As we count down to the inaugural 2026 Mattering Summit taking place May 12–14, we’re excited to introduce a few of the remarkable voices who will be part of this global conversation. Each week leading up to the summit, we’ll highlight a few speakers in this incredible community of experts, advocates, and storytellers who will be leading our sessions so you can learn about their unique perspectives to the practice of human significance.
Each speaker brings research, lived experience, and deep commitment to one essential idea: Helping people feel seen, valued, and connected matters.
Our Featured Panel Discussions
Co-Creating Community Mattering Through Wellbeing
This panel convenes four leading practitioners who are turning the idea of “mattering” into lived, community-wide impact. From city-wide wellbeing coalitions to grassroots kindness movements, from embodied practices to positive psychology interventions, this conversation explores what it really takes to create cultures where people feel seen, valued, and able to contribute. Featuring Kathy Snyder (Midland Wellbeing Coalition), Sarah Tachon (Kindness is Contagious), Talma Shultz (Positive Psychology Initiative), and Lucy Osborne (intenSati), this session will highlight real-world examples of how communities can move from intention to integration.
Panelists will discuss how mattering is built, sustained, and scaled across systems in ways that enhance collective wellbeing. Grounded in the Summit’s focus on mattering to self, others, and society, this panel invites participants to reflect, connect, and leave with practical ideas to strengthen belonging and wellbeing in their own communities.
Youth Matter and What Matters to Youth: Implications for Practice
This conversation explores current research on why mattering is a critical protective factor during adolescence, a period marked by rapid identity development and increasing social and academic pressures. Featuring Andrew Frick (Doctoral student) and Rabiya Karamali (EdD, MAPP, Instructor), this talk examines how feeling valued and having opportunities to add value within relationships shapes youth mental health and well-being. The session also highlights practical ways peers, families, schools, and communities can intentionally foster mattering to reduce loneliness, anxiety, and disengagement among young people.
The wisdom and heart these speakers bring to the stage are exactly what the world needs right now, but the conversation is even more powerful when our community grows. You already know how vital this mission is.
Help us spark a global awakening by inviting others to join you in the virtual front row. Whether it’s a colleague who leads with heart or a friend who could use a reminder of their own worth, please share the Mattering Summit with them today.
To make it a bit easier to spread the word, we’ve put together this promotional toolkit with words and graphics you can use to ensure that every person has the chance to hear these life-changing messages.
Summit Details
- When: May 12-14, 2026
- Where: Online! You can join us from your computer or phone, no matter where you are in the world.
- Cost: 100% Free. This event is our gift to the community.
The 2026 Mattering Summit is hosted collaboratively by You Matter Marathon and The Flourishing Center.
