Matters.com Presents

In this episode of Matters.com Presents, Dakota Rouse interviews Amanda Scott. Amanda Scott, licensed clinical professional counselor and coach, shares her journey from early childhood education to special education and ultimately into counseling — and how she found her calling working with neurodivergent individuals. She opens up about her passion for helping people with ADHD and autism recognize...

In this episode of Matters.com Presents, Barton Williams interviews Dr. Valentina Kordi. Dr. Valentina Kordi, organizational consultant and bestselling author based in Athens, joins Barton to explore one of the most persistent problems in modern leadership — the gap between what organizations say they value and what they actually practice. Dr. Kordi shares insights from her bestselling book, &quot...

In this episode of Matters.com Presents, Emily interviews dusan. Singer, songwriter, and guitarist dusan opens up about the deeply personal story behind his new song "The Diary" — how discovering his ex-wife's diary reshaped his understanding of their relationship and the nature of blame after a breakup. He shares powerful thoughts on the impact of divorce on children, the value of...

Glitzy™ Presents: When Your Patience Runs Out at Work!  A situation from Self Settings™. Self Settings is a about the controls, sliders, and toggles inside us — the dials we never knew we could adjust. This one is hosted by Glitzy Pup and we're looking at  a public library worker writes in: she has zero patience left for the steady stream of angry patrons. One woman threw a fit because a bran...

In this episode of Matters.com Presents, Emily interviews Tressa Glover. Tressa Glover, Pittsburgh-based storyteller, actor, and creator of the award-winning podcast Yinz Are Good , shares why human connection is at the heart of everything she does — from her personal relationships to her work amplifying everyday changemakers. She opens up about how her podcast grew from a local Pittsburgh project...

Imagine a news show made just for you — built around the topics you said matter. That's what every Matters.com members get: their own personal News, narrated by Glitzy & Glitchy™, our gamer pup hosts, and created around what they told us matters to them. Their people, their stakes, their week — not a generic feed, not what the algorithm thinks they'll click, not what everyone else is...

When AI Takes Keep You Up at Night — Presented by Glitzy & Glitchy™ , the gamer pups.  A Matters.com property. THE SITUATION_ I am so worried about AI. I can't sleep at night. Yes I am worried about my job, but even more about our future. What will our kids do for jobs? What will a future be like in a world of AI? You're not alone. In this episode of Self Settings ™,  Glitzy Pup and...

In this episode of Matters.com Presents, Barton Williams interviews Bianca Lysette. Bianca a mentor and serial entrepreneur from Orlando, Florida, shares how growth, mindset, and self-worth have shaped her journey from watching her family struggle financially to building a seven-figure business. She opens up about the importance of always staying a student no matter your level of success, and why...

In this episode of Matters.com Presents, Olivia interviews Greg Harris. Greg Harris, Executive Director of CounterACT International and former senior DOJ juvenile justice official, shares what drives his passion for working with incarcerated youth across Central America. He opens up about the complex realities facing young people in Honduras, El Salvador, and Guatemala — including the unintended c...

In this episode of Matters.com Presents, Barton Williams interviews Lauren Wu. Lauren Wu, attorney, executive coach, keynote speaker, author, and mother, shares the story behind her HEART-Led Leadership framework — and it's deeply personal. After suffering a near-fatal pulmonary embolism at 41, Lauren realized that burnout is a system failure, not a personal one, and she's on a mission t...

In this episode of Matters.com Presents, Barton Williams interviews Cathy Nesbitt. Cathy is a health and wellness advocate, entrepreneur, and laughter yoga teacher from Canada who has built two remarkable missions: a 24-year-old worm composting business focused on environmental wellness, and an online laughter club helping people escape stress and find joy.  Cathy explains how laughter yoga works...

Olivia interviews real estate investor and resilience advocate Marco Barnes Jr., who shares how losing everything in the 2008 crash led to homelessness and forced him to rebuild by taking a grueling summer job on an Alaska fishing boat to earn $20,000. He explains how he used that money to partner up, restart in real estate, and grow from a two-person operation into a mortgage business with 300+ e...

Alex Ranahan on Being More Childlike and Living in the Present Barton  talks with Bristol-based virtual event emcee, presenter, and actor Alex Ranahan about what matters to him right now: reconnecting to the present moment instead of constantly chasing the next goal. Alex shares how social media and online advice can turn self-improvement into pressure and comparison, and suggests scrapping the id...

Emily  interviews Brian Robinson, a Silicon Valley teacher, lawyer, swim coach, and poet, about what matters most to him right now: showing up for his children as a father.  Brian shares the story of his sudden cardiac arrest during swim practice in May 2021, how teens at the pool got him help and an AED shock saved his life, and how his kids’ voices on a Zoom call helped wake him from an induced...

Emily talks with novelists Amy Safford and Misty O’Hara about what matters to them and the personal stories behind their books.  Amy shares how her Goode Vibrations series explores intuition, spiritual transformation, magical realism, and buried history, and how a skiing accident helped push her to finish her first novel, Goode Vibrations of the Resting Place, followed by Goode Vibrations of the D...

Mike interviews Angela Fuller — mom, fitness instructor, American Ninja Warrior competitor, and competitive gymnast. They talk about why adult gymnastics matters to Angela and how she returned to athletics after a serious back injury, pregnancies that worsened her discs, and being told she might need a spinal fusion. She shares how her best friend’s terminal breast cancer diagnosis pushed her to g...

Mike interviews Barton Williams, Athlete, Actor, and Educator. Barton discusses the importance of physical and mental health, especially for children, and shares how using a pogo stick can be a metaphor for life's ups and downs. The speed round covers topics like high-powered pogo sticks, mental health, pizza, artificial intelligence, and more. 00:12 Barton Williams' Passion for Physical...

Olivia interviews Jolene Puffer, a real estate broker, entrepreneur, Ironman finisher, author, and CEO. Jolene shares her journey of embracing bravery, highlighting how completing her first Ironman transformed her beliefs about what she could accomplish.  Jolene also discusses her book 'How Big Is Your Brave?'  Speed Round:  entrepreneurship, social media, artificial intelligence,  endur...

Olivia interviews Andrea Goldner, a former caregiver turned children's author, whose real-life inspired picture books celebrate family moments and childhood wonder. They discuss the importance of reading to children, highlighting its benefits for parent-child bonding, early learning, and empathy. Andrea shares her passion from years of caregiving and the positive impacts of storytelling. The...

Olivia interviews Ella Shahbazian, the 15-year-old founder of Ella's Angels, a nonprofit aimed at empowering youth through community service, education, and financial literacy. They discuss Ella's motivation for starting the organization, notable events like a large Thanksgiving meal distribution, and upcoming initiatives. Ella shares her thoughts on leadership, the impact of community s...

In this episode, Emily interviews Doug Cardell, PhD, an economist, systems dynamics modeler, educator, and author of 'Why Socialism Struggles.'  Dr. Cardell discusses his new book, which explores the economic missteps of socialism and its unrealistic goals. He explains the distinctions between socialism, social democracy, and social capitalism, and highlights the complexities of managing...

Olivia interviews David Murrin, a geopolitical and financial forecaster. Murrin discusses the cyclical nature of empires, asserting that the western world, particularly the United States, is in decline while China rises in power—leading towards inevitable conflict. He emphasizes the importance of recognizing these cycles, addressing political and economic dissonance, and urgently waking up to immi...

Emily interviews Elvin Aghammadzada, an AI Architect at NVIDIA.  Elvin discusses his work on large language models, AI systems, and mentoring engineers. He emphasizes the importance of understanding AI's future impact on workplaces and society, reflecting on his journey from a passion for mathematics to a career in AI. He also shares his views on AI in education, the significance of supercomp...

In this episode of Matters.com Presents , Olivia interviews Samantha Holland — a cancer survivor, resilience coach, and former Disney VIP tour guide — to talk about transforming pain into purpose. At just 34, Samantha was diagnosed with triple-negative breast cancer, one of the most aggressive and rare forms of breast cancer. What saved her life was early detection, a trust in her intuition, and a...

In this  episode of Matters.com Presents, we interview Anne Catherine Bédard — chemist, artist, and founder of Lab Coat and Leggings — to talk about blending science, creativity, and authenticity. Anne Catherine shares how a simple adult coloring book during recovery sparked a life-changing journey of self-discovery. From feeling “too nerdy for sports” and “too sporty for science,” she found empow...