Deciphering what really matters has been the perpetual quest of humankind. Dr. Robert Saul, a pediatrician engaged in teaching children and families how to enhance their childhood and parenting journeys, and Michael Cogdill, a journalist covering the news that impacts the lives of our citizens, contend that truth, trust, science, civility, diversity, and faith are what matter. And unless we embrace what matters, we will lose sight of our common humanity.

What Really Matters explains why and how we are meant to engage with others and improve their lives. With this improvement, we enhance our own existence, becoming better citizens and better stewards of the miracle of life.

Dr. Robert Saul is a pediatrician whose advocacy for children in his over forty-five-year career has led him to write four books: My Children's Children: Raising Young Citizens in the Age of Columbine, All About Children (illustrated by Jan Yalich Betts), Thinking Developmentally: Nurturing Wellness in Childhood to Promote Lifelong Health (coauthored with Dr. Andy Garner and published by the American Academy of Pediatrics), and Conscious Parenting: Using the Parental Awareness Threshold.Robert Saul completed pediatric training at Duke University Medical Center and genetic training at the Greenwood Genetic Center. Currently professor of pediatrics (emeritus), he has received numerous awards for pediatrics and genetics. He has over 100 publications in scientific literature.

Michael Cogdill reported and anchored news on television for more than thirty-two years, covering unforgettable tragedies and telling long-form stories of immense hope and earning thirty-two Emmys. He became a writer and a sought-after inspirational speaker along the way. Covering the likes of 9/11, the Emanuel Nine Charleston church massacre, and the Susan Smith child murders, Michael drew from his working-class roots. These taught him the inherent dignity and value of all human lives. His forebears taught him compassion and gratitude.