Photo of Jaye Matthews, a curly haired white woman smiling while looking into the camera in front of a blurred background of yellow and red flowers

Meet Jaye

Pursuing a Lifetime of Questioning and Exploration

Hi, I’m Jaye (she/her/hers), an integrative coach for anyone who is curious about how their life, relationships, and communities can be deeply supported and joyfully explored from new perspectives.

As a queer, neurodivergent autistic person and research scientist at my core, my brain works differently enough that nothing is ever a given for me. I think in questions, pattern recognition, and possibility — and (if my endless question asking, life choices, and career achievements are any indication), I tend to rebel against unnecessary limitations and reshape them into alternatives for deep learning and growth.

Every time I wonder why the world is the way it is (which is often), I experience a sense of curiosity and awe that keeps me asking questions. I can’t help questioning how we can make our connections, environments, and structures more sustainable, equitable, and — honestly — more fun.

Anyone willing to thoughtfully travel new territory in their heart and mind is someone I want to collaborate with.

I especially love coaching and connecting with:

  • Neurodivergent and LGBTQIA2-S+ people looking for a reflective mirror who understands some of their experiences firsthand through shared identities

  • Marginalized communities, misfits, and those who have experienced more than their fair share of hard times (been there!) — anyone who is underserved deserves true, sustainable support

  • Anyone in helping professions like human services, social services, and education (plus those with strong helping tendencies regardless of job title)

  • Those who want to evolve and grow not just on their own behalf, but with the support for their relationships and the greater communities around them in mind

  • The curious-at-heart, who either had to learn the hard way not to ask too much or have so many questions they just need a place to put them all

  • Anyone longing for something different than the realities in their day-to-day and how they’re connected to the greater picture around them

Photo of Jaye Matthews from behind sitting at a bench table with her hands on a book titled, "How to Fall in Love with Questions" by Elizabeth Weingarten

Where I’ve been, before I ask where you want to go:

The presence I bring to coaching is grounded in both a lifetime of lived experience and years of professional development, which allows me to hold both analytical and somewhat more intuitive perspectives. 

I am a scientist and a researcher at heart, in a literal sense but also in how I approach everything. My favorite professors in grad school for Cognitive Science taught me that the point of science and scientists is not to say, “I have the answer,” but to continue to ask questions.

The way I ask the questions I have is shaped by a background in UX Research too. I might have been fondly called a “tech hippie” once or twice. I will admit that I like to make my own granola and run in the woods, but I mostly see that label as a nod to what I care about: how we can shape technology to be equitable, create accommodations that level the field (especially for disabled and neurodivergent people), and establish intentional ways of communicating for the betterment of our communities.

I have a certification in Integral Coaching through New Ventures West, a globally recognized and respected program accredited by The International Coaching Federation, but I also place just as much emphasis on organic sources for knowledge in my coaching, like books, human-centered work, and even my dog, Ky (whose life lessons humble me every day). If we work together, you’ll get a little bit of it all.

Above all, the credential I endeavor to hold is not one you’ll find on a resume: kindness. I want to be known just as much, if not more so, as the person who jokes with a grocery cashier to brighten their day or snort-laughs with their best friend whenever possible. Because really, isn’t that what life is all about?

Exploration quite literally is my work, my hobbies, and my way of being since the very beginning.

〰️

Exploration quite literally is my work, my hobbies, and my way of being since the very beginning. 〰️

Photo of a field with multiple flowers of varying depths with pale pink petals and large rounded yellow-orange centers

My earliest memories are of exploring the woods and flipping through pictures in the National Geographic magazines my grandparents owned, natural impulses that have carried into adulthood. 

Everything I gleaned from my unshakeable need to be outside and those magazines of my childhood has continued across all environments since then: essentially an ethos of, “Get me to the locals. Let me find out what life is like there.” I explore both the world and my own brain that way, and it’s not unlike how I show up in a coaching call with you: observant, respectful, curious, and excited about what there is to learn and share.

I spend every minute I can observing and engaging with the world, whether it’s outside hiking in the Columbia River Gorge in Oregon, cruising to the southernmost Argentinian city “at the end of the world” on my way down to Antarctica, or putting my earbuds in as often as I can to listen to any genre from indie alt rock to midcentury jazz to 1700s classical orchestral compositions.

Even the viewing experience I like is exploratory! Whether it’s the charming British detective show Ludwig, the mind-melding film Everything, Everywhere, All at Once, or compelling live performance art, I love to be taken on a journey of discovery and to see what I learn along the way. The commonality across what I enjoy is when warm-hearted, complex relationships are at the center of the story. Just like life, just like coaching.

Photo of a field containing varieties of flowers in bright reds, oranges, and pale pink colors
Photo of a red flower in the foreground of a field containing yellow and white flowers and greenery

Ready to begin your own expedition and explore how you can get in flow?

It may be time to ask new questions and ride new currents downstream to what’s next. Schedule a free, low pressure call to get a feel for how we can co-create support for you to ask your life’s next questions and seek clarity for your wants and needs.