His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, is the spiritual leader of the Tibetan people and of Tibetan Buddhism. He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989 and the US Congressional Gold Medal in 2007. Born in a small village in northeastern Tibet in 1935, he was recognized at the age of two as the reincarnation of his predecessor the 13th Dalai Lama. He has been a passionate advocate for a secular universal approach to cultivating fundamental human values.

Desmond Mpilo Tutu, archbishop emeritus of South Africa, passed away on December 26, 2021, at the age of 90. He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1984 and the US Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2009. In 1995, Tutu was appointed chair of South Africa’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission by Nelson Mandela, where he inspired a new way for countries to move forward after experiencing civil conflict and oppression. Archbishop Tutu is regarded as a leading moral voice and an icon of hope.

Doug Abrams is a multiple New York Times bestselling author, as well as an editor, literary agent, and film producer. He is the founder and president of Idea Architects, a creative book and media agency helping visionaries create a wiser, healthier, and more just world. In addition to cowriting The Book of Joy with the Dalai Lama and Desmond Tutu, he’s also worked with other Nobel Laureates, including Nelson Mandela.