What actually matters right now?

Shoshana calls emotional intelligence "the heart of what I do." She believes it starts with knowing how we feel so we can connect and empathize with others.

"A pet can be a way to regulate, co-regulate your nervous system. Pets are so loving, they're so calming. Yeah, I think everyone should have a dog."

Jennifer says coffee matters: "Coffee's the number one drug of choice over at our house... Coffee's consistency."

Alex Ranahan believes mental health is "the foundation of which everything stands upon... it should be explored and given the opportunity to address and work towards a stronger foundation."

John Fuhrman believes barbecue matters: "That's America's food." He calls it "not a thing... it's an event" and says, "Nobody has a bad time at a barbecue."

"Sushi doesn't matter. I can't cope with the texture of rice."

Marco says homelessness matters: "A lot of people aren't looking for a handout. They're looking for a hand up...I give so much of what I make to homeless situations...I would not be where I am...if it were not for the community around me."

Heather Johnson says minimalism matters: "I have stuff and I don't wanna move it all, so I'm trying to...call it out."

Renas Raza says books matter: "Movies are great, but a book you just, you can use your own imagination with the characters and how they look and how, yeah, just the overall books yes matters. I can go on and on, so I'll stop myself."

Scott says artificial intelligence matters: "I think chat gpt is so much better than Google and it helps me find things and figure things out that would take forever."

Grant says antibiotic resistance "absolutely matters. Yeah, I'm not gonna call it an existential threat, but it is absolutely a threat."

Barton says coffee matters: "it just feels good... it allows me to kickstart my day in a routine that feels great."

Laura insists gaslighting matters because "people are doing them without you even realizing... in the workplace to manipulate a situation or in your family to manipulate you in certain ways."

Jolene says endurance sports matter: "Endurance sports taught me pain is spiritual...absolutely teaches you some limits you may not have known you did or didn't have."

Entertainment matters to Alex because it builds connection, turns information into shared experience, and helps people engage, relax, and be present together.

Brian says poetry matters, citing Rumi's 'The Guest House' for teaching mindfulness: "All of my shame and my guilt and regrets...you're a part of my existence. I'm just gonna keep you in your proper space, and not let you overwhelm me."

Kate Torode says stand-up comedy matters: "That's what makes us laugh" and "shines a light on our society." She values comedians' "jester privilege" to speak truth.

Avelyn says education absolutely matters: "It's so important that, everybody is able to use their own brain to function in society and get to learn about different people and different things, and become a well-rounded human."

Elvin says library research "probably not matters anymore" because "a lot of stuff is on the internet" and AI tools offer "more richer knowledge."

Performance matters to Jennifer because live arts like dance, music, and theater 'have the power to keep humanity connected' despite digital convenience.

Angela Fuller says celebrity does not matter: "We are all the same. We're all humans. Nobody is better than anybody else."

Andrea says video games do not matter: "too addictive to children," "some violent ones," and "it's just mush in your brain."

Data privacy matters, but less than people expect. Everyone who wants your data probably already has it and more than you expect, so that issue already has sailed.

DJ sees chess as a metaphor for life: "Life is one big game to be played, and if you've ever played chess with someone who plays checkers, they're really easy to run around."