Jennifer Wallace

In a world where loneliness, burnout, and disconnection have reached crisis levels, Jennifer Breheny Wallace offers a transformative solution: mattering. Through vivid storytelling and groundbreaking research, Mattering: The Secret to Building a Life of Deep Purpose and Connection reveals how feeling seen, needed, and valued isn't just a nice-to-have-it's essential for our wellbeing and society's future. Filled with stories of individuals who have discovered the power of mattering, from the story of a fire chief who re-energized his emotionally exhausted team by helping them see their long-term impact, to a woman who transformed her grief into a movement helping thousands rebuild their lives, Wallace shows how mattering can be cultivated in every sphere of life. She demonstrates that when people feel they truly matter-that their presence and contributions are noticed, needed, and missed when they aren't there-everything changes. Productivity soars, relationships deepen, and communities strengthen. Drawing on compelling research and intimate portraits of people who've discovered the power of mattering, Wallace provides a practical blueprint for creating lives of deeper meaning and connection. She reveals: • How small acts of recognition can transform workplace culture and prevent burnout • Why helping others often energizes us rather than depletes us • How to build "mattering spaces" that foster genuine connection in our communities • Practical strategies for navigating life transitions while maintaining our sense of purpose Perfect for readers of Brené Brown and Adam Grant, this timely book offers both hope and concrete solutions for our modern crisis of disconnection. Mattering isn't just another self-help guide-it's a revolutionary framework for rebuilding the connections that make life meaningful and creating positive change that ripples outward from ourselves to our relationships, workplaces, and communities. With clarity and compassion, Wallace shows us that the antidote to our cultural crisis of isolation isn't to turn inward, but to recognize how much we matter to each other. This book will forever change how you think about your role in the lives of others and offer a path to a more connected, purposeful life.

Kniha zkoumá vzestup „toxické kultury úspěchu“, která negativně ovlivňuje životy dětí, dospívajících a jejich rodičů. Přináší naléhavý, lidský pohled na krizi duševního zdraví mladých a návod, jak ji efektivně řešit, na základě osobních příběhů, rozhovorů s rodiči, pedagogy a odborníky a rozsáhlého průzkumu mezi 6 000 rodiči. Klíčovým pojmem je „mattering“ – to, na čem skutečně záleží: zdraví, spokojenost a vnitřní hodnota, která není podmíněná úspěchy. Wallace ukazuje, že tlak na úspěch je společensky zakořeněný, podpořený nerovností. Vysvětluje, proč je důležité, aby děti cítily vlastní hodnotu, která je nezávislá na výkonu, není určována úspěchy a pomáhá čelit úzkostem a rozvíjet odolnost a zdravou sebedůvěru. Kniha nabízí účinné nástroje, jak vychovávat děti s důrazem na zdraví a skutečné životní hodnoty, a poskytuje nástroje pro změnu a zachování duševní rovnováhy. Byla přeložena do několika jazyků a je vysoce ceněna.

Túlterhelt gyerekek, önbizalomhiány, szorongás, eltűnő gyerekkor, háttérbe szoruló barátságok, folyamatos megfelelési kényszer, sőt testi tünetek - szigorúan a sikeres jövő érdekében. De valóban ez az egyetlen út a sikerhez? Hogyan tudunk szülőként ellenállni a nyomasztó társadalmi elvárásoknak, és boldog gyereket nevelni egy olyan kultúrában, amelyben már az óvodában elkezdődik a versengés és a különórák halmozása, hogy majd - 15 év múlva! - a legjobb egyetemre kerüljön be a gyerek, mert így lesz "sikeres"? Jennifer Wallace könyvében interjúk, személyes történetek és szakemberek tapasztalatai nyomán rajzolódnak ki a lehetséges megoldások. A szerző megmutatja, hogyan lehet túllépni a társadalom által nap mint nap küldött káros üzeneteken, és úgy gyereket nevelni, hogy ellensúlyozzuk a fiatalok növekvő szorongását, depresszióját és elszigeteltségét, és megtanítsuk nekik a legfontosabbat: azt, hogy önmaguk miatt, a teljesítményüktől függetlenül fontosak nekünk, és a világnak is. JENNIFER B. WALLACE újságíró, háromgyerekes anya a Harvard College elvégzése után producerként dolgozott a CBS-nél. Jelenleg a The Wall Street Journal és a The Washington Post állandó szerzője, a New York University tanára, ahol a teljesítménykultúrával kapcsolatban tart kurzusokat.

The definitive book on the rise of "toxic achievement culture" overtaking our kids' and parents' lives, and a new framework for fighting back. In the ever more competitive race to secure the best possible future, today's students face unprecedented pressure to succeed. They jam-pack their schedules with AP classes, fill every waking hour with resume-padding activities, and even sabotage relationships with friends to "get ahead." Family incomes and schedules are stretched to the breaking point by tutoring fees and athletic schedules. Yet this drive to optimize performance has only resulted in skyrocketing rates of anxiety, depression, and even self-harm in America's highest achieving schools. Parents, educators, and community leaders are facing the same quandary: how can we teach our kids to strive towards excellence without crushing them? In Never Enough, award-winning reporter Jennifer Breheny Wallace investigates the deep roots of toxic achievement culture, and finds out what we must do to fight back. Drawing on interviews with families, educators, and an original survey of nearly 6,000 parents, she exposes how the pressure to perform is not a matter of parental choice but baked in to our larger society and spurred by increasing income inequality and dwindling opportunities. As a result, children are increasingly absorbing the message that they have no value outside of their accomplishments, a message that is reinforced by the media and greater culture at large. Through deep research and interviews with today's leading child psychologists, Wallace shows what kids need from the adults in the room is not more pressure, but to feel like they matter, and have intrinsic self-worth not contingent upon external achievements. Parents and educators who adopt the language and values of mattering help children see themselves as a valuable contributor to a larger community. And in an ironic twist, kids who receive consistent feedback that they matter no matter what are more likely to have the resilience, self-confidence, and psychological security to thrive. Packed with memorable stories and offering a powerful toolkit for positive change, Never Enough offers an urgent, humane view of the crisis plaguing today's teens and a practical framework for how to help.