We were lucky to catch up with Taylour Matz recently and have shared our conversation below.

Taylour, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today How did you come up with the idea for your business?

Social neuroscience tells us that the foundation for learning and a thriving workplace is built on the strength of our relationships.

As a former high school educator at a Title 1 school, it was evident that our relationships on campus were frayed. Students, as well as teachers, were wildly unhappy. We had chronic absenteeism of both students and adults, as well as a high teacher turnover rate. Students by and large didn’t trust their teachers, and teachers didn’t trust their administrators. And this wasn’t just true for my school, this has been the trend nationwide even before COVID.

It is unfortunate but not surprising. Too many credentialing programs are insufficient in preparing teachers and administrators to build and maintain healthy, transformative relationships with their students, colleagues and staff. Social-emotional learning has picked up a lot of momentum in the last decade, but many of the adults in a school setting still struggle with their own social and emotional wellbeing, as well as how to adequately resolve conflict and communicate effectively with one another. Furthermore, after a teacher’s two-year induction period is over, there is no requirement for educators to reflect on their practice. When teachers do attend professional development trainings, the vast majority are focused on student learning and curriculum, not the educator’s own learning and development.

I didn’t want to leave education altogether, but I was being called to engage in it from a different vantage point. I wanted to start a consulting practice that centered around the principles that were backed by social neuroscience to promote a thriving learning and working environment.

Although I come from an education background, it wasn’t long before I realized that other workplaces could benefit from my method as well, and I expanded the practice to include for-profit businesses and nonprofits.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I was born and raised in Monterey County, California also known as Steinbeck Country. I earned my M.A. from the Harvard Graduate School of Education, with a focus on Healing-Centered Engagement, conflict resolution, creative thinking, storytelling, and program design. I have a background of study in interpersonal neurobiology, and have been published in the Journal of Higher Education Theory and Practice with a co-authored paper titled “Restoring Relationships, Healing Trauma, and Creating Attached Classrooms.” I am trained in restorative practices through the International Institute of Restorative Practices, and certified in Nonviolent Communication through the Center of Nonviolent Communication and in Bridging Differences through UC Berkeley’s Greater Good Science Center. In the morning, you can find me with a cup of coffee and the New York Times, during the day I’m outside hiking with my loved ones, and at night I’m curled up on the couch watching Bravo. If you watch reality TV with the right lens, they are shows for geniuses, I swear!

Full Circle Consulting centers on relationships–the relationships we have with ourselves, one another, and the work itself. No matter our place of work, whether that’s in education, a for-profit business or a nonprofit, I seek to support staff in strengthening their communication skills, resolving conflict, working as a team, and reflecting on their work.

I highly recommend to my clients that we work consistently together for three years. Studies have shown that it takes at least three years to implement any kind of meaningful, programming change and that’s what I’m always aiming for. However, I know that’s not possible for everyone, so I am always open to discussing a plan and timeframe that works best for folks. Part of what sets Full Circle apart from larger consulting firms is my ability to truly personalize the work.

Because we are strengthening relationships, it is important for me to model how that is done. My process is supportive, flexible, voluntary, reflective, confidential, and non-assessment based. When most consultants enter the workplace it is mandatory that the staff engage with them. However, that is not the way Full Circle operates. Relationships cannot be forced, and my job is to meet my clients where they are. If someone doesn’t want to meet with me, they don’t have to. Anything that my clients tell me remains confidential unless told otherwise. However, when appropriate, I will encourage a client to broach a topic with a colleague with whom there is friction. I can help mediate those conversations if both parties agree. I am also not sharing anything a client has told me with anyone in leadership.

I am not assessing anyone’s individual performance. My job is to simply observe, ask meaningful questions, and listen deeply to better understand my clients and the relationship dynamics and environment of the workplace. The only assessments are the clients’ self-assessments through anonymous surveys.

It has been my experience that people desire autonomy and support at the same time. It is the balance and relationship between the two that I find so fascinating about the work I do. Not to get super Woo Woo, but one aspect that drew me to this work was the big question of how to balance the masculine and feminine energies. Both the education and business sectors are so fast paced, always feeling like you are never caught up, under the thumb of bureaucracy, hierarchies and flow charts– it’s left brained, very masculine energies.

In the inception of my consulting practice, I thought, “what if I push back on this a little bit, because clearly something isn’t working.” I wanted to help people to slow down, to reflect, to engage in meaningful questions about themselves and their work. Flexibility, no performance assessments, a focus on relationships is all very much in the feminine realm. We’ve been in the masculine for so long that I think it’s time we start playing in a different part of the playground.

All of this isn’t to say that we should reject the masculine altogether. Rules, structure, deadlines, who were are as individuals, are all necessary aspects of life and work. But we need a balancing and then an integration of the two energies.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

A significant lesson I’ve had to unlearn is that there is one correct way of doing something. We tend to want to follow old models of how to engage in our work by following a particular script, sequence, or method because that is what successful people before us did. I’ve really had to learn to get very clear about who I am and how I operate in a way that is congruent with my authentic self. Whenever I feel like I’m swimming upstream, I know it’s because I’m not following my own path, and that if I just go with my own flow, life is much more pleasant. There is much less desperation and death grip energy going on when I do this.

For example, I had received the message that the smart thing for me to do would be to work for a larger consulting firm first, and then after some time and experience, launch my own practice. However, one of my most profound lessons that I’ve needed to learn is that I have the capacity, knowledge, and skill set to jump right into things. I have always been so afraid of making mistakes, looking stupid, or not having the answers, but the last few years have shown me that there is such power in mistakes and not knowing. Being honest about where I am on the journey is liberating, and I think the vulnerability I show to my clients actually invites them to do the same. After all, vulnerability is a massive component to cultivating trusting relationships.

Have you ever had to pivot?

Pivoting is basically how I live my life. These days, the old narrative that we have to choose one career path and stick to it is outdated, and unrealistic for most of us. Since the age of 9 I wanted to be an film actor. I pursued that dream with fervor, going so far as to move to LA, securing an agent, going on auditions, and yes, working in restaurants with other would-be actors. That was until I realized that it wasn’t aligning with my values anymore. At that point, I made a pivot and started screenwriting. During the time that I was trying to fund a film I had written and was producing, I began substitute teaching. I found myself daydreaming about my own teaching philosophy, how I would build relationships with my students, how I would teach, etc. It was the most shocking realization because teaching had been the last thing I thought I would ever do. And then, of course, teaching led me to consulting and coaching. I understand enough about myself to know that this too will most likely take on a new iteration. I don’t apologize for that anymore. Instead, I see each iteration as a new adventure.

Although these career paths may look different, they all have been connected by the same thread, and that has been the power of relationships. As an actor, I was drawn to films that were character driven and that centered around our relationship to ourselves and to others. As a screenwriter, I wrote about how we transform through relationships. As a teacher, my focus was on building trusting relationships with my students, and now as a consultant, I want to guide others to do the same.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.full-circle-consulting.com
• Instagram: @full_circle_consulting
• Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/taylourmatz
• Other: https://www.gse.harvard.edu/ideas/news/19/12/creativity-wellness-growth

Image Credits
Harvard picture by Jill Anderson