About

How WHAT MATTERS has Evolved

About WHAT MATTERS

WHAT MATTERS is a dream come true for Beth Medved Waller who has always been an advocate for causes in her community and longed for a career as a “professional volunteer.”

Currently funded entirely by her real estate sales (see bethwaller.kw.com for her real estate website), WHAT MATTERS earned the status of a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization on 4/2/18 which will provide future opportunities to expand her philanthropic work.

A proponent of “matching” fundraising campaigns, the donors who match Beth’s pledges or contribute to her “WHAT MATTERS Initiatives” will now be able to claim a tax deduction for their generous donations.

As Beth quickly approached her 40th year, she decided it was time to make changes in her life to create space for her to truly follow her passions:  community, fundraising, outreach and wellness.  In 2015, she decided to name her charity endeavors “What Matters Initiatives.”

Little did she know that it would evolve into the creation of a nonprofit that is combination of all her professional and philanthropic passions.

About BETH

Throughout the past decade, Beth has been the recipient of numerous real estate and community awards.

She ranked as Top Producer for her Weichert, Realtors office from 2007-2014 and the #1 Listings Sold Associate in the Capital Region of MD, VA, and District of Columbia for the seven years leading to her departure to open Team Waller Real Estate. 

Though she closed her Brokerage to have more time for her WHAT MATTERS Initiatives, Beth continues to have a thriving real estate business and ranked again in 2017 and 2018 as the top Warren County listing agent, closing on more Warren seller’s homes than any other agent. She was also named to the 2019 list of “America’s Top 100 Real Estate Agents.”  In 2017, Beth was recognized as a “Top 10 Video Influencer in the Real Estate Industry” by Bomb Bomb’s“Top 50 Real Estate Video Influencers” project presented by Tom Ferry (Tom is the #1 ranked Real Estate Educator, a best-selling author and international speaker).

Beth has been the recipient of the American Red Cross “Clara Barton Award,” the “President’s Award” from the Front Royal/Warren County United Way (for her 5+ years as campaign chair), named “Citizen of the Year” by the Front Royal/Warren County Chamber of Commerce and received the honored “Service Candle” from the Front Royal United Methodist Church.

She has a Bachelor’s degree in Corporate Communications from the College of Charleston and is a licensed broker and associate broker within the Commonwealth of VA (working currently an Associate Broker affiliated with KW-Solutions, Keller Williams Realty).

Mother of two athletic teens she adores, (Will, 16 and Sara, 14) she lives in Warren County, Virginia on six acres of land that has been in her family since childhood.

Beth is a self-proclaimed “Pretend Reporter (hosting hundreds of WHAT MATTERS video interviews each year to promote causes and events), Pretend Philanthropist (explore this website to learn about her initiatives) & Pretend Singer/Songwriter” (hear her song at www.dollardreamdownload.com).  In her free time she enjoys jogging, hiking, writing, meditating, traveling (which reminders her of her stint in the early ’00s as a flight attendant) and spending time with family and friends.

 She believes that “it’s always working out, even when it isn’t” because she is convinced that everything in life happens “Accidentally on Purpose.” She encourages all to be a conscious leader of their own lives by staying connected to all that is unseen and look to the heart for guidance, even if it means  “Running Away from the American Dream” through “Overcoming Abundance”  (the titles of her published and soon-to-be-published writings). 

Beth’s love of storytelling is what fuels all of her professional, personal and community initiatives.  Her passion for sharing stories that inspire is what inspires her to shine a light on as many projects as possible. Her primary current focus (in addition to telling stories about the homes she markets) is launching a collaborative book series called “Ignite What Matters” and spearheading two spring fundraisers (Rotaryfast.com and efforts to revive the Dolly Parton Imagination Library in her community while funding reading materials for children in Uganda).

Beth credits her success to her faith and to the lifelong support she’s received from her community, friends and family (especially the importance of storytelling and volunteering she learned from her late grandfather).  Learn about her projects at whatmattersw2.com or follow her on Facebook at Beth Medved Waller.

The What Matters Story

Ever since she was a child, Beth knew that there was something she wanted to do, a passion she needed to follow, a difference she needed to make to fulfill her heart’s longing to positively impact the world. An avid jogger since her college days, her favorite song on her jogging playlist since it came out in 1997 has been “What Matters” by Edwin McCain, her favorite musician who played often in Charleston, SC (where she graduated from college).

In February 2015, Beth and her two best friends from high school and college attended an Edwin McCain concert that changed her life (their first outing since they became mothers). Prior to the concert, they miraculously were upgraded to front row center seats by an unexpected phone call from the ticketing company that came in 30 seconds after she prayed for a sign that she’s on the right path. At the concert, her friend Stacey (who does not typically have a boisterous personality) literally interrupted Edwin in between songs with a note that asked him to play “What Matters”. And he DID. Beth sobbed like she’s never sobbed before as she listened to the song she’d played hundreds of times before as it was played especially for her.

It was then that she realized that anything is possible and truly embraced the song’s message that “What matters is your heart” as she started following hers. Since then she’s become friends with band manager and member, Craig Sheilds and is so very thankful for the many times the band has played her favorite song for her at concerts since that first monumental experience.

After her moving experience at the concert, Beth decided to give a name to her hobby of philanthropy and non-profit passions and started calling them, “WHAT MATTERS Initiatives.”  In 2017, she decided to have a logo made and start the process of evolving her initiatives into a company that became a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization on 4/2/18. Funded to date entirely by her real estate career, Beth realizes she can make more of an impact if she engages others in the causes she supports.  It’s time she give others the opportunity to join with her and feel the joy she feels as she tries to make a difference through WHAT MATTERS Initiatives.

A primary focus of her outreach division of WHAT MATTERS is her support of Light up Life Foundations in Africa.  Founder, Herbie Kawuma is a performing artist based in Norway who started Light up Life to give back to children growing up as he did in the slums of Kampala, Uganda.  During Beth’s April 2018 trip with Herbie to Uganda, she penned lyrics for a WHAT MATTERS theme song of her own and watched Herbie and friends create the song from start to finish (even singing in the chorus with them).  Her company, named after her favorite song, now has a theme song of its own.  “What Matters is your Heart,” is available for download on all major music outlets and is featured on her WHAT MATTERS videos.

What Matters Song by Edwin McCain

Have you given up on passion living day to day
You keep your dreams locked down inside
Choking on a lifetime of never take a chance
Don’t wake up one day wishing you tried

It ain’t about the money, it ain’t about the time
It ain’t about the love you lost or the things you think you left behind
It ain’t about the losing streak, makes you feel like you’re falling apart
What matters is your heart

Let’s forget about the notion that we’re not the same
My blood runs as red as yours
We all get angry, we’ve all been scared
We’ve all made big mistakes that can never be repaired

It ain’t about the money, it ain’t about the time
It ain’t about the love you lost or the things you think you left behind
It ain’t about the losing streak, makes you feel like you’re falling apart
What matters is your heart

Look me in the eye and take my hand
We can make a difference
We can make a difference I know we can

Have you given up on passion living day to day
You keep your dreams locked down inside
Choking on a lifetime of never take a chance
Don’t wake up one day wishing you tried

It ain’t about the money, it ain’t about the time
It ain’t about the love you lost or the things you think you left behind
It ain’t about the losing streak, makes you feel like you’re falling apart
What matters is your heart

Songwriters: Edwin Cole McCain
What Matters lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC

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