Serendipity and the Sole Proprietor
A dedication to creativity, relationship and collaboration has led Karen Mathieson to work as a coach and teacher for adults, a freelance writer and editor, an event presenter, and a contract services provider. These strands of experience have twined into Serendipity Communications, an enterprise of singular focus: enhancing the human connection in our digital age.
Karen’s LinkedIn profile has more information on her professional background and on her education, which includes a B.A. from the University of Oregon, an M.A. from Seattle University, and a graduate certificate in Organizational Dynamics from Antioch University Seattle.
As someone who blooms locally, Karen pitches in at Metro’s Native Plant Center and is a Metro Volunteer Naturalist. Bicycling, hiking, snowshoeing and kayaking are among Karen’s outdoor delights. Indoors, Karen may often be found absorbed in a book or an online quest, devising new recipes to serve to friends, or gleefully joining in an Irish dance.
To connect with Karen Mathieson,
send an e-mail to Karen@SerendipityCommunications.com,
or reach her by phone at 503-297-3262.
Testimonials
“Karen has an incredible ability to get everyone in the room talking, through various tools in her toolbox and the nature of her personality. She sets people at ease and elicits their input in such an organic way that you don’t even realize what’s happening until everyone is happily working away at the issue.”
– Sarah Buckley, Executive Director, Clackamas Community Land Trust
“Having worked with Karen Mathieson in two professional organizations and on multiple project teams, I know how much she brings to the table. First, there’s her unwavering commitment. When Karen signs on to a project team, the probability of success doubles. Then there’s Karen’s work style. Whether as team lead, team member, or co-creator, Karen’s collegial, collaborative approach never varies. Last but not least are Karen’s communication skills. Time and again I’ve seen Karen in action: listening to understand the message, testing and refining it through dialogue, honing it through her considerable wordcraft skills. I’m happy to recommend Karen as a business and communications partner in the truest sense.”
–Rob Dodson, President, Oregon Organization Development Network
“Karen’s edits and word-smithing gave my text more spirit, and offered a reminder that more words are not always better or necessary. Giving someone else the opportunity to change your words takes trust and honesty. I feel both with Karen.”
– Esther Lev, Executive Director, The Wetlands Conservancy
“As a busy professional, I value a focused, personalized learning environment. Karen takes a structured approach to her communication coaching, yet also demonstrated her flexibility by addressing individual issues that presented themselves through the course of our work together. Karen was able to easily identify skills I could work on to have immediate results. Karen’s warmth, enthusiasm and sense of humor make her a delight to work with.”
– Physician and Department Head
“Karen both scripted and narrated the documentary, and is credited on the DVD. But Karen did much more than that: she understood that we had to work backwards, needing to create a script after all the video was shot. She asked all of the right questions at the beginning, bringing our own desires into focus. She then conducted on-camera interviews covering every point the story needed to make. Using her musical background, she worked with our audio engineer to ensure that the music soundtrack would mesh with the video to tell the story. She revised the script when necessary, kindly accommodating our changing thoughts for what to emphasize in the story. Throughout this process, Karen kept us all on track, and worked sensitively with an artistic team (ourselves) and with the video team, by turns communicating and moderating. We want to emphasize that Karen Mathieson took a seemingly impossible project and made it sing.”
– Aloysia Friedmann, Artistic Director / Jon Kimura Parker, Artistic Advisor /
Orcas Island Chamber Music Festival