Harvesting Happiness

James Clear, The Art of Becoming Better

James Clear is on a mission to make the world well and the founder of The Art of Becoming Better. He is an entrepreneur, writer, and travel photographer in 18 countries. His writing has been featured by US News & World Report, American Express, Yahoo, Lifehacker, and dozens of other businesses and media outlets. His photography was nominated for the Travel Photographer of the Year award for his work covering the September 11th Memorial in New York City.

Tanya Geisler, Stepping Into Your Starring Role

Tanya Geisler is certified Life and Business Coach (CPCC, ACC) with a penchant for clarity (and her Clarity Sessions have been likened to “divining rods”). She’s coached hundreds of people who were ready to step into the spotlight of their lives and businesses. She wrote The Joy Pages, created Board of Your Life, is a blogger for the wildly popular The Daily Love, has served as contributor and was featured in Canadian Living, and is an in-demand speaker who talks with great passion on all things joy, meaning and purpose (just try to stop her). She recently spoke at TEDxWomen (video available March 2013). It is her indomitable belief that if everyone knew their own unique recipe for their personal brand of joy, they’d hold the key to shining in their life, in their work and in their life’s work. (It really does change everything.)

Kathy Kinney and Dr. Benjamin LaBrot , Living Outrageously Outloud

Kathy Kinney is best known for her iconic role as Mimi Bobeck on the long running The Drew Carey Show. She has acted in over a dozen films and guest-starred on numerous television shows and may currently be seen in a recurring role on the ABC Family hit series The Secret Life of the American Teenager. Kathy toured with Drew Carey and the Improv All Stars for the USO in Iraq and Saudi Arabia, and may still be seen performing with them around the country. She and her longtime friend Cindy Ratzlaff created QueenofYourOwnLife.com as an attitude, a way of life, and a call to action for grown up women everywhere. To learn more about Kathy and her work, visit: http://www.queenofyourownlife.com/ Dr. Benjamin La Brot is a native Southern Californian who learned to swim before he could walk. His love of water led him to working on sport and commercial fishing boats and on the Floating Marine Science Laboratory vessel .He, along with his sister and others began Floating Doctors, whose mission is to reduce the present and future burden of disease in the developing world, and to promote improvements in health care delivery worldwide. To learn more about Ben and his work, visit: www.floatingdoctors.com

Tips to Beat the Winter Blues

Claire Wineland and Eric Lumiere, Living With Purpose

Claire Wineland was born with cystic fibrosis or "CF", a genetic disease that causes excessive mucus secretions and collection, especially in the lungs. In her short life, Claire has undergone dozens of surgeries and has spent weeks at a time in the hospital. This is not, however, what characterizes her. Claire is a singer, an artist, a composer, and a natural-born comedian and speaker. She radiates with a warmth and wisdom beyond her years. She has been called a "little Buddha" a "bridge among people", and a "true old soul." She is precious to anyone who has met her, especially to her mother, Melissa, and her father, John. On April 13, 2010 after a relatively routine surgery, Claire became septic and within 24 hours, was in complete lung failure. Her parents were given the option of watching Claire die or putting her on a dangerous oscillator vent, which no child with CF has ever come off of. Her parents opted to put her on the high powered vent and into a drug induced coma so the doctors could try everything possible to reverse the damage to her lungs and her body. What followed was a remarkable two-week journey of prayer, love and healing. So many people were inspired by Claire's journey that a public Facebook page, "Claire Wineland Love, Songs and Updates", was created to disseminate the seemingly ever changing information. Within two weeks, the fans on the page grew to over 900. Out of this grew the desire and need for a foundation. Claire constantly strives to give back and make meaning of what she has had to go through; the message she shares is her way to enrich the human experience with hope, strength and joy. Claire's Place Foundation, Inc: www.clairesplacefoundation.org Eric Lumiere lives For the Love of Music + the Music of Love Music is one of the most elusive art forms. It has the power to uplift, touch, move and inspire people. When I create music, my intention is to share myself as fully and unconditionally as possible so that there may be no walls between us, no projections of who I'd like to be or think I am; just the essence of who I am, the discovery of which is a continuous process and one that I live for. Music can affect people in many ways and if I have one wish, it's that it touches you. That it's greatest potential is fulfilled, and that in listening to my music, you discover more of who you are, your truth, and are inspired to share your own beingness with the world. After graduating from the Clive Davis Dept. of Recorded Music at NYU in 2007, Eric's song "Anthem" (a bedroom demo) was remixed by DJs Filo and Peri and signed by top DJ Paul Van Dyk. Released in 13+ countries, "Anthem" broke the UK Top 40 at #39 and reached #1 on the US Billboard Dance Airplay. While continuing to work with Filo and Peri, Eric has been focusing on his next release, tentatively titled the ‘Under Love EP'. To learn more about Eric and his work, visit: www.ericlumiere.com

Sarah Steffen and Shanna McCord, Reaching out to Others

Sarah Steffen is the Marketing Coordinator at Habitat for Humanity for San Fernando/Santa Clarita Valleys. She attended San Diego State University and interned for the San Diego State Marketing and Communications Department, working on news and profile stories. She graduated in 2010 with a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism with an emphasis in Media Studies and a minor in English. She enjoys doing what she loves while giving back and advocating for the community. Shanna McCord is currently a Journalist for the Santa Cruz Sentinel. She has been a television and newspaper reporter for 17 years and covered military issues while working in Yuma, AZ. She will share with us a fantastic article she wrote about a man, Dr. Peter Linnerooth, who took his own life after a long time battle with PTSD.

Bekah Eden and David Ari Leon, The Power of Music to Heal

In 2010, Bekah Eden began to work as a successful small business owner developing musical skills and songwriting talent for her students in Virginia Beach and California. She also began writing original material for other artists nationwide and built a reputation as a well known cause artist, working for charitable organizations such as Harvesting Happiness for Heroes ®, a national 501© (3) nonprofit organization, benefiting post combat veterans and their families challenged with the invisible symptoms of PTSD and TBI. Just recently, Bekah won the Upcoming Female Artist Award at the 2012 Malibu Music Awards. David Ari Leon is a multiple award-winning and Emmy-nominated composer and music supervisor. He has brought his signature blend of acute classical expertise and emotive pop ethos to countless films, video games, albums, and TV shows. David’s music can currently be heard in places such as ABC’s hit show, Sea World’s “Sea Rescue and on Disney XD’s “The Avengers.” He is music director and co-founder of the Voice of Life project, whose mission is to elevate wellness with great music. He’s also raising mobile game music to new heights with his immensely popular music. Recently, he scored Woody Woodpecker, named “iPhone Game of the Week,” the top-seller Superman, and Contre Jour, the No. 1 selling game app, and “iPad Game of the Year” in more than 10 countries. Leon’s SoundMind Music is a company that oversees the entire music package for a project with many clients including luminaries such as: Lionsgate Films, Warner Bros, Marvel, Universal, DC Comics, ABC, Sea World, EA and Disney.

Sophie Chiche and Shannon Bindler, Parenting and Raising Live Out Loud (LOL) Children