Ai Weiwei

 It is hard to speak out against a government who abducts someone just for saying something that they find offensive. In such a world, people live in fear and keep their heads down, hoping to stay unnoticed and survive even if it meant that they would live under tyranny and oppression forever. However, there are some people who are extraordinarily gifted not just with talent and skill in the arts, but also with compassion and love for their nation. A good example of this kind of person is Ai Weiwei, who is an international celebrity, not just for his artwork, but also for his political activism.

http://www.thextraordinary.org/ai-weiwei

Maria Bello

 Maria Bello is a well-known actress who is most famous for her appearances for movies such as Coyote Ugly, Permanent Midnight, Thank You for Smoking, History of Violence, The Cooler, The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor and Payback; as well as her role in the hit drama series “ER” as Dr. Anna Del Amico. She is celebrated as a very talented actress, and has won and been nominated for numerous awards during her career. Maria has an extensive experience in a wide range of roles from her acting experience and is named as one of the most talented actresses of her time..

http://www.thextraordinary.org/maria-bello#.UUkrTWM3G6

Park Jae Sang

Park Jae Sang AKA "Psy" attended the Berklee College of Music, The best music school on the face of the earth. The first 2 albums of Psy was banned for sale to minors due to content judged by critics. Psy’s signature horse riding dance move was developed after testing out possible dance moves involving other animals, including a kangaroo. http://www.thextraordinary.org/park-jae-sang

14th Dalai Lama, Lhamo Dondrub

 The 14th Dalai Lama, Lhamo Dondrub, is a Nobel Peace Laureate and campaigner for Tibet Autonomous Region, he was the head of Tibetan Buddhism monks, fled to India during the 1959 Tibetan uprising and founded the Government of Tibet in Exile in Dharamshala, India, an advocate of peace and understanding between different religions and non-violence solution to conflicts.

http://www.thextraordinary.org/dalai-lama

Reid Hoffman

 Reid Hoffman is the founding CEO of LinkedIn, Executive Vice President of PayPal, one of the board of directors in Zynga, arranged the first meeting between Mark Zuckerberg(FACEBOOK) and Peter Thiel(PAYPAL), which led to Thiel's initial $500,000 investment in the company, has been a junior product manager of Apple and Fujitsu, a co-autor of the book "The Start-Up of You: Adapt to the Future, Invest in Yourself, and Transform your Career",was ranked third on the Forbes Midas List of the top tech investors and studied epistemology.

http://www.thextraordinary.org/reid-hoffman#.UUJ4xjfOiP5

Wim Hof

 Wim Hof defies human fragility in many ways. He can stand being buried in ice for almost two hours without the slightest hint of hypothermia; he withstood running on the desert of Namibia without having a single drop of water; he has conquered Mount Kilimanjaro with nothing but footwear and a pair of shorts on.

http://www.thextraordinary.org/wim-hof

Mark Cuban

Today we have Mark Cuban, the owner of NBA Team Dallas Mavericks, Landmark Theaters, Magnolia Pictures and Chairman of AXS TV is probably one of the luckiest guy not just in business but in life.

Mark is an entrepreneur that never calls for time out, working 24/7 to run his business. And he has his own view of it, in his own words, “I look at a business as a sport and in football you play 60 minutes, basketball you play 48 minutes. In business its 24 by 7 by 365 and the world’s trying to kick your ass.”

http://www.thextraordinary.org/mark-cuban#.UT_QrDc5h_Z

Heidi Lloce Mendoza

 "I remember that when I was young I could not even pay the twenty-peso school contribution in grade school and that I had to pay a ten-centavo daily installment to complete the amount for one school year but that did not keep me from achieving my goals." ~ Heidi Mendoza, COA

http://www.thextraordinary.org/heidi-lloce-mendoza#.UT53zjc5h_Z

Kofi Atta Annan

 Ever proud of his African roots, Kofi Annan, brought Ghana glory and prestige when he became the first black African United Nations Secretary-General in 1996. He was appointed to hold the coveted seat twice.


http://www.thextraordinary.org/kofi-annan#.UT1AYjc5h_Y

Martti Ahtisaari

 A Noble Prize Winner, mediator, president, foreign services expert and global peace promoter, Martti Ahtisaari is that one of a kind personality who has achieved fame from all around the globe. Starting his career from student management and working in dynamic environment of foreign ministry of Finland, a key person in United Nations and his efforts for global peace depict all the dynamism that Martti Ahtisaari possesses.

http://www.thextraordinary.org/martti-ahtisaari

Martha Stewart

 "It doesn’t matter how old or young we are, once we are facing trials, we have to learn from it and make it our guide in order for us to become a better person". ~ Martha Stewart

http://www.thextraordinary.org/martha-stewart#.UTflkDc5h_Y

Toby Tanser

Toby Tanser's Shoe4Africa organization has created the largest running events across Africa, on his journey and with his vision and commitment to his goal of building the biggest Children's Hospital in Africa his organization has found the support of celebrities, businesses, political leader. His Click-A-Brick movement has built $1.3 million in donations since 2008.

http://www.thextraordinary.org/toby-tanser#.UTaTpDc5h_Z

Sam Childers

Sam Childers, Angels of East Africa, The Machine Gun Preacher, founder and reverend of Shekinah Fellowship Church, is not your typical preacher or conventional philanthropist.

After a near death experience during a shootout and drug deal gone wrong, fighting his own demons of addiction, accepting Christ, to ultimately find his calling and life crusade on the other side of the earth while on a mission in Uganda in 1998. http://www.thextraordinary.org/sam-childers#.UTV5ijc5h_Z

J.K. Rowling

"And it’s the ability to resist failure, in many ways, or use failure that often leads to the greatest success."

That is from a single-mom-turned-billionaire Joanne “Jo” Rowling, or who the world more famously recognizes as J.K. Rowling. She knows failure because she lived it. For a time Jo was laden with financial distress. Harry Potter was her hero. It was Harry Potter’s magic that gave her hope back. But more than that, it was Harry Potter’s allure that rescued her from poverty.

 http://www.thextraordinary.org/j-k-rowling#.UTQN2Dc5h_Y