1. Tanya Walters
She’s a bus driver who stopped being a passenger in life and decided to become a driver of positive change. One day after realizing that most of her students were failing in school she decided to challenge them to do better. She challenged them to study harder, focus more and improve their grades. When they succeeded she took them on a trip on a marine biology cruise which led to the idea of a summer bus trip around the country. The purpose was to expose children to a world and life beyond the toughest streets in Los Angeles. She succeeded and now 8 trips later her non-profit, Godparents Youth Organization, has evolved into a powerful mentoring/touring program that takes children to colleges and historical sites around the country and was recently featured on Oprah. Tanya and her students are currently on their summer tour. Follow their journey on Facebook.
2. Mark Johnson
He’s uniting people around the world and changing lives through the power of music. The video says it all. And it’s more powerful than anything I can write. Watch the “Stand by Me” video here.
3. Samad Bekkar
He’s the taxi driver who drove me from Newport News Virginia to the Washington, DC train station through a major snow storm this winter. Word spread about Samad’s heroism and he was awarded the Newport News Tourism Professional of the Year. Go Samad! Here’s the article I wrote about Samad.
4. Steve Jobs
It’s easy to forget that he was once fired from Apple. At the time few could have predicted that he would overcome all the challenges and naysayers to lead Apple back to greatness. With visionary leadership, relentless determination, focused execution and revolutionary design and creativity, Jobs has built Apple into the most admired and innovative companies on the planet. Read more about Steve here.
5. Rafael Nadal
I love the way he plays and competes. He has the heart of a champion. His fire, passion and determination are unmatched. He plays every point like it’s his last. While he was sidelined a year ago by knee injuries and faced personal challenges within his family, he has come back stronger and better to win both the French Open and Wimbledon. He is the epitome of humble and hungry. Read more about Rafael here.
Who inspires you?
