Mattering Summit Welcome

Roderick Carey, PhD

Scholar, Teacher and Artist

Do Black Boys Feel They Matter in School? Lessons from the Black Boy Mattering Project

Grounded in the social psychological theory of mattering, or the fundamental human need to feel seen, valued, and significant to others, this presentation explores how Black boys and other marginalized youth experience their sense of significance within school environments and society. Drawing on five years of research from the Black Boy Mattering Project and related studies on mattering among marginalized adolescents, the presentation highlights key findings and offers insights for creating more affirming school communities.

Panel: Louis Alloro, Sarah Tachon, Dr. Talma Shultz, Dr. Kathy Snyder, and Lucy Osborne

Co-Creating Community Mattering Through Wellbeing

This panel brings together 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, Midland, MI), Sarah Tachon (Kindness is Contagious, Evansville WI), Talma Shultz (Positive Psychology Initiative, Palmdale, CA), and Lucy Osborne (intenSati leader, Global), this session will highlight real-world examples of how communities can move from intention to integration. Together, we will explore how mattering is built, sustained, and scaled across systems, relationships, and everyday practices, and what it means for the future of 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.

Sonja Lyubomirsky

Author and Professor of Psychology

How to Feel Loved: Mattering to Others

In this interview, Sonja Lyubomirsky shares insights from her book (with Harry Reis), How to Feel Loved, offering a fresh perspective on connection and relationships. Lyubomirsky argues that feeling loved—not being loved—is the key to happiness. They offer a practical framework for how to feel more loved (and make other people feel more loved) in everyday relationships. The book introduces five key mindsets: Sharing (revealing our inner world and vulnerabilities), Listening-to-Learn (truly tuning in to others), Radical Curiosity (showing genuine interest), an Open-Heart (expressing kindness and belief in the other person), and Multiplicity (embracing the messy complexity in ourselves and others). Together, these shifts operate through what Lyubomirsky calls the “Relationship See-Saw,” a dynamic, reciprocal process that reshapes how we communicate so that both partners can feel known and valued.

Morning Close

Mattering Summit Welcome

Scott Barry Kaufman

Psychologist, Coach, Best-selling Author, Professor and Keynote Speaker

Talking Self-Actualization & Neurodiversity

Can you find meaning in your own existence? This discussion will focus on the beauty of neurodiversity and how people are increasingly embracing their own unique form of neurodiversity and harnessing it for creativity and well-being.

Christine Quinn, PhD

Founder of Living Kindness-Recovery Community for Families

Cultures of Mattering: How Connection Transforms Families

What happens when isolation at 30,000 feet is met by the presence of a stranger? I will share the “airplane moment”—a personal crisis where a plea for help was met not with a manual, but with the transformative power of being seen by others. We will explore how connection is a fundamental human requirement and how Living Kindness builds intentional spaces for families to move from private struggle to shared significance. Discover how the simple act of presence can build a culture where no one walks their hardest roads alone.

Joe Primo

CEO of Grateful Living

Mattering to Others: Living Gratefully Is An Act of Resistance

Science is now catching up with what spiritual traditions have known for millennia: being grateful rewires the brain, shifts perspective, and helps us care for others. Rather than only being grateful for the outcomes we want, we are now learning that living gratefully is a transformative way of orienting our lives and caring for one another. In this session, we will explore why living gratefully is a powerful act of resistance in an age of othering, and how this practice deepens our understanding of both ourselves and those around us.

Mary Ceccanese

Owner of Dynamic Connections, LLC

Mattering to Others: Creating and Sustaining High-Quality Connections

Every day we have numerous interactions with others – in person, via email, text, phone, etc. When these interactions include trust, respectful engagement, and mutual regard, they light us up – they are called High-Quality Connections.  The research of Professor Jane Dutton from the Center for Positive Organizational Scholarship at the University of Michigan shows that there are organizational (enhanced cooperation and increased adaptability), departmental (more creativity and better learning), and individual benefits (broader thinking, job satisfaction, and improved physiological/psychological health) when people are engaged in HQCs.

Jodi Silverman

Mindset and Happiness Coach

Dare to Matter: 3 Small Acts That Strengthen Self-Worth and Human Connection.

Feeling like we matter often begins with small moments of connection. In this uplifting talk, mindset and happiness coach Jodi Silverman introduces three simple but powerful “Dares”: Smile, Laugh, and Look for the Good. These everyday actions help shift self-perception, open the door to authentic connection (with self and others), and create ripple effects of kindness and belonging. Participants will discover how small intentional choices can remind both ourselves and others that they matter.

Mattering Summit Close