The Connection Effect with Bill Groner

In this aftershow episode of The Connection Effect — the final episode of Season One — host Bill Groner reflects on his conversation with Laura Schroff, author of An Invisible Thread. Bill is joined by three fellow alumni of the University of Pennsylvania Master of Applied Positive Psychology program: Harry Hofer (Executive Coach), Gaia Uman Borrero (Operations Manager), and Paty Cantú (Psychologist). While the main episode told the story of one moment that changed two lives, this conversation turns it back on the group: what gets in the way of noticing our own invisible threads, and what it actually takes to follow one. Together, the group explores the real challenges: The dispositional balance it takes to stay open to strangers, and how quickly we can tell when we're "off" Whether authenticity means waiting for the right mood, or whether a small, imperfect gesture still counts How destiny, spirituality, and a family story of kindness that came full circle all bump up against the idea of an invisible thread Topics of Discussion: 00:00 After Show Kickoff 00:52 Why Laura Schroff 01:57 Bill Gets Emotional 02:58 How It Made Us Feel 05:05 Kindness Without Pressure 07:52 Reciprocity And Ego 13:22 Fear And Other Obstacles 17:55 Authenticity Versus Intention 23:59 Destiny And Vulnerability 30:54 Invisible Thread Stories 36:58 VIP Bracelet Ripple

What if the person who impacts you most is a stranger? In our Season 1 finale, Bill Groner sits down with Laura Schroff, New York Times bestselling author of An Invisible Thread, who shares the story of the day she turned around to help a hungry 11-year-old boy on a New York City street — and the 40-year friendship that followed. Laura reflects on how one small act of connection reshaped both of their lives, and what she's learned since from the thousands of readers who've shared their own "invisible thread" stories with her. Connect with Laura Schroff Website: https://lauraschroff.com/ Facebook: facebook.com/LauraSchroffAuthor LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/laura-schroff-a239635 Books (An Invisible Thread, An Invisible Thread: Young Readers Edition, Angels on Earth): https://lauraschroff.com/books/ Connect with The Connection Effect Join the community and conversation on The Connection Effect Substack: connection.net/substack Questions? Guest inquiries? Email: [email protected] Topics of Discussion: 00:00 Season Finale Setup 00:31 Why Strangers Matter 02:38 Meet Laura Schroff 03:15 Labor Day Encounter 05:16 Lunch Turns Into Bond 10:14 A Weekly Tradition Begins 12:10 Invisible Thread Destiny 14:14 Trust Test At Home 16:58 Lessons In Poverty 18:51 Kindness And Brown Bag 23:35 Maurice Grows Up 26:58 Book And Hard Years 31:40 Invisible Thread Origin 33:43 Book Ripple Effects 35:05 Readers Share Stories 38:48 Kindness Creates Family 42:11 Tiffany Chance Reunion 46:58 Hope in Divided Times 53:10 Closing Reflections

In this aftershow episode of The Connection Effect, host Bill Groner reflects on his recent conversation with philosopher Rebecca Newberger Goldstein. Bill is joined by three fellow alumni of the University of Pennsylvania Master of Applied Positive Psychology program: Harry Hofer (Executive Coach), Sonya Looney (World Champion Athlete and Performance Coach), and Ilene Schaffer (Executive Coach). While the main episode laid out Rebecca's "mattering map" in theoretical detail, this conversation — dedicated to the late mattering scholar Isaac Prilleltensky — brings it into everyday life, with each guest locating themselves on the map in real time and offering their own ideas about where it could expand. Together, the group explores: Where each of them falls on Rebecca's four-part map — socializer, transcender, heroic striver, competitor — and how that's shifted across different stages of their lives A friendly pushback on the map itself: whether "giver" or "impacter" deserves to be a fifth category Practical, concrete ways to help someone else feel valued in conversation, and why it's worth asking whether the other person felt like they mattered Topics of Discussion: 00:00 Aftershow Kickoff 01:17 Why Mattering Matters 02:28 What Lights You Up 03:29 Giving and Receiving Value 09:13 Mattering Personas Explained 10:48 Transcender Calling and Legacy 13:17 Heroic Striver and Giving Back 17:26 Competitors and Core Needs 20:10 Coaching When Achieving Feels Empty 21:18 Reframing the Competitor Persona 22:44 Competition Reframed 24:40 Mattering Map Agency 26:12 Bill on Striving 27:38 Eileen Finds Her Mix 29:27 Sonya Venn Diagram 32:18 From Theory to Practice 33:12 Helping Others Matter 37:40 Sonya on Bespoke Value 39:08 Closing Reflections Connect with The Connection Effect Join the community and conversation on The Connection Effect Substack: connection.net/substack Questions? Guest inquiries? Email: [email protected]

In this episode of The Connection Effect, Bill Groner sits down with philosopher, novelist, and MacArthur Fellow Rebecca Newberger Goldstein, whose new book, The Mattering Instinct: How Our Deepest Longing Drives Us and Divides Us, distills over 40 years spent asking people one question: what makes you feel like your life counts? Rebecca's answer is the "mattering map" — a framework for the different ways we try to earn a sense of mattering, whether through the people in our lives, something transcendent, our own standards of excellence, or how we measure up against others. She brings each type to life with stories that stick, from a man who devoted himself to leprosy patients after one moment of shame, to a poet who spent 20 years perfecting his craft in total secrecy. This conversation is an invitation to ask yourself: which mattering project is actually running your life — and whether you chose it, or inherited it. Connect with Rebecca Goldstein Website: https://rebeccagoldstein.com/ Substack: https://rebeccanewbergergoldstein.substack.com/ Books (The Mattering Instinct, Plato at the Googleplex): https://rebeccagoldstein.com/category/books/ X (formerly Twitter): https://x.com/platobooktour Connect with The Connection Effect Join the community and conversation on The Connection Effect Substack: connection.net/substack Questions? Guest inquiries? Email: [email protected] Topics of Discussion 00:00 Welcome and guest intro 01:56 Defining mattering 05:24 Mattering map overview 07:54 Socializers explained 11:39 Transcenders and faith 17:24 Heroic strivers and excellence 22:07 Internal vs external validation 25:28 Competitors and zero sum 26:31 Competitor Mindset Costs 28:16 Primary Type Shifts 29:24 Murray McClelland Types 31:13 Bespoke Life Design 33:40 Know Thyself Practice 35:15 Inherited Mattering Scripts 37:37 Hope Through Self Evaluation 40:19 Do Others Matter 44:07 Love And Human Oneness 45:10 Hope For Humanity 48:50 Rumi And Closing Reflections 49:46 Host Outro Takeaways

In this aftershow episode of The Connection Effect, host Bill Groner reflects on his recent conversation with economist John Helliwell on the World Happiness Report. Bill is joined by three fellow alumni of the University of Pennsylvania Master of Applied Positive Psychology program: Harry Hofer (Executive Coach), Ava Shahi (Talent Development, ALO), and Gaia Uman Borrero (Operations Manager). While the main episode explored what the World Happiness Report has learned about trust, generosity, income, and connection, this conversation brings it into everyday life, with personal stories and honest reflection on what gets in the way. Together, the group explores the real challenges: The discomfort of putting a number on your own happiness, and what it reveals about how we compare ourselves to others Which of John's four levers (someone to count on, freedom, generosity, corruption) the group feels the most agency over, and why generosity and social support keep coming out on top Why reaching out to a stranger or an old friend does more for a happy life than almost anything else, and what "architecting" that life actually looks like day to day Topics of Discussion: 00:00 Aftershow Setup 00:48 Why John Helliwell 02:43 Rate Your Life Today 08:21 Bill's Happiness Framework 12:55 Comparisons and Sharing Joy 19:49 Low GDP High Happiness 22:08 Four Drivers of Happiness 26:41 Agency and Civic Trust 31:22 Architecting a Happy Life 34:07 Strangers and Old Friends 37:48 Future of Humanity 44:32 Closing Thanks and Next Steps Connect with The Connection Effect Join the community and conversation on The Connection Effect Substack: connection.net/substack Questions? Guest inquiries? Email: [email protected]