Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Kay Matthews. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Kay, appreciate you joining us today. If you had a defining moment that you feel really changed the trajectory of your career, we’d love to hear the story and details.
The defining moment in my career as a Catering Chef was in 2013 when I delivered my daughter stillborn. That entire experience is what lead me to work in the community and with helping women of color to understand their birthing rights and how to manage or seek treatment for maternal mental health complications. I truly now how it feels to believe that you are the only person in the world going through such a traumatic experience alone. The experienced shifted me from doing what I thought would be my forever work place to doing something that not only healed others it also healed me in the process. The experience also showed me the true meaning of what self-care is and how to advocate for your own wellbeing. Overall the experience has taught me the ultimate lesson of no matter what you go through there is always light at the end of what may seem like a very dark tunnel.
Kay, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
Kay Matthews lives in Houston Texas and is the Founder of The Shades of Blue Project. Graduating with a 2 year Degree in Early Childhood Development from North Harris College located in Houston Texas, and furthered her education in the Mental Health field by becoming a Licensed Community Health Worker. She has also received numerous awards from both her community and her peers, and sits on the Board and is Partners with several National organizations. Along with writing her first Best Seller a Self-Help Journal: 365 Days To Recovery “Finding Your Way Out Of The Darkness” and Recovery State of Mind Daily Journal. Kay is actively teaching and speaking to women of all ages to help them to better understand how important it is to advocate for themselves before during and after childbirth. Helping them to realize that they have the ability to have a successful birth outcome and assuring that they know of the resources available in which it pertains to maternal mental health. To Kay this is the most important aspect of the work she does within the community and it is the motivation that she uses to continue to educate communities worldwide.
Shades of Blue Project is dedicated to helping women of color before, during and after child-birth with community resources, mental health advocacy, treatment and support. Our mission is to change the way women of color are currently being diagnosed and treated after giving birth and experiencing any adverse maternal mental health outcome. Our vision is that our Acknowledge, Respect, and Support method will be the adaptable change agent for healthcare professional and healthcare systems operations in their engagement with patients.
Training and knowledge matter of course, but beyond that what do you think matters most in terms of succeeding in your field?
The most helpful thing that I have learned is being compassionate to everyone and their situation. There is no one size fits all approach when engaging with people. Without compassion, you are genuinely failing when it comes to client interaction. When we acknowledge, respect, and support individuals with what they need and want, it becomes a win-win interaction. We truly all deserve interaction where we feel fully supported as a whole person.
Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?
The most effective way we have grown our organization is to serve our clients by reducing the current access barriers to social support services. We don’t make our client intake process over-complicated. We work to change the overall experience of receiving help from nonprofits or agencies. Compassion is a big piece of our strategy, and treating our clients and individuals as not just another quota to be met. We also stay engaged in the communities that we serve. It is more than staying inside our offices; we also provide a positive human interaction at all times.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.shadesofblueproject.org
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shadesofblueproject/
- Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/sobproject/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kay-matthews-b962023a/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/shadesofblueprj
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbWnYrlurL0ogEl-5sXhcDw
- Other: Tiktok- https://www.tiktok.com/@shadesofblueproject
Image Credits
Pisces 310 Photography