Jennifer Breheny Wallace is an award-winning journalist and bestselling author who explores the power of mattering in everyday life. Through research and storytelling, she examines the hidden forces shaping modern life, from the crisis of meaning in achievement culture to the essential role of mattering in personal, workplace, and societal well-being.
Wallace is the author of two instant New York Times bestsellers: Never Enough: When Achievement Culture Becomes Toxic And What We Can Do About It and Mattering: The Secret to a Life of Deep Connection and Purpose. She is the founder of The Mattering Institute, dedicated to creating cultures of mattering in workplaces and communities, and co-founder of The Mattering Movement, a nonprofit focused on fostering mattering in schools.
She serves as a Special Advisor to University Health & Counseling at the University of Michigan, where she is a member of the Well-being Collective Advisory Council, and sits on the Advisory Board for Making Caring Common, a project of the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Wallace is a Journalism Fellow at The Center for Parent and Teen Communication at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and a guest lecturer for NYU’s Fall 2025 course, Education, Mattering, and the American Dream: Understanding Achievement Culture.
Wallace is also a maternal mental health advocate at Calm, a consultant for Netflix, and a BCG BrightHouse Luminary. She has partnered with The LEGO Group on its global Play Unstoppable campaign, addressing perfectionism and fostering confidence through play.
After graduating from Harvard College, Wallace began her journalism career at CBS’s 60 Minutes, where she was part of the team awarded the Robert F. Kennedy Award for Excellence in Journalism. She contributes regularly to The Wall Street Journal and The Washington Post and frequently appears on national television programs. She serves on the board of the Coalition for the Homeless in New York City, where she resides.
