What actually matters right now?

Marc Foreman says shopper marketing matters: "I'm living proof. It's the whole example of going in for one thing and coming out with 10. That's all shopper marketing...geniuses at work...know exactly how to put stuff together to make it really pop."

"Video games can be quite soothing, particularly for autistic brains. I do video games myself in the evening as a way to decompress and regulate."

Heather Johnson says cats matter: "Dogs and cats matter. I have sucker tattooed on my forehead apparently...I gotta feed 'em again."

Amy believes supernatural matters: "there's a lot that we don't understand... there's a metaphysical realm... a lot that we don't see going on underneath the surface that we really need to be more open to."

Mary believes education is key: "Knowledge is power, right? So the more you educate yourself on things that you love or that's important in life, the further you get in life."

Alex Ranahan says pantomime is "massive in the UK... a great way of getting the kids involved in theater from a young age. Check out a pantomime, you will not be disappointed."

Paul describes branding as "the intangible existence of who you are," emphasizing its foundational role in identity.

Samantha says veganism does not matter to her: "I tried to be vegan for three months and I failed miserably...the way I craved a cheeseburger...was wild."

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.

Amanda is skeptical of dance therapy's effectiveness. "There's a lot of papers right now showing that dance therapy is not as impressive as we all thought it was. And I am a scientist at heart and I go by what I'll be scientists say."

Allen Spence says cryptocurrency "matters" and highlights its utility: "crypto does have utility...it's also very good for foreign payments" and can make remittances easier.

Storytelling matters to Barton because, as an adoptee from Vietnam, a sense of belonging and welcome is important, especially amid global challenges of refugees and migration.

Marc Foreman believes artificial intelligence matters: "I've had nothing but positive experiences...it mirrors who you are...large language models like ChatGPT have just opened it out to everybody. It's impressed the hell outta me."

Laura says coffee matters: "I love it. In anytime of the day or night."

Jolene says entrepreneurship matters because "it gives you the freedom to believe that there's something inside you."

Doug Cardell says socialism matters "as a threat... if it should happen here, do we want the country to fail? So, yeah, it matters."

Jolene believes social media matters: "It's your voice...this medium has allowed us to dream bigger, to believe bigger."

Creativity matters to Jennifer because, in a world favoring proficiency and productivity, creativity supports more than what seems obvious.

Laura emphasizes mental health matters: "No matter what you've been through in your life... it affects us for the rest of our life."

Kat says religion matters: "It matters to believe in something... especially in a difficult situation, it will help you to stand up and to move on with your life."

Shoshana says mindfulness matters because it helps us become more conscious of ourselves and others.

Renas Raza says pets matter: "They make you feel so good and they're adorable and you just wanna save them all."

Matthew says authenticity matters: "Just showing up and being who you are...if you do that every day...you're gonna have left the world a better place than you found it."

Scott says music matters, sharing: "I've been a kid's party DJ for 25 years."

Running matters… We did the Boston 5K last weekend… and we’re doing a half marathon this weekend with a bunch of friends.

"Math and sports probably are the things that don't matter to me. It doesn't matter. My dad will be very upset. I come from Eagles territory, so culturally it matters, but not to me."

Team building matters to Alex because it reveals real dynamics, fosters trust, and transforms groups into confident, collaborative teams through play and genuine connection.

"You are what you eat, and food and nutrition can actually be a source of burnout if you're eating the wrong foods."

Kat says gaming does not matter: "It doesn't, for me, it doesn't matter. It's time wasting, but for many people, maybe, yes, it matters."

Dogs are beloved by Leta and often featured on the podcast. "Leta says they definitely matter. She would like everyone to bring dogs on the podcast... our pity staffing mix shows up a lot."

Alex Ranahan treasures books: "that beautiful feeling... that sensation of a new discovery... this peaceful, tranquil stillness. I think that's a gift to yourself."

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

Heather Johnson says politics do not matter: "I'm tired of it. I can't take it. I can't take one more. I didn't even watch the news. Can't do it."

Elvin thinks market capitalization is "really, really sensitive to opinion" and not a true indicator of strength: "even a billion dollar companies can fail."

David Murrin says military strategy matters: "Matters, matters, matters. Survival. Critical."

Heather Johnson says mental health matters: "I go to a therapist, I don't care. I'll say it all day long."

Maria says exercise matters because it "makes you feel good and it helps you prevent a lot of very bad diseases, including cancer. So, extremely important."

Anne Catherine Bedard believes artificial intelligence matters as "it's a tool" and "already in our lives." She says, "We have to learn to use it when appropriate."

Anne Catherine Bedard insists women in science "absolutely matters" and says, "We need representation. I cannot stress this out."

Lyndsey believes self-help and mental health "lean into each other."

I think autism matters because there are so many stories related to autism, and people need to understand that disability is not a bad word.

Alex Ranahan says travel "enriches you... gives you that sense of wonderment... reconnecting with the fact that we are a global community as opposed to just feeling isolated."

Grant believes cybersecurity is essential because "it touches everyone. It touches everything... Our meetings are digital. Our human interactions are digital. Where we get our news is digital. It's all digital."

Matthew says matcha "doesn't matter to me."

Scott says parenting matters the most: "That's my favorite thing to watch him grow up just in awe all the time."

Mental health is a major concern for the autistic community. "Matters. Especially within the autistic community, there's a large portion of kids who wind up with anxiety and depression, and how we're treating that needs to be studied even more."

Maria says mental health matters: "if you are mindful of what's going on mentally and emotionally, you're able to be more productive at the end of the day."

John Fuhrman says artificial intelligence "doesn't matter" to him: "I'm gonna be 70, it doesn't matter." He finds AI-generated writing "horrible" and prefers his own skills.

Jennifer is conflicted but says celebrities matter: "The cult of celebrity has become so problematic in the United States, yet at the same time, it's fun."

Entrepreneurship is important to show that autistic people can be entrepreneurs. "Matters a bit. Yeah. Mostly to show that autistic people can be entrepreneurs."

"The American society is a melting pot, which I think means that there's not one specific dream that we should all follow. So the American Dream, no, not really. I don't think that matters, but I think Americans and their dreams definitely do."

Leta's Tap Styles seeks dancers or former dancers to discuss their passion for dance, as well as autistic individuals, their families, educators, therapists, advocates, and those connected to dyslexia for podcast conversations.

Elvin believes supercomputers "definitely matter" because they could enable "super intelligence" and help "solve all those scientific problems or cure cancer."

"I'm currently watching Love is Blind Deutschland to practice my Germans."

Kate Torode says mental health "absolutely matters" and is "very open" about her struggles, urging society to "accept that it's nothing that the individual did wrong."

Angela Fuller says parenting matters because "I am teaching my boys a ton of life lessons" and "they get to watch me never give up and the grit that I have."

Allen Spence says social media "really matters now" due to its impact on jobs, influence, and information, and calls his Facebook "almost like my family photo album."

"Coaching actually came post-diagnosis, because I had coaching myself. It was one of the sort of strategies I took on to help myself function better."

Avelyn says teaching matters because of the lasting impact teachers have: "Just knowing the contact they still have with their students and the impact they have on their students, and me too. It's a really beautiful thing to see."

Lyndsey says reading matters: "I love reading. It's something I've been doing since I was a little kid."