Sarah Matney

Product Design

Transeo

A few things about me...

CollaboratorCreatorEducator

I've had an eclectic career journey thus far, but I always circle back to education. I'm passionate about creating solutions for students that work for THEM. I have always loved science and art, and although I've never been a scientist or an artist, but exploring the way things work and creating unique and fun ways of expressing and connecting that information to others is where I shine. I co-founded Learning Landscapes, a non-profit that provides nature-based curriculum in public schools, when I was in college. The program has continued to grow over the past 18 (!!) years and is now in 3 states. I went on to be a teacher after college and did that for 2 years. Although I loved working with students, I was frustrated with the many problems I saw in education and was also struggling to make ends meet. I then took a job working full-time for the Cheesecake Factory as their head trainer, developing all of their training materials and traveling around to different locations training managers, foh, and boh. From there, I moved from Austin, TX to Charlotte, NC, and started a kombucha company. I took various business classes, such as accounting, business plan writing, marketing, and branding. I never saw myself as a "techy" person, but I really enjoyed building my own site, creating a brand, and building that business from the ground up. I was also an events manager for a high-end restaurant. (Fun fact: I was the event manager for LeBron James's 30th birthday party.) While living in Charlotte, I was also involved with the area high schools in various ways: I tutored test prep (ACT and SAT), led writing workshops, and started club called "Biz Kidz" where I partnered students with area business folks for mentoring opportunities. I also started a food hub in a food desert, bringing discounted produce from farmers to lower-income areas. At the end of 2018, I had some personal changes and felt the mountains calling to me. So, I moved to Asheville, NC to my little mountain home and got a job working for MasteryPrep, traveling the country to schools with low college acceptance rates to deliver test prep to students and professional development workshops to teachers and administrators. When the pandemic hit, we moved swiftly as a company to launch the entire company as an online, virtual experience. From developing a new testing software to hiring and training over 100 virtual teachers, we did it all in less than two months. This was when I led our small group of Product Trainers, and I had the experience to be a product manager in an educational capacity. This is when it clicked for me that the future of change in our education system doesn't have to be big legislative moves (although that helps), but that technology is the path forward. I had been searching for a full-time position with an EdTech company where I could be a part of this change I've always wanted to create. And here I am! I currently also work part-time for a local spice and tea company, I volunteer with Girls on the Run, I'm the chair of my precinct, and I'm working towards my M.B.A.

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Sarah Matney

Am I lucky?

IDK

The prompt cracked me up, because I really have been shit on by birds A LOT!! Like, in the face, mouth open. But, overall I'm fortunate - I've had a lot of health issues in my life: I had leukemia as a kid, then an autoimmune disorder, which led to lots of broken bones and other health issues, but I've always come through just fine! I've broken my back twice but can still do a back bend and go backpacking, so I consider that pretty darned lucky.

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Sarah Matney

Epic work fails

Just yesterday, I didn't give Bob the correct newsletter link.

I realized it while driving to SC, and fortunately, I was able to run a hotspot and get the correct link over to him. I learned I need to be more careful and thoughtful!

Sarah Matney

Most fulfilling project I've worked on

Raising graduation rates for Miami-Dade public schools

It's difficult to choose one project, but this one stands out. During the pandemic, while working for MasteryPrep, I had the honor of being a project manager for a big test-prep project for Miami-Dade public schools. Because of covid restrictions and virtual learning, over 60% of their seniors were not on track to graduate. We sold a huge test prep package to them, but I spearheaded the actual implementation. Overall, the project was a success and their graduation rate jumped to over 90%.

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Sarah Matney

Something that drives me crazy 😵‍💫 🤬

all talk and no action!

Sarah Matney

Best way to get me excited about something

If it's going to make a difference in students' lives, I'm in!

I'm very easily excited. I love learning about all different sorts of things, and chances are if you're excited about something and you tell me about it, I'll be excited with you!

Sarah Matney

How I relax

Bubble baths, dog snuggles, yin yoga, reading, cup of tea, or glass of wine

Sarah Matney

Things I'd love to learn

Product management, effective UX writing, and brand positioning.

To be better at my job! And, it's pretty cool stuff. I'm also always learning more about herbalism and mycology. And, I've been working on my Spanish again. I completely lost all of it in the past 8 years of not using it (although I was by no means fluent before.)

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Sarah Matney

I really admire teammates who are…

Confident and concise. These are two things I'm working on.

Sarah Matney

What I'm like at work

EncouragingCreativeAnalyticalHard WorkingImaginativeObservantPersistentReliableEnthusiasticPatientCurious

I think I'm generally a pretty easy-going but hard-working person. I'm also very imaginative and creative but also analytical and have a sharp eye for details. I'm working on being more organized - I'm generally an organized person but I need to improve my work organization.

Sarah Matney

My biggest fear

Having no meaning or being insignificant and mundane

I would say this is my biggest "work fear." Although, in general, my philosophy in life oscillates between believing we're all important and have great work to do and that we're all pretty insignificant in the grand scheme of the universe.

Sarah Matney

You can ask me about

MushroomsproofreadingMeditationNatural remedies

I'm really not an expert on mycology, but I know more than is average, so I often get pictures of mushrooms from folks saying, "what is this?" or "Can I eat it?" (The answer is usually no, you shouldn't eat it if you aren't 100% sure.) I'm great at proofreading and finding grammatical errors. (The English teacher never went away!) I also have a meditation certification and love to talk about mindfulness, metacognition, or anything along those lines.

Sarah Matney

Me when sh*t hits the fan

My husband says I thrive in chaos. I disagree - I do appreciate order and direction, but I do get a kick of adrenaline and spring into action when there's a crisis or lots of problems to solve at once.

Sarah Matney

Outside of work, you'll find me...

HikingForaging

I practice yoga and mindfulness meditation. I love to cook. I love to do anything creative and artsy, but I'm not very good at it.

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Sarah Matney

Personality type

ENFJ A

I had to look it up because I couldn't remember. I'm definitely extroverted and here's what 16 personalities says: "Protagonists are born leaders, which explains why these personalities can be found among many notable politicians, coaches, and teachers. Their passion and charisma allow them to inspire others not just in their careers but in every arena of their lives, including their relationships. Few things bring Protagonists a deeper sense of joy and fulfillment than guiding friends and loved ones to grow into their best selves." Which is pretty spot on. I love inspiring others to be their best selves. Helping others and being part of a mission to make the world a better place energizes me.

Sarah Matney

I like to get feedback when its given…

in the moment1:1idc just tell mewith context

I have so much room to grow, so I'm very open to feedback. I like to distinguish between feedback and feedforward and welcome both!

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Sarah Matney

My superpowers

Collaborates effectively with teammatesCreates warm, caring relationships with teammatesMaintains clear long term vision that drives decision makingIntentional and strategic project planningMotivated by making community/world impact

I love to challenge myself, and I love to work together with a team to do things that seem daunting and difficult. I believe we're all smarter and stronger than we often think and together, we can make big changes.

Sarah Matney

My workplace

Setting myself up in the morning is helpful for me to have a productive day. I like to wake up early, meditate, practice yoga, have a nice brekky and coffee, take my dogs out for a walk, and organize my work for the day. I still keep an old-school planner on my desk and write down my tasks and goals for the day.

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Sarah Matney

Things that deeply motivate me…

Making money💰Helping others ❤️Getting things done ✅Work to make the 🌎 a better placeBeing my most authentic self 🎨Learning as much as I can 🤓Creating a safe little nest 🐣Having a good time 🕺Having unique experiences ✨

It's really important to me that the work I do aligns with my values. I'm a fierce optimist and believe we all matter and all have important work to do. I feel motivated when I'm working on a project that I know is going to make a positive change in the world, and I'm most motivated when I'm working together with a team.

Sarah Matney

You will make my freakin day if you…

a dank MEMEsend me pet pics share a problemshare an idea

One of the strengths that come naturally to me is being a good listener, and I love solving problems. I also really like doing things for others, so I always welcome sharing in problems and ideas!

Sarah Matney

I work best as a…

Some mix of execution and strategy. I love doing tasks and the high-level strategy conversations.

Sarah Matney

The best environment for me is:

time for deep work in the AMcollaborative meetings

Sarah Matney

I'm energized at work by…

getting sh*t done.solving problemshelping others succeed

Sarah Matney

My core values

AuthenticityFunCommunityCreativityMeaningful WorkService

Sarah Matney

My areas for growth

Mentors and develops teammates for their growthClearly communicates purpose and visionConsistently hits goals and is a high performer

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