Isabel Allende writes stories of passion. Her novels and memoirs, including The House of the Spirits and Eva Luna, tell the stories of women and men who live with passionate commitment -- to love, to their world, to an ideal.

Hannah Gadsby skewers the straight world's dismissal and outright hostility toward the LGBTQ community in her stand-up sets, stage performances and television shows.

Marlene Zuk studies insect behavior -- and how humans use animal behavior to think about how we behave ourselves.

Zoologist Dr. Lucy King helms the Human-Elephant Coexistence Program for the Kenyan research charity Save the Elephants.

At Pixar, Danielle Feinberg delights in bending the rules of light to her every whim.

Harvard Medical School psychologist Susan David studies emotional agility: the psychology of how we can use emotion to bring forward our best selves in all aspects of how we love, live, parent and lead.

Since 2015, computer programs Max Hawkins wrote have been giving him randomly generated instructions on how to live his life.

Dessa is an internationally touring rapper, singer and writer who built a career by defying genre conventions and audience expectations.

With beguiling feats of mind reading and suggestion, Derren Brown explores psychological manipulation and its implications for the human experience.

Alison Gopnik takes us into the fascinating minds of babies and children, and shows us how much we understand before we even realize we do.

Bryce Dallas Howard is an actor, director, writer and producer with a deep love of the craft of storytelling.

Kevin Toolis's wide-ranging command of culture and history blends meaning and connection with death as part of life.

Bacteria, bugs, germs -- Morgan Vague loves to get in the dirt (literally) to explore solutions to pressing problems.

Stephen Webb is a science fiction fan who's passionately interested in what the future might hold for our species.

Azure Antoinette is a commissioned poet, recording artist, entrepreneur and arts education advocate.

Jason Webb is a writer, musical director, arranger, orchestrator, lecturer and a lover of music.

Ebony Roberts works to lift the veil of shame for those who have an incarcerated loved one.

By educating young people about the difference between healthy and unhealthy relationships, Katie Hood hopes to derail abusive behavior before it starts and impact the relationship health of an entire generation.

Alexis Charpentier (aka Lexis from Music Is My Sanctuary) believes record collectors, music curators and DJs serve a crucial role as cultural preservationists and alternative voices to mainstream music platforms.

The author of "Eat, Pray, Love," Elizabeth Gilbert has thought long and hard about some big topics. Her fascinations: genius, creativity and how we get in our own way when it comes to both.

In her warm, glorious voice, Eddi Reader sings thoughtful songs about love, longing and introspection.

Shimpei Takahashi thinks we should forget about analyzing data or sales figures and just come up with ideas -- lots and lots of ideas.

Nancy Rabalais has studied coastal marine ecosystems for more than 40 years now and loves to share that knowledge.

Butterscotch uses her powerful voice and sounds to sing about love, life and everything in between. Her mission is to empower and elevate people through music and compassion.

Naomi and Lisa-Kaindé Díaz have created a minimalist sound that merges elements of their heritage with their love of modern music.

A professor of economics at the University of Waterloo in Canada, Larry Smith coaches his students to find the careers that they will truly love.

Katharine Wilkinson is transforming how we see and relate to the earth. As a writer and messenger, she brings humanity and heart to the challenge of climate change and invites us to be awake, aware and active participants in the community of life.

A pioneer in the field of neuroeconomics, Paul Zak is uncovering how the hormone oxytocin promotes trust, and proving that love is good for business.

A writer and stand-up comedian, Aparna Nancherla is one of the most exciting new voices to hit the comedy scene.

Shea Hembrey explores patterns from nature and myth. A childhood love of nature, and especially birdlife, informs his vision.