Hannah Rose Thomas is a gifted English artist, who has found a way to integrate her art and humanitarian work, largely painting portraits of those whom have been persecuted. She desires to use art as a tool for advocacy, bringing a voice to the voiceless into places of influence in the
West. She has organized art projects in Jordan with Syrian refuges, with Yezidi women in Northern Iraq who had escaped ISIS captivity, with Rohingya children in refugee camps on the Myanmar border, and with survivors of Boko Haram and Fulani violence in Northern Nigeria.

As a whole, my conversation with Hannah and her beautiful work remind me, and
reminds us, of the enduring beauty of the human soul and the eternal beauty of the Divine.

Marissa Knox is a PhD candidate in Educational Psychology at the University of Texas at Austin. She also works as a research assistant to Kristin Neff. In her work, Marissa focuses on exploring how self-compassion acts as a source of resilience for healthy body image and stress management. Her dissertation, in particular, examines whether or not a self-compassion writing intervention helps college students reduce body image concerns.

Marissa offers so much wisdom here: how to relate to our bodies, others, and ourselves from a place of compassion and kindness. Her words and insights are such a strong and beautiful contrast to the world’s often-unforgiving beauty standards.

Rob Bell has authored ten books, including the New York Times bestselling titles, "What We Talk About When We Talk About God," "The Zimzum of Love," "Love Wins," and "What Is The Bible?" Rob also hosts a weekly podcast called The Robcast. He has also toured with Oprah, has been profiled in the New Yorker, and in 2011, was named one of the 100 Most Influential People in the World in Time Magazine.

Needless to say, I am so honored that Rob took the time to talk with me about authentic beauty. As I had predicted, in my time with him, he totally opened my heart and my mind to the depths and possibilities of true beauty in a new way. I think you’ll like this one.

For years I have connected with the heart, beauty, and honesty of the Grammy-nominated band, Gungor. I recently had the chance to speak with Lisa Gungor of the musical duo. Lisa is a gifted singer/songwriter who now writes music for her solo career, “Isa Ma.” Lisa also recently released her first book entitled "The Most Beautiful Thing I’ve Seen: Opening Your Eyes to Wonder."

In her book, Lisa details formational events in her family life; the beautiful, the painful, and how all of it has transformed her. In my time with Lisa, she vulnerably speaks about seeing beauty in all things, including in life’s broken places and within herself.

Julia Attalla, D. Min, is the Executive Director of After Hours Ministry in south Los Angeles, California. Julia also serves as the Director of Ministry Program at Fuller Theological Seminary. Above all, I see Julia as an advocate for hope. In our time together, Julia taught me the pivotal role of hope and bravery in the midst of life’s brokenness. And how when we persevere in hope and bravery, beauty can grow exponentially. In our lives and in the lives of others.

A leader sets the tone for the culture of a community. A leader models the ethos of a place and of a community. This could certainly be said of Dr. Donna Harris, president of Minnehaha Academy, a private K-12 Christian school in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

On August 2, 2017, unexpected tragedy befell the over century-old school when an explosion leveled the middle portion of the Academy’s high school. In the midst of losing two beloved employees and the ensuing grief and uncertainty, Dr. Harris forged ahead in wisdom, fortitude, and faith. That same steadfast faith characterized my time with Dr. Harris. In our time together, she spoke of how to see beauty at work in the wake of tragedy and how a community can emerge from such an event with renewed vigor for loving one another well.

Allison Fallon is a gifted writing coach, author, and founder of Find Your Voice. She has written over a dozen books, including her most recent title "Indestructible: Leveraging Your Broken Heart to Become a Force of Love and Change in the World." I met Ally at a writer’s conference she was hosting in Nashville, Tennessee. There, she brought back to life some pivotal things within me. She reminded me of the power of story and the power of creativity.

In my interview with Ally, she shares a bit about her own story: her experience with heartbreak, surrender, and the beauty she’s found amidst it all.

Becca Stevens is an Episcopal priest, speaker, author, social entrepreneur, and founder and president of Thistle Farms. Simply put, Thistle Farms makes natural bath, body, and home products. But this beautiful initiative does so much more than that. Thistle Farms employs and empowers female survivors of trafficking, violence, and addiction. The organization provides free housing, medical care, therapy, and education for two years, while women earn an income through one of three social enterprises.

Becca inspires me to see that true beauty is revealed in loving acts. And Becca’s beauty shines so brightly as she continues to provide a loving space for women to heal and to grow. As they say at Thistle Farms, “love heals”…and that is a beautiful thing.

I was 23-years-old when I was first introduced to Erin Gruwell’s story in the 2007 feature film Freedom Writers. I remember being enamored with Erin’s story; how she used writing as a tool for healing and bridge building in a Long Beach, California English classroom filled with at-risk youth and racial tensions in light of the Rodney King riots. Not only did 100% of Erin’s students go on to graduate from high school, but they also became co-authors of the New York Times bestselling book, The Freedom Writers Diary. Following the film, Erin went on to found the Freedom Writers Foundation, dedicated to “provid[ing] educators with tools to empower all students to succeed” (www.freedomwritersfoundation.org). The Foundations’ efforts reach worldwide.

Erin is a prime example of authentic beauty, of persevering to bring about wholeness and inspiration in the midst of brokenness. She has grit and fiercely fights to highlight the innate beauty in others. It was a dream come true to meet Erin (via Skype), a mentor of mine for years. I no doubt believe that she will very soon be a mentor of yours as well.

Mako is a leading contemporary artist. His art has been featured in galleries and museums around the world and is represented by Waterfall Mansion in New York City and Artrue International in Asia. Fujimura is also an arts advocate, speaker, and has written several books, including Refractions, Culture Care, and Silence and Beauty. He is recognized worldwide as a cultural influencer and currently serves as the Director of Culture Care Initiative at Fuller Theological Seminary.

Lydia Fujimura, Mako's daughter, is a human resources professional and a lifelong student of human psychology and behavior. She holds a Masters degree in Organizational Psychology. Lydia has also worked alongside a nonprofit group called Telos, which is dedicated to peacemaking efforts among polarized people groups.

As you can imagine, this conversation is fascinating. Together, Mako and Lydia invited me to see how brokenness can in fact be the starting point for beauty and how eternal truths about true beauty can be passed down from generation to generation.