Love What Matters

Home
United States
New York, NY
Love What Matters

For sponsorship inquiries, email [email protected]

The premier platform for feel-good stories that remind us to Our pain. Successes.

OUR STORY

A resident of New York, Colin Balfe founded Love What Matters back in 2015 after his mother passed from ovarian cancer. Knowing he would have a difficult time with her death, his mother prompted him to find a way to use his grief, creativity, and sensitivity to create something beautiful to bring to the world. Amid his personal journey with grief, Colin developed a new perspective on li

fe and found he was not alone in his feelings of grief, loss, and heartache, or in his search for meaning. What started as just a page with extraordinary stories, Love What Matters grew into a destination media platform. We now operate across multiple platforms, site, newsletter, YouTube, podcast, print, and so much more. Here at Love What Matters, our mission is simple: to spread real stories by real people just like you far and wide that celebrate the love, compassion, kindness, and overcoming. In doing so, we hope to remind others that these things do not happen by default; they’re a daily choice.

➣ Visit our website: https://www.lovewhatmatters.com/

OUR MISSION

These stories are bigger than any one of us, yet they represent every one of us. Our vulnerabilities. Weaknesses. Flaws. Generosity. And, of course, our hopes and dreams about who we aspire to be. One of the first of its kind, we are a positive news movement that yearns to be the much-needed bright spot on your feed or device, balancing out the seemingly inescapable dark and heavy news we are struck with in our everyday lives. With our new and improved newsletter, Living Better, which has amassed over 210,000 readers to date, we aim to provide evidence-backed advice, actionable steps, and moving stories to inspire and rally you to live your most fulfilling life.

➣ Subscribe to our newsletter: https://www.lovewhatmatters.com/newsletter/

OUR EDITORIAL PROCESS

Subject matter:

Whether first-person stories or highly-researched articles, we cover a range of topics including love and relationships, kindness, grief healing, family, and parenting, all with one common denominator: to remind you what matters most in life. How we publish content:

At Love What Matters, you are our top priority. We want our editorial process and standards to be clear and transparent, so here are some important highlights on how it all works:

Small but mighty, our highly-skilled editorial team discovers, curates, edits, and publishes compelling first-person stories from first-time or recurring contributors, making sure they are grammatically sound, accurate, and up-to-date before our cursors hit the publish button. In addition to first-person stories, our outstanding and seasoned freelance team crafts articles that provide highly-researched and accurate tips, advice, and information pertaining to our audience-favorite topics. Submissions process:

In addition to the hidden gem stories our editorial team discovers, we accept first-person story submissions through our website’s submission portal for publishing consideration and development, no matter what stage you are in your draft. Once you submit your story to our submissions portal, our editorial team will get back to you as soon as possible via the email address you’ve provided with requests for additional details, photos, or crediting information as needed. Once all the necessary materials are obtained, we will begin building your story behind-the-scenes until it is fully edited, polished, and ready to go live on our site. We cordially invite domain experts and individuals with a powerful story to share to submit any time.

➣ Submit your story: https://www.lovewhatmatters.com/submissions/

Diversity pledge:

As an editorial team who specializes in publishing first-person storytelling, inclusivity is extremely important to us. We believe in the value and importance of sharing stories from all walks of life, and the power it has to foster a more empathetic and kind world. For this reason, we are deeply committed to elevating stories, voices, and perspectives from individuals across all races, sexes, gender identities, sexual orientations, religions, ages, body types, cultures, abilities, and experiences. HAVE FEEDBACK? We would love to hear from you! If you have a comment, suggestion, or question, please feel free to contact us any time at [email protected]. We will get back to you as soon as possible.

12/20/2024

"My world shattered at 6:38 p.m. — a newborn in my arms, two toddlers at my feet, and a phone filled with messages I was never meant to see. My husband. My close friend. Their affair. I clutched my baby tighter as the weight of betrayal crushed me, and the only words I could mutter were, 'I’m going to die,' over and over again."

(Link Below)

12/20/2024

“‘This is the strangest thing to ever happen at the New Jersey DEA. Come to the precinct at once,’ the detective’s voice crackled over the phone. My heart pounded, a thousand scenarios racing through my mind as I tried to remember if I’d done anything illegal. When he mentioned ‘the doll,’ my stomach dropped — Pearl. What had they found?”

(Link Below)

12/20/2024

"‘I’m going to dance at your wedding someday,’ he said with a grin. Neither of us knew he’d be the groom — or how cruel fate could be. Ten years later, I watched the love of my life slip away behind hospital walls I wasn’t allowed to enter. His final message, found after his death, haunts me still: 'Always be happy, no matter what.'”

(Link Below)

12/20/2024

"John Legend may be 'The Sexiest Man Alive,' but he’s got nothing on my husband. It’s not his blue eyes or perfect smile — it’s the way he reads Dr. Seuss with flair, battles with tiny socks, and turns a Radio Flyer into a race car. Sorry, People Magazine, but this is what real 'sexy' looks like."

(Link Below)

12/20/2024

"I stood in the rain, watching my daughter’s soccer game, my heart pounding as I replayed the phone call that shattered my world. My husband wasn’t just unfaithful — he couldn’t even count how many affairs he’d had. Alone, broken, and drowning in shame, I scrubbed my skin raw, convinced I’d never feel clean again."

(Link Below)

12/20/2024

"I thought my heart was shattered after failed IVF, but then I saw his face — those big brown eyes staring back at me. I flew across the world to meet him, and just as I was falling in love with my son, life threw me a curveball I never saw coming — I was pregnant."

(Link Below)

12/20/2024

"I left my husband after 8 years of marriage, taking our kids with me — broken, lost, and consumed by blame. But the man I left never stopped showing up for me."

(Link Below)

12/20/2024

"It was 1 a.m. when I called my mom, heart pounding, and whispered, 'I have a really bad feeling about my marriage.' By Friday, I was fleeing with only what I could carry, haunted by the realization I had been trapped in a 13-year abusive relationship — and I never even knew it."

(Link Below)

12/19/2024

"I stared into the eyes of the man who took everything from me. 'You ruined it all,' I told him, my voice steady but my heart a storm. Five years ago, he killed my husband with a single shot. In that moment, I was a new mom with a 3-day-old baby. In an instant, I became a widow. I clung to rage for so long, thinking it would keep me strong. But that day in court, I realized something more powerful than hate — letting go. He took my husband, but he will never take me."

(Link Below)

12/19/2024

"I sat in that therapist's office, heart pounding, and asked, 'Can you make me love my husband again?' The answer I got changed everything. 'Not once has he acknowledged your feelings. All he talks about is himself,' the therapist said. In that moment, I knew."

(Link Below)

12/19/2024

"Two years ago, my teenage son walked into my room and said, 'Mom, can we talk?' In that moment, my world shifted. He’d been battling depression alone, and he’d finally found the courage to let me in. What followed was a journey of uncertainty, hard conversations, and more love than I ever thought possible. I’m sharing the 10 things I did to support him — the steps that helped us both find light in the darkness. If you’re walking this road with someone you love, you’re not alone. Here’s what I wish I had known from the start."

(Link Below)

12/19/2024

"Five years ago, my life shattered into a million confetti-sized pieces. My husband left me while I was pregnant with our third child, and I found myself raising three kids alone — one with autism and ADHD — while drowning in grief, fear, and exhaustion. We shared a single cramped bedroom for 18 months, and I took on three jobs just to survive."

(Link Below)

12/19/2024

"I spotted him from across the dance floor — a tall teenager in a suit, his little sisters giggling at his side. It didn’t hit me until I saw his mom’s post later that night. This wasn’t just any brother taking his siblings to a dance. This was DJ — the boy I once knew as a 1st grader — now a 15-year-old stepping in for his late father, leading his sisters onto the dance floor with quiet courage and love. His dad would have been so proud."

(Link Below)

12/19/2024

"The text read '911. Logan.' My heart stopped. Moments later, I was sprinting out of the school auditorium, my mind unable to grasp what I was about to face. By the time we reached the hospital, they had a pulse — hope surged through me. But as I held her tiny, cold hand through the night, I realized this battle was being fought on borrowed time, and I begged God to let me trade places with her."

(Link Below)

12/19/2024

"I remember the message like it was yesterday — 'I'm struggling with money to get formula.' I sat there, heart heavy, thinking about that mother on the other side of the screen. In that moment, I realized something incredible: my body was capable of making a little extra. Extra milk that could mean the world to another family. I never imagined my breastfeeding journey would lead me here, but the first time I donated breast milk, I felt something shift inside me. I see your tears, mama. I know your struggle. And I want you to know — my heart is with you."

(Link Below)

12/19/2024

"One message. Two simple words. 'Needed this.' I had no idea that reply to my Instagram story would set off a chain reaction that would lead me to the love of my life — a man who would walk with me through my darkest days and prove that sometimes, fate slides into your DMs when you least expect it."

(Link Below)

12/19/2024

"The door slammed behind me, and I knew something was wrong. The man in the corner stepped forward, his voice slick with authority: 'Young lady, you're going with them—willingly or by force.' I fought. I begged. But when my father walked away without looking back, I knew I had been left in a place where survival was the only option."

(Link Below)

12/19/2024

How To Support Your Loved One Battling Substance Use Disorder

(Link Below)

Address

129 West 29th Street
New York, NY
10001

Website

http://www.lovewhatmatters.com/

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Love What Matters posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.