Talking about love is easy. Love in action is a whole other ballgame. Thankfully, we’re surrounded by some inspiring people who, like Ruben, live through love every day. Here’s a selection of 5 inspiring people in Ruben’s world who exemplify living through love.

1. Michael Voltaggio: Chef

Micheal Voltaggio is known as a celebrity chef. With a Top Chef title and thriving LA restaurants, Michael’s life is driven by a love of food — and he’s recognized for it. But for him, being a chef is not so much about recognition and ego. As he explains on Ruben’s podcast, he sees food almost pragmatically — a means to make people happy.

“Our job [as chefs] was to make other people feel special,” says Michael, recounting his first experiences in the industry working under elite chefs. “And when you start doing that, see the reaction people display when you do that for them, you start thinking, ‘Wow, I wonder if I can do that outside of work,” but also, ‘I wonder if I’ll get to feel like that someday.’”

Food has always taken care of him, so he feels a responsibility to pay it forward and take care of others through food. Whether it’s through what he cooks at his restaurants, mentorship, or through his hands-on volunteering with community organizations, Michael is driven by how food should nourish and bring joy to others. With this approach, Michael inspires other people in the food industry to live through love.

2. Ivana De Maria:

As a multi-hyphenate creative, Ivana De Mario confuses people sometimes. They can’t quite pinpoint what she does.

Simply put, “I tell stories,” she explains, “But depending on the day of the week, I do it in a different way. Sometimes I act, sometimes I produce, other times I write.”

Then she added tech entrepreneur to her resume by founding STORYPLACE, a digital space where people worldwide share stories in an accepting, uplifting space. Founded in 2018, STORYPLACE is a digital, empathy-driven story platform where anyone can contribute stories, read stories based on their interests, and participate in storytelling competitions and challenges. STORYPLACE has over 40,000 members in 90+ countries.

Ivana is one of those inspiring, visionary people who create themselves what they can’t find out there. As a producer for film and tv, she was always on the lookout for authentic stories that could bring people together. She wished for a story bank of sorts, that held countless inspiring narratives for people with the power to build human connection.

Armed with a vision and sketches, she learned the skills and tapped into new digital resources to bring STORYPLACE to life. Ivana has proven that the desire to live through love and live with passion can have a huge ripple effect.

3. Lewis Howes: Entrepreneur, Business Coach, Author, and Speaker

When Lewis Howes was a senior in college, the All-American athlete’s dad was in a car accident that left him in a coma. When his father woke up, he was an entirely different person. Lewis lost his best friend, biggest supporter, and greatest coach.

While he went on to play Arena Football, an injury ended his career. With his identity shattered and without his dad to turn to, Lewis felt lost and afraid. That is, until he started looking for new mentors.

Lewis began connecting with successful people on LinkedIn, and asking them to tell him the story of their success. These interviews gave him inspiration and hope, leading him to launch his own podcast, The School of Greatness, where he could spread inspiration to other people.

Through his podcast, he tapped into his life’s purpose: helping others overcome challenges and find their greatness, just like his dad used to do for him. Lewis’ podcast quickly grew from a handful of listeners to over 100 million downloads.

Now a New York Times best-selling author, successful entrepreneur, and keynote speaker, he is a true embodiment of choosing love over fear. He uses his platform to encourage people to dream big. In fact, Ruben participates in Lewis’ Summit of Greatness every year, helping to further the message of hope, possibility, and reaching your potential.

4. The Rock: Actor, Producer, Former Professional Wrestler, and Entrepreneur

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson has always been one of Ruben’s inspirations. The Rock established himself as a global wrestling superstar before seamlessly transitioning to Hollywood and becoming one of the world’s highest-grossing actors.

Part of his enormous success is his adaptability. The Rock is a study in evolving and growing. His career has branched out into so many different directions, but it’s his heart and commitment to making the world a better place that has really made the biggest impact.

He regularly uses his influence to change people’s lives — whether through his own foundation or in partnership with organizations like Make-a-Wish Foundation and the Red Cross.

Aside from donating money and time to various causes, he’s also genuine and humble. He often stops what he’s doing to connect with fans on the street and through social media, snapping selfies with them, sharing their inspiring stories, and just being an all-round excellent human being who commits to living through love every day.

5. Jalen Ramsey: Professional Football Player

Los Angeles Rams cornerback, Jalen Ramsey, is one of the top players in the NFL. His unbelievable work ethic, passion for the game, and skill make him an inspiration, but so does the fact that he’s always himself.

Ramsey doesn’t put on a front for the media or try to be anything he’s not. He stays true to who he is, which is the foundation of self-love. He turns the love outward, too, whether it’s lifting the spirits of a young fan battling leukemia or donating 345,000 meals to LA food banks.

Ahead of the 2022 NFL season opener between the Rams and the Buffalo Bills, Ruben talked with Ramsey about the NFL’s “Choose Love” message. Ramsey got a first look at Ruben’s love sculpture before it was unveiled at Sofi Stadium as part of Ruben’s partnership with the NFL. Ramsey was hopeful the sculpture would “help people feel the power of love.”

Ramsey himself has a tattoo with the word “love” on his hand that he looks at as a constant reminder of its importance. Stay tuned for his appearance on a future episode of the Live Through Love podcast to hear more about the role love plays in his life.

Conversations with inspiring people and artists. Connecting brands with the power of mural street art. His own Ruben Rojas art. Ruben is a changemaker pushing the role of creativity and sharing how we can all live through love with what we’ve got.

Contact Ruben if you’re interested in commissioning mural art, finding out more about Beautify Earth, or want to chat with him about how your creativity is inspiring people’s lives.