Feeling like nothing you do matters? Try this

VPM | By Manoush Zomorodi, Phoebe Lett and Sanaz Meshkinpour

Published January 23, 2026 at 4:18 PM EST

Part 3 of the TED Radio Hour episode What can you control in this chaotic world?

When life feels out of control, the fastest way back to agency may be helping someone else feel seen. Journalist Jennifer Wallace explains why mattering is a basic human need.

About Jennifer Wallace

Jennifer Wallace is a journalist and the author of Mattering: The Secret to a Life of Deep Connection and Purpose and Never Enough: When Achievement Culture Becomes Toxic — And What We Can Do About It. She is the founder of The Mattering Institute and co-founder of The Mattering Movement.

This segment of the TED Radio Hour was produced by Phoebe Lett and edited by Sanaz Meshkinpour and Manoush Zomorodi. You can follow us on Facebook @TEDRadioHour and email us at [email protected].

Web Resources

Related TED Bio: Jennifer Wallace

Related TED Talk: How to live a meaningful life

Related TED Talk: To love is to be brave

Related NPR Links

Life Kit: Stop being so mean to yourself. Here are 5 tips to help you break the cycle

TED Radio Hour: Building public spaces that actually serve the public

Life Kit: Stuck in a rut? How to appreciate your life again, according to science

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Manoush Zomorodi

Manoush Zomorodi is the host of TED Radio Hour. She is a journalist, podcaster and media entrepreneur, and her work reflects her passion for investigating how technology and business are transforming humanity.

Zomorodi is a co-founder of Stable Genius Productions and is the co-host and co-creator of ZigZag, the business podcast about being human. She also created, hosted, and was managing editor of the podcast Note to Self in partnership with WNYC Studios, which was named Best Tech Podcast of 2017 by The Academy of Podcasters.

Prior to her time at WNYC, Zomorodi reported and produced around the world for BBC News and Thomson Reuters, including a few years in Berlin.

She was named one of Fast Company's 100 Most Creative People in Business for 2018 and has received numerous awards for her work, including The Gracie for Best Radio Host in 2014 and 2018. Her book "Bored and Brilliant: How Spacing Out Can Unlock Your Most Creative Self" (2017, St. Martin's Press) and her TED Talk are guides to surviving information overload and the "Attention Economy."

Zomorodi received a bachelor's degree from Georgetown University in English and fine arts. She is half-Persian and half-Swiss but was born in New York City, where she lives with her family.

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