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
poetry
Samantha Reynolds
poet. entrepreneur. relentless life-observer.
Samantha Reynolds is the founder of a popular blog that has sparked a growing movement of people around the world to write a poem a day as a way to slow down and savor their lives. [www.bentlily.com]
In January 2011, I was inspired by my friend Grace to skip New Year’s resolutions and decide on one theme instead. After much deliberation, I decided my theme would be to be present. As a new mother, I figured this was a tricky way to get me to make sure the subtleties of my son’s first year didn’t go unnoticed.
But how does one just be present? I’m a lousy meditator and a compulsive list-maker, both of which launch me into daydreaming about the future much of the time. What does – and always has – grounded me to the very pinpoint of the present is writing. And so it was that I decided to make it my Year of Being a Poet.
I pledged to write one poem a day. Not to rack up reams of poetry – that was just a lovely side-effect. No, the real goal was to train myself to see the world constantly with the eyes of a poet, which means to slow down, savor, take delight in, and note the very essence of the world around me.
To be present.
It wasn’t long before I realized I had become addicted. What was meant to be a one-year experiment threaded its way into my being. I wouldn’t know how to stop now even if I wanted to.
With a new baby to care for, a publishing company to run, a marriage to nurture, and all the other wondrous and mundane rituals of a life, like book clubs and grocery shopping, there are days when I ache to skip the poem and climb into bed.
But I’ve learned that it’s not about writing the perfect poem. It’s about burrowing my way inside a moment in time and noticing exactly how the world looks, feels, smells, sounds. It’s about paying attention to my life – the exquisite, the difficult, the joyful and the routine. It’s about letting that practice take me to the very center of myself.
I am deeply flattered by the community of readers who like the poems on my blog. But more than that, I hope people try it themselves. Be a poet for a day. I dare you. Let the world in and watch as it tumbles out from your fingertips onto the page, revealing shades of the day you would otherwise surely have missed.
– Samantha Reynolds
Explore More Meaning
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Healer. Writer. Astrological Empowerer.
Holly Sidell is a writer, spiritual fitness teacher, and astrological empowerer who inspires you to choose your own Happily Ever After. [www.hollysidell.com]
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Over the past seven years, this service project has taught the basics of Spiritual Psychology to over 1,400 inmates at the Valley State Prison for Women.
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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]
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motivational speaker. coach. video star.
Life coach and motivational speaker Kute Blackson assists people in living life's wild free-fall. He dares you to pick up the instrument that is your heart and play it fully. [www.kuteblackson.com]
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mindful midwife. inner peace seeker. be-er.
Nancy Bardacke is the founding director and leader of the Mindfulness-Based Childbirth and Parenting program, and an assistant clinical professor at the University of California, San Francisco, School of Nursing. [www.mindfulbirthing.org]
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author. coach. acceptance sustainer.
Mike Robbins, author of two best-selling books, is also a highly sought-after speaker and coach, and a regular contributor to Oprah.com and the Huffington Post. [www.mike-robbins.com]
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focused fashionista. go-getter. miracle creator.
Erin Norton is a director at JBrand Jeans, a leading Los Angeles based fashion brand. She is a friend enthusiast, appreciates a good glass of wine, and is slowly learning to love squats. [www.jbrandjeans.com]
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marketing expert. calfinder. community builder.
Gabriel Luna-Ostaseski co-founded CalFinder, where he directs global sales and operations. Before that, he managed Varsity Painting, one of the largest construction companies in California. [www.linkedin.com/in/gabelunaostaseski]
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