Matt King, Author at Team Verve https://teamverveco.com Team Coaching and DISC Workshops Mon, 20 Apr 2026 16:33:42 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://teamverveco.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/cropped-square-icon-1-32x32.png Matt King, Author at Team Verve https://teamverveco.com 32 32 From the Himalayas to NYC: Team, Trust, and Vulnerability https://teamverveco.com/from-the-himalayas-to-nyc-team-trust-and-vulnerability/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=from-the-himalayas-to-nyc-team-trust-and-vulnerability https://teamverveco.com/from-the-himalayas-to-nyc-team-trust-and-vulnerability/#respond Fri, 20 Mar 2026 20:23:40 +0000 https://teamverveco.com/?p=8254 My love for teams was born high in the Himalayan mountains. I was young, naïve, and full of energy—running hard and stretching boundaries.

The post From the Himalayas to NYC: Team, Trust, and Vulnerability appeared first on Team Verve.]]>

My love for teams was born high in the Himalayan mountains. I was young, naïve, and full of energy—running hard and stretching boundaries. 

Alongside learning to hike jungles and peaks, I began to overcome my own insecurities. I learned to risk trust and practice vulnerability while blazing trails and surviving on rations. In these intense physical conditions, my own glaring weaknesses quickly became obvious, and I realized that no matter how determined I was, I wouldn’t succeed alone. I needed a team.

Later, as I moved into a leadership role, I discovered the challenges of teams went far beyond the mountain trails. Communication could quickly break down. People’s motivations and expectations could be worlds apart. Trust and vulnerability—the very things that make teams thrive— took hard and personal work to build.

Life Has a Lot of Teams!

Over the next few years, life gave me a wide variety of teams: a family business, a pioneer-spirited NGO, a get-it-done startup, an established service company, an educational program, multiple church and nonprofit teams, and my own growing marriage-and-family team! Phew!

As I navigated these teams, I increasingly saw the need for skills – team skills. I observed that whether in business, marriage, or family, teams have the power to accomplish incredible things—or quickly fall into dysfunction. Simultaneously, teams are as different as the people in them, and navigating those differences can be both profoundly rewarding and incredibly challenging.

 
DISC and Working Genius Training in NYC

When Teams Start to Fray

Quite a few years ago, my own team was stressed, distrustful, and inching dangerously close to burnout. Our organizational health was declining—even though we were still accomplishing a lot. I found myself turning cynical and discouraged. It began to feel heavy just showing up.

Thankfully, our team—and our brave leader (can we give a shout-out to courageous leaders?)—recognized the need for change. We invited a coach. We committed to doing the hard work. And I’m still amazed at the growth that followed. 

What changed?

  • We learned how to communicate honestly and intentionally.
  • We rebuilt trust.
  • We addressed conflict instead of avoiding it.
  • We developed skills we didn’t even realize were missing.

As clarity increased, so did trust. As trust improved, so did momentum. And as momentum grew, our organizational health—and our results—improved together.

Somewhere along the way, I discovered something unexpected: I love serving as a facilitator who creates space for honest conversations, breakthrough moments, and shared wins. I love designing interactive learning experiences where teams don’t just sit and listen—but actively engage, practice, reflect, and grow together.

I’m Not Here to Reinvent the Wheel

Let me say something clearly: I’m not an author unveiling a brand-new framework. I’m not trying to coin the next big leadership theory. I’m not here to impress you with complicated models or write a new book. What I love to do is help your team accomplish your goals using the tools already available.
 
Most organizations don’t need another binder on the shelf. They don’t need more buzzwords, frameworks, or another flashy leadership summit. They need a strong team.
 
There are already excellent tools, strategies, and leadership principles available today. My role as a facilitator is to help you apply them to your people, your culture, your challenges, and your goals.
 
I’ll say it upfront: I’ve never been someone who thrives in long sessions or heavy theory. I learn best by doing—by jumping in, collaborating with a team, and applying ideas in real time. This interactive learning approach feels especially effective when it comes to team sessions. After all, teamwork isn’t something you grasp from a distance; it’s something you build together.
 

The Problems Aren’t Unique 

For the last dozen years, I’ve lived in one of the most diverse neighborhoods in the world (Queens, NYC) and worked with more than 100 business and non-profit teams across multiple continents and cultures. I’m now about as far removed geographically from those remote Himalayan mountains as one could be. But I’ve realized something important: the stressors I experienced then are not unique.
 
Across industries and teams, I hear the same struggles:
• “We avoid difficult conversations.”
• “I want to be a more effective leader.”
• “Trust is broken on our team.”
• “We struggle to rally the team.”
• “I don’t understand my leader.”
• “Our team feels stuck.”
• “Our differences are just too big.”
• “I want to equip my team to succeed.”
• “I need leaders.” 
 
Different contexts. Same core challenges.
 
Workplace development isn’t about fixing broken people. It’s about strengthening communication, skills, and relationships so teams can operate at their best. It’s about improving organizational health so strategy and execution can thrive. 
 
I don’t claim to know everything about teams. But I have seen, again and again, the rewards of doing the hard work. I’ve witnessed the thrill of being part of an empowered, energized, life-giving team.
 
Workplace Development in NYC

And So, Team Verve Was Born

Out of these experiences came Team Verve. What is “verve,” you might ask? Verve is life. It’s energy, motivation, and passion. It’s the strength to endure when things get tough. It’s the magic that occurs when individuals truly work together. 

We believe verve is the mark of any winning team culture.

A team with verve doesn’t avoid hard conversations—it engages them with respect. A team with verve doesn’t crumble under differences—it learns from them. A team with verve doesn’t pretend and assume —it builds rhythms that sustain both performance and people. 

At every Team Verve event, the power of the team is put to work. Through engaging, interactive learning experiences designed to strengthen both performance and organizational health, your team will:

And yes, we will have a lot of fun doing it. Because team doesn’t have to feel heavy.

Don’t Climb Alone

Standing in the middle of New York City today, I’m a long way from those Himalayan trails where my love for team first began. But the lesson remains the same: none of us were meant to climb alone. We need healthy and strong teams to succeed. 

That’s the work I care about, and it’s the work Team Verve exists to support. 

Are you ready?

Chat with Matt.

Let's start the conversation--your team deserves it!
The post From the Himalayas to NYC: Team, Trust, and Vulnerability appeared first on Team Verve.]]> https://teamverveco.com/from-the-himalayas-to-nyc-team-trust-and-vulnerability/feed/ 0