring noise. What I do when there’s a disturbance going on inside – before I do anything else – is sit and let the energy settle. I pull out of an environment of upset or chaos and get a perspective from a different altitude. We can shift the energy in many different ways, like by going for a walk and breathing some fresh air or putting on a favorite song.
Different things affect our ability to listen. In the book The Secret Life of Babies, Mia Kalef writes about the associations created during birth. When we’re born there’s a rush of endorphins – the love chemical – that gets associated with whatever’s going on at the time of birth. So someone addicted to stress as an adult may have had a stress at birth that got connected with that endorphin rush. An addiction to a certain emotional state can make it hard to pop out of that state and consciously choose something else.
A willingness to listen is key. And it can help to explore the issues affecting us – whether through family constellation work that reveals systemic issues beyond our generation or by understanding how the circumstances during birth dictate our patterns and behaviors as adults.
Great listening is always wonderful. On one level, we can listen to the words. Beyond that, we can listen to what’s being communicated underneath the words. Even beyond that, when we can really listen, we get to a place where the listener disappears and all that’s left is what’s being listened to.
– Rahi Chun
Explore More Meaning
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brilliance advocate. student of nature. peaceful storyteller.
Joan loves people and their stories. She's been working on hers for a long time and shares it in books, speeches, and through her inner peace organization. [www.peacebeginswithme.org]
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heartfelt activist. truth detective. passionate space-seeker.
Bryant McGill is an internationally renowned author, essayist, speaker, and activist in the fields of self-development, personal freedom, and human rights. [www.bryantmcgill.com/vor]
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urban storyteller. coat angel. friend at any hour.
Writer, designer and storyteller, Sarah Kathleen Peck, is the brain behind the blog "it starts with" and founded the online Landscape Urbanism journal at the nexus of cities, landscape and design. [www.itstartswith.com]
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venture investor. creative adventurer. giver.
Tammy Camp is a venture investor, company advisor, and adventure traveler. She's taken part in numerous successful business endeavors, including facilitating over a billion dollars in sales. [www.tammycamp.com]
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spiritual psychologist. philanthropist. happiness harvester.
Lisa Cypers Kamen is a filmmaker, positive psychology coach, author, radio show host, professor, and lecturer specializing in happiness, filmography, felicitation and philanthropy. She is a regular contributor to the Huffington Post, InspireMeToday.com and PositivelyPositive.com. [www.HarvestingHappiness.com]
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meaningful filmmaker. passionate activist. change creator.
Ryan is a filmmaker, video blogger, and gay rights activist. He recently began prepping his first documentary film, which will focus on the unfair treatment of LGBT individuals in the U.S. [www.ryanjamesyezak.com]
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knowledge seeker. perspective shifter. obsessive googler.
Ebony Utley, PhD, is an expert in popular culture, race, and romantic relationships. She's a public speaker, a professor, and the author of Rap and Religion: Understanding the Gangsta's God. [www.theutleyexperience.com]
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entertainer. driver's seat dj. life by me'er.
Andrew DiPalma is a storyteller. As a television and film actor and the owner of an Internet marketing and PR firm, he strives to choose scripts and clients that inspire him so he may inspire others. [andrew dipalma]
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