Hannah Taylor-Matthews, founder of A Creative Pause, stands at her workshop studio door, smiling at camera

Hi, I’m Hannah

I'm a coach, a consultant, a mother and a wife. But I'm also a creative. And that got lost for a while.

I've always been most fulfilled when my brain is occupied by both creativity and intellectual challenge. As a child I would always choose creativity — I was constantly covered in paint or writing songs. After university I stayed in London to try to make it as a singer-songwriter. I was young and I thought I had forever to make it work. But what's true is that I loved connecting with people through words.

Hannah Taylor-Matthews

I picked up a job in retail to make ends meet — at Liberty London. I started on the shop floor selling silk scarves and ended up heading up their social media. Seven years of incredible experiences, rapid growth, and learning the importance of brand identity, communication, and community-building. What I discovered was that what I loved most wasn't the selling — it was the people. Those real, unhurried conversations lit something up in me.

Five women standing behind a booth with a sign that says 'Michael Birch' inside a store, with one woman leaning on the counter and all smiling.

I left Liberty to work as a social media consultant — for a decade, with brands I genuinely believed in, mainly within the luxury industry. For years I connected other people's purpose with their messaging. And while that was really rewarding work, somewhere along the way I lost my own purpose and my own creativity. I was doing it because I was good at it. But good at it isn't the same as lit up by it.

In 2021 we lost our second child, Daisy, at 23 weeks. I think about her every day and write about her all the time. She course-corrected my life in ways I’m still uncovering. After a lot of soul searching, a (very wise) friend suggested coaching — and it was the right fit. I completed my Level 7 qualification in senior and executive coaching and began working with some incredible women. And two themes kept coming up in every coaching conversation: creativity and purpose.

Things started to click into place. I could see how everything connected — the creativity, the consultancy, the coaching. After a decade working predominantly online, two things had become clear. I wanted to create something in real life, an experience in a beautiful environment — the antidote to endless Zoom calls. And I wanted to bring women together through shared experience. Creativity seemed like the perfect vehicle for that.

Interior of a room under construction with wooden walls and ceiling. Construction tools, including a saw, ladder, and workbench, are scattered on the floor. A window and large open doorway reveal a green backyard

So I sat down with my husband and took him through my plan to turn our garden shed into a workshop studio. He is truly the yin to my yang — a numbers man and a realist — but I'm always grateful that he trusts my instinct. We set about making it happen with a very patient local carpenter.

What we created is a calm, beautiful space designed for exactly that — connection, creativity, and no pressure to be anything other than yourself.

I started building something I needed, and knew other women needed too. Given space to be creative, a few more things unfold for us — the path ahead feels brighter, we reconnect with what matters, we remember who we are outside of everything we do for everyone else.

Cozy dining room with a wooden table, surrounded by wooden chairs and a leather office chair. A large window lets in natural light, overlooking an outdoor scene with trees. Decor includes potted plants, a vase with flowers, a vintage-style rug, and a black wood stove. Woven pendant lights hang from the ceiling, and a wall art piece reads 'Rules aren't helpful here'.

I was lost for a while. But rebuilding my creativity gave me back my purpose. A Creative Pause is what that looks like for other women — and I'd love for you to be part of it.

Hannah x

An interior scene with a bookshelf, a painting of colorful flowers on a stand, a lamp, and framed pictures.

An elderly person drawing on a blank piece of paper with a black pencil at a white table, with plants in white pots nearby.

Sunlit dining room with a long wooden table, surrounded by matching wooden chairs. A floral centerpiece is on the table. Large windows and an open door reveal a grassy outdoor area. Wooden accents and a hanging light fixture add warmth to the space.