Mariah Matthews
Workplace Effectiveness at Genentech
Mariah is a little bit of everything. Her professional work is in Workplace Effectiveness at Genentech, Inc supporting employees through changes to their work environment. She has a passion for Organizational Development and helping organizations improve their business by developing their people, but that’s only one dimension.
To know Mariah is to know that her interests lie on a huge spectrum from the best skincare routine to the state of public health to music festivals and everything in between. She is constantly trying to figure out how all these topics relate to and influence one another. Mariah is originally from Chicago, IL and currently resides in the San Francisco Bay Area. Connect with Mariah on Instagram and Twitter.
What’s a challenge you’ve faced, and how did you get through it?
When I moved to the Bay Area from Chicago I only knew a handful of people. and most of them I hadn’t spoken to in a while. I left a strong group of friends I’ve had for over 10 years to not even having a group at all. This was the toughest part of the transition by far, but as the months passed I slowly started to meet new people. I dove head-first into any friendships that resembled a friendship at home, not taking the time to really build a foundation. It wasn’t until I had a falling-out with one of my best friends at the time that I realized just how much work I had to do on myself and how I really didn’t know how to be a friend. While it was challenging to start to change my behavior, I realized at this point that I would lose all my friends in The Bay just like this one if I didn’t commit some time to working on myself and understanding my values.
I began focusing on my relationship with God and studying the Bible shortly after. It helped me see everything in a new light. It’s helped me identify things I’ve been holding onto for years and how they’ve manifested throughout my life. This will be a lifelong journey, but so far, it’s helped me get through that challenging time and bring all that I’ve learned into my friendships both near and far.
What’s something you’ve done that you’re really proud of?
Mmmm, this is tough. I’m pretty hard on myself, but I would say being more open about my ideas & visions. It takes a lot for me to open up to people, and it all stems from a fear of people taking advantage of my vulnerability or stealing my ideas. I’ve realized along the way how much this fear is blocking all the beautiful connections I could make with the people around me. I had a mentor once tell me that he got to a point where he was no longer afraid of people stealing his ideas because he knew he could come up with 100 new ones. That has always stuck with me and helped me gain confidence in my story and purpose. There is no one else out there like me and that’s something I often hold onto when I feel myself getting nervous about opening up. I will also admit that ever since I’ve opened those doors and let more and more people into my head, I’ve been blown away by the support system I have around me.
“There is no one else out there like me and that’s something I often hold onto when I feel myself getting nervous about opening up.”
What’s something that’s been on your mind this Black History Month?
The importance of continuing to study your history. I remember my last semester of college, the Head of the African-American Studies Department came to speak to my International Development class about the exploitation and underdevelopment of African countries. I was blown away and then immediately filled with frustration and guilt. There was an entire department dedicated to my history, and I had not taken one class. I remember setting up some time with Dr. Bailey, the department head, and while he shared my frustrations, he reminded me that your education doesn’t stop after you receive your diploma. He recommended a list of books and other resources that he references in his class, but emphasized that it was up to me to do the work. I can admit that I haven’t made the space for it, and BHM is a reminder that the only way to know where I am going as a Black woman is to know where I have come from and that will require me to be more diligent about making the space to study my history.
Also, been thinking how dope Black Panther is going to be!
