Jennifer Breheny Wallace

Zach Mercurio, researcher and author who studies leadership habits that create significance. Jennifer Breheny Wallace, journalist and bestselling author who studies why feeling valued matters. They discuss what “mattering” means and a four-part framework for it. They share practical ways to notice, affirm, and make people feel needed in work and life.

Jennifer Breheny Wallace, award-winning journalist and author, explores why feeling valued is a basic human need. She outlines the SED framework—Significance, Appreciation, Investment, Dependence—and shares stories about small acts, caregiving resilience, work purpose, digital vs in-person connection, and rebuilding community through everyday rituals.

Jennifer Breheny Wallace, an award-winning journalist on relationships and well-being, and Jerry Moore, an archaeologist who writes about human-animal history, join to discuss why feeling significant matters and how cats became enduring companions. They explore when mattering falters, a simple nightly practice to notice it, cats’ surprising domestication story, ancient bonds, and the signals people often miss.

Jennifer Breheny Wallace, author of the New York Times Best Seller “Never Enough: When Achievement Culture..." discusses the negative consequences of obsession with success and offers practical solutions to manage it. Topics include finding purpose, the power of connection, pressure to achieve in adolescence, challenges in retirement, and coping mechanisms for good financial health.

Jennifer Breheny Wallace, author of Never Enough, discusses the toxic effects of achievement culture on well-being and happiness. They explore the rise of anxiety, depression, and substance abuse in today's youth. They also emphasize the importance of redefining success and nurturing resilience and deep connection in families and communities. The podcast delves into the pressures and stresses parents face, the significance of reaching out for support, and the importance of human connection. They discuss normalizing failure and risk-taking, the impact of mattering on mental health, and reimagining ambition to live a good life.

Jennifer Breheny Wallace, author of the definitive book on toxic achievement culture, discusses the impact on mental health and importance of self-care in parenting. She emphasizes the significance of mattering for youth mental health and the importance of recognizing value and prioritizing well-being in parenting. Wallace also highlights the power of deep and supportive relationships for fostering interdependence and a sense of mattering.

Jennifer Breheny Wallace, award-winning journalist and author who studies how people find meaning, discusses why the need to matter persists after work ends. She describes building a “mattering portfolio,” daily practices to restore purpose, the SED framework (Significance, Appreciation, Investment, Dependence), and practical places and actions that recreate visible, valued roles in retirement.

Jennifer Breheny Wallace, award-winning journalist and bestselling author who studies mattering and achievement culture. She explains why feeling valued for who we are matters more than just succeeding. Short frameworks and everyday practices for signaling significance are discussed. Practical moves to restore worth, resist burnout, and strengthen connection are highlighted.

Jennifer Breheny Wallace, New York Times bestselling journalist and author of Mattering, explores the deep human need to be valued and to add value. She explains why transitions and achievement culture erode that feeling. Short, practical practices and small gestures for rebuilding connection are highlighted. Stories and simple prompts show how everyday acts can restore a sense of significance.

Jennifer Breheny Wallace, journalist studying achievement pressure; Ellen Hendriksen, clinical psychologist focused on anxiety and self-acceptance; Michaela Kerrissey, management researcher on psychological safety. They explore how perfectionism shows up in families and workplaces. Conversations cover mental health risks, when high standards become toxic, using vulnerability and mattering to reconnect, and reframing drive toward mastery.