ABOUT
About
Kay
Kay Matthews is a multidisciplinary, award‑winning speaker, founder, and executive who turns hard‑won lessons into systems‑level progress. As the Founder & Executive Director of The Shades of Blue Project, she leads a nationally recognized organization that improves maternal mental health outcomes through community‑rooted programs, health-system trainings, and policy influence, delivering measurable results.
A strategist with a heart for people and a head for execution, Kay has transformed adversity into purpose‑driven leadership. She created a nationally recognized maternal mental health awareness week, including a globally recognized summit that convenes clinicians, policymakers, researchers, and community leaders to move from conversation to coordinated action. Her work has equipped hospitals, universities, nonprofits, and public agencies with culturally responsive approaches that honor language, history, and lived experience, especially in communities too often overlooked by traditional care models.
On stage, Kay blends research, real‑world practice, and story with a warm, polished presence that resonates from keynote halls to training rooms. Audiences leave with clear frameworks, practical tools, and the conviction to implement them the next day.
If you’re ready to elevate your event from awareness to action, and want a speaker who brings credibility, clarity, and heart book Kay Matthews.
Awards
Best of Best Award
Best Maternal Mental Health Support Service in the United States of 2026
Evergreen Award
Best Maternal Mental Health Support Service in the United States of 2026
In the Spotlight
Kay Matthews is actively speaking, training, and consulting with healthcare organizations, universities, nonprofits, and policy leaders across the country. Her insights are regularly sought on maternal mental health, health equity, systems change, leadership, and community-centered care.
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Available for keynote presentations, workshops, panel discussions, podcasts, and media interviews.
Speaking Topics
Tailored talks that inspire action and lasting impact.
01
Through this topic, Kay speaks to the realities of postpartum depression, anxiety, grief, trauma, infant loss, medical bias, and lack of access to culturally responsive care. Her message challenges audiences to recognize Black maternal mental health as a public health, justice, and community priority. She provides a powerful call to action for providers, policymakers, organizations, and communities to build systems that listen, respond, support, and protect Black mothers before, during, and after birth.
02
Kay Matthews speaks on how the INSPIRE Method equips professionals, peer supporters, community health workers, and advocates with the tools to recognize emotional distress, respond with compassion, and connect families to meaningful support. Through this model, Kay has helped train more than 1,000 professionals and community leaders, creating a stronger network of care for Black and Brown mothers, birthing people, and families navigating pregnancy, postpartum, grief, trauma, and loss.
03
Kay Matthews speaks on how the INSPIRE Method equips professionals, peer supporters, community health workers, and advocates with the tools to recognize emotional distress, respond with compassion, and connect families to meaningful support. Through this model, Kay has helped train more than 1,000 professionals and community leaders, creating a stronger network of care for Black and Brown mothers, birthing people, and families navigating pregnancy, postpartum, grief, trauma, and loss.
04
Kay Matthews challenges traditional ideas of leadership by teaching that rest is not a pause from purpose, but a strategy for sustaining it. Through The Shades of Blue Project, she has helped leaders, advocates, providers, and community change makers understand the connection between emotional wellness, restoration, joy, and long term productivity.
05
This topic highlights Kay’s work in national advocacy, workforce training, community engagement, and policy advancement, including efforts connected to the NEST Act where she successfully secured 5 million dollars in appropriations federal funding and broader maternal mental health systems reform. She shows audiences that equitable outcomes require more than awareness or policy language. They require community trust, culturally responsive practice, lived experience leadership, provider accountability, and sustained investment in the people most impacted.
Audiences Served
National Conferences & Summits
Healthcare Institutions & Universities
Nonprofits & Foundations
Government & Policy Leaders
Health Departments & Corporate Entities
Partners and Collaborators
WHY KAY
Why Book Kay?
Multidisciplinary,
award‑winning
perspective
Bridges policy, public health, community practice, and organizational leadership to deliver insights that land with executives and frontline teams alike.
Culturally fluent
and equity‑centered
Builds trust in communities historically underserved by traditional systems; tailors language, examples, and solutions so every audience feels seen and included.
Proven, field‑tested
frameworks
Practical tools (not just inspiration) that translate into step‑by‑step action plans your team can implement immediately.
High engagement,
zero fluff
Storytelling, data, and audience interaction that keep rooms energized and focused on outcomes.
Partner mindset
Builds trust in communities historically underserved by traditional systems; tailors language, examples, and solutions so every audience feels seen and included.
Reputation
for results
From conference keynotes to system‑wide trainings, Kay is known for moving audiences from awareness to action—on the day of the event and long after.
National Leader
Relatable Speaker
What You Get with Every Booking
Pre‑event strategy call
to align on goals, audience,
and success metrics
Tailored agenda & customized slides
matched to your theme and sector
Audience resources
& action toolkit
(digital) to drive implementation
Post‑event debrief
with next‑step recommendations for sustained impact
Optional add‑ons:
executive roundtable, breakout workshop, or train‑the‑trainer session
Kay brings both expertise and heart to every stage she stands on. She leaves audiences inspired and ready to act.
Dr. Karen Tabb Dina, Maternal Mental Health Researcher
Hearing Kay speak was transformative. She created space for both truth and healing that our community desperately needed.
Conference Attendee, Black Maternal Mental Health Summit
Kay has a gift for blending storytelling, data, and advocacy. She makes you feel the urgency while giving you tools to make change.
Healthcare Professional, INSPIRE Training Participant
Her authenticity is unmatched. She doesn’t just talk about equity—she shows us how to build it.
Policy Roundtable Participant