An absolutely brilliant talk from Sir Ken Robinson who makes an entertaining and profoundly moving case for creating an education system that nurtures (rather than undermines) creativity.

The fabulous Sir Ken Robinson talks about his  new book 'The Element', the point at which natural talent meets personal passion. When people arrive at the Element, they feel most themselves and most inspired and achieve at their highest levels. With a wry sense of humor, Ken Robinson looks at the conditions that enable us to find ourselves in the Element and those that stifle that possibility. Drawing on the stories of a wide range of people, including Paul McCartney, Matt Groening, Richard Branson, Arianna Huffington, and Bart Conner, he shows that age and occupation are no barrier and that this is the essential strategy for transform­ing education, business, and communities in the twenty-first century. A breakthrough book about talent, passion, and achievement from one of the world's leading thinkers on creativity and self-fulfillment.

I had the pleasure of meeting the lovely Anita Moorjani at a conference in London last year. Her story is truly incredible and hearing her speak is very inspiring and will encourage you to live life fully. Her book "Dying to be me" is available in our Bookstore. Here she is at TEDex:

Angelina Jolie has revealed she has had a preventive double mastectomy to reduce her risk of developing breast cancer.
Health campaigners praised her decision to go public with the news, which she said was prompted by a desire to encourage other women to get gene-tested and to raise awareness of the options available to those at risk.
The actress has a defective gene, BRCA1, which doctors told her had increased her risk of developing breast cancer to 87%, and her risk of ovarian cancer, the disease that killed her mother at the age of 56, to 50%.
The surgery, which began in February, has reduced Jolie's risk of breast cancer to under 5%, she said:
 "I can tell my children that they don't need to fear they will lose me to breast cancer," she wrote. "It is reassuring that they see nothing that makes them uncomfortable. They can see my small scars and that's it. Everything else is just Mommy, the same as she always was. And they know that I love them and will do anything to be with them as long as I can. On a personal note, I do not feel any less of a woman. I feel empowered that I made a strong choice that in no way diminishes my femininity."
What a brave woman, the decision couldn't have been an easy one! Once you've done the test and know your risk factor, I suppose it's like living with a gun to your head, so I completely understand the choice she's made and respect her strength and courage.
Dr Richard Francis, head of research at Breakthrough Breast Cancer, said that faults in the BRCA1 gene, which on average put women at a 65% risk of developing breast cancer, were rare and in most cases were linked to family history. He cautioned that a preventative mastectomy would not necessarily be the appropriate treatment for everyone with the gene. "For women like Angelina it's important that they are made fully aware of all the options that are available, including risk-reducing surgery and extra breast screening. Though Angelina decided that a preventative mastectomy was the right choice for her, this may not be the case for another woman in a similar situation."
I would just like to add that only 10-15% of Cancers are genetic, the rest are diet and lifestyle related - and even then, you can change the expression of your genes by the way you choose to eat and live...our health is not pre-determined by our genes 100%. I've seen individuals with no genetic pre-disposition to cancer and they smoke, eat junk food often, are overweight and generally stressed out and they develop it. And on the flipside, I see individuals with cancer in the family, but they eat well, exercise regularly and generaly take care of themselves and the cancer gene is never turned on. 
No one should feel powerless in the face of cancer as the absolute best prevention is diet and lifestyle. As the wonderful Kris Carr puts it "Your future is being written with every meal".  For me it really sums up that how we choose to eat determines how we choose to live and age - and be sure to have your annual screening too, I still get shocked by how many women don't actually do this evey year. 
Angelina you are one brave woman, we are Team Jolie all the way!
Read Angelina's letter in the New York Times.

Lao Tzu was born around the year 604 BC in Louyang China to the name Li Erh, and it is said that he had a head of completely white hair! The name Lao Tzu (often also called Laozi) was given to him later on in life when he worked for the King as the keeper of the imperial archives. The name translates to mean "The Old Master." 
Lao Tsu was a philosopher /sage of ancient China, best known as the author of the Tao Te Ching. This writing has led him to be traditionally considered the founder of philosophical Taoism. Taoism is a philosophical and religious tradition that emphasizes living in harmony with the Tao which means the  "way", "path" or "principle", the "driving force" behind everything that exists. The Tao Te Ching offers you Divine guidance on virtually every area of human existence. 
Dr Wayne Dyer, through his book "Living the Wisdom of the Tao", has managed to capture the scared teachings of the Tao in an easy to understand book.  Although just 81 short verses, the Tao encourages you to change your life by literally changing the way you think. By reading through the verses presented in Dr Dyer's book (which he's pieced together after reviewing hundreds of translations), along with the corresponding affirmation he's created for each verse, you'll be embarking on a path that encompasses the profound ideas that Lao-tzu intended to convey. 

A fantastic speech by Ghandi, inspired by the words of the great Chinese Sage Lao Tzu:

"In many shamanic societies, if you came to a medicine person complaining of being disheartened, dispirited, or depressed, they would ask one of the four questions: When did you stop dancing? When did you stop singing? When did you stop being enchanted by stories? When did you stop finding comfort in the sweet territory of silence?"
~ Gabrielle Roth

A must see: ‪
TEDxBloomington - Shawn Achor - "The Happiness Advantage: Linking Positive Brains to Performance"‬.

“Never doubt that a thoughtful, commited group of people can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has…”

Margaret Mead was a distinguished anthropologist, an intellectual and a scientist. She is the author of numerous books on primitive societies and she also wrote about many contemporary issues. Some of the areas in which she was prominent were education, ecology, the women's movement, the bomb, and student uprisings.
Margaret Mead was a woman who blended knowledge and action. 'Time' magazine in fact named her "Mother of the World" in 1969. In the political realm she served as a diplomat, without a portfolio, to many presidents in the areas of ecology and nutrition. She also had a great deal of concern about the role of science and technology in world politics.