Ronnie Planalp
Ronnie Planalp is a producer of documentary films and theater in New York and London through her production company, Clear Eye Productions. She splits her time between New York City and Martha’s Vineyard.
I am passionate about living every day with love in my heart and compassion toward others. By letting this inform my daily life, I can see the positive energy everywhere. I am passionate about connecting people and mentoring. Through these relationships, I hope to affect change, in myself and in others. In my work, I tell stories of pursuing one’s dreams and persevering with purpose and determination. Life is full of surprises, and embracing uncertainty and risk-taking without fear of failure is something I pursue every day—with passion!
SHAKESPEAREHIGH.ORG | THEYCAMETOPLAY.COM
Jodi Wing
Founder, The Art of Peace Club & Academy
Los Angeles, California
Jodi Wing, education activist and author, evolved from savvy marketer to satirical novelist, and, finally, thought leader to inner-city youth by creating and teaching Art of War-inspired lessons for practicing peace.
Having embraced Sun Tzu’s The Art of War in a modern context, I write about how to manage social conflict and competition to make winning decisions. Working within LA’s BEST, LAUSD, and FBI, I had a game-changing thought: Could I instill these proven, transformative, critical, and creative thinking skills in children? Yes! And The Art of Peace Club was born. Five years and over five hundred girls later, the club has flourished, curricula has evolved, and membership has expanded to include boys. Our mission: impact families and activate positive social and cultural change.
Photo: Stefanie Keenan
Ramy Sharp
Creative director and founder, Ramy Brook
New York, New York
Ramy Sharp is the creative director and founder of women’s lifestyle brand Ramy Brook.
My three biggest passions in life come to me every day. First, being a mother and wife. This has taught me the true meaning of love and the joy in putting others’ needs before my own. Second, building a woman’s confidence. Being a designer has enabled me to create style solutions for women to feel happy, sexy, and confident. Third is being present and acknowledging life’s little joys—a beautiful sunset, a hug from my kids, laughing with friends—which bring me so much fulfillment and makes every day special.
Brook Eddy
Founder and CEO of Bhakti Chai
Boulder, Colorado
Brook Eddy, a business leader with a social impact lens, built her company based on bhakti and is dedicated to brewing fresh ginger chai steeped in social and environmental change.
Change-makers sowing the seeds of revolution. Not the one televised, but the small sparks igniting change every day in people’s lives. Musicians and poets—brave tones and tender bits reverberating rebellion and creativity. Activists and social workers—all on the frontline of justice and equality. Social entrepreneurs and inventors—taking risks and reinventing business. Spiritual leaders and yogis—taunting and tethering us to the other world. These change agents pursue the new kind of collaborative thinking, cultivating the new global manifesto where passion, creativity, abundance, and knowledge are free.
Yael Melamede
Director/producer, Salty Features
New York, New York
Yael Melamede is the founder of Salty Features, a New York-based, independent, award-winning production company whose goal is to create media that is provocative and entertaining and enhances the world.
I love putting together projects and working with people where the shared hope is to create a final piece that feels greater than the sum of its parts.
SALTYFEATURES.COM | THEDISHONESTYPROJECT.COM
Photo: Mary De Cicco
Jennifer McCrea
Cofounder and CEO, Born Free Africa
New York, New York
Jennifer McCrea is a senior research fellow at Harvard University and CEO of Born Free Africa, a philanthropic initiative to end mother-to-child transmission of HIV by December 31, 2015.
I’ve spent nearly three decades partnering with philanthropists, social entrepreneurs, and nonprofit leaders to address some of our planet’s most profound needs: easing poverty, education reform, global health solutions, and protecting the environment. The common thread in everything I do is building authentic partnerships to unlock the resources needed—money, time, networks, creativity, and courage—to get real and lasting work done. This requires moving from transactional to transformational relationships and from asking the question “What is my issue?” to “Who are my people?” Issues divide us, relationships connect us.
JENNIFERMCCREA.COM | BORNFREEAFRICA.ORG
Photo: Tory Williams
Natasha Schlesinger
President and Founder, ArtMuse
New York, New York
Natasha Schlesinger, an award-winning art historian and consultant in the art field for the past twenty-five years, is a founder of ArtMuse, an international company offering exceptional curated art experiences and consultation.
My passion has always been to study art and communicate its beauty and content to the world. I love that I am able to work with something I have been passionate about since the age of seventeen and carry it through my education and my career, bringing art appreciation, learning, and the joy of art to children and adults through art experiences. I believe that art should be approachable and appreciated by young and old, by the layman and by the student of art. I love that art can bring such joy into people’s lives.
Photo: Cristina Macaya
Amelia Toro
Founder of Amelia Toro Inc.
Bogotá, Colombia
Amelia Toro founded Amelia Toro Inc. in Bogotá in 1990. Her mission is to make a meaningful contribution to society through fashion by empowering Latin American women and preserving ethnic crafts.
My passions have always been dancing, classic films, and cinema, but my greatest one of all is fashion. I aspired to become a professional ballet and flamenco dancer, but a knee accident changed my dreams. My passion for films started when I first watched Lina Wertmüller films; she is a great director. I also have a thing for classical movies. I believe a great film is like a great dream! But most of all, I feel so blessed that I am able to work in fashion, my greatest life passion.
Photo: Amelia Toro
Satya Scainetti
Designer and cofounder, Satya Jewelry and The Satya Foundation
New York, New York
Satya Scainetti is co-founder and designer of Satya Jewelry and founder of The Satya Foundation. With a background in social work and education, she is also a shivananda yoga teacher.
My passion is to give to others and help them live in their truth. This has led me to run my business outside the box of traditional business models. When I started Satya Jewelry thirteen years ago, my intention was to design jewelry that touches all truths of life and to donate a percentage to children’s organizations around the world. Living this passion daily has made me determined and fearless in what I do. We’ve donated over one million dollars to date, but there’s still much more to do!
SATYAJEWELRY.COM
Photo: Lesly Ann Weiner
Jill Greenberg
Artist and photographer
New York, New York
Jill Greenberg studied art and photography since the age of nine. Her newest works, Paintings (February 19 to March 28 at ClampArt, New York), questions the line between painting and photography.
My passion is making images that emotionally and viscerally grab me and the viewer, as well as ones which succeed in terms of color, composition, and content. I happened to be at art school when postmodernism and feminist film theory were all the rage, and it still colors much of my work. The insight I have gained as a working photographer, when directed back at my gallery work, allows for a deconstruction of the image politics at work in our culture, where pictures have become the de facto universal language.
Source: OriginMagazine.com