Member Spotlight: Taylor Buonocore-Guthrie
My career over the past 15 years has been very multi-dimensional. Here’s a quick tour of my professional life - across sectors and all around the world!
My professional roots are in management consulting - I started with a big firm, where I sharpened my focus on human capital, and saw first-hand that the way an organization’s people are organized and empowered is one of the most critical factors for success. After about 4 years with the firm, I was recruited to move to Mongolia to work for Rio Tinto. In Mongolia, I joined a small cross-functional team. My focus was on people - I developed growth and leadership programs for the large, cross-cultural workforce. (Also notable, I learned to live through a -30F degree winter!) After leaving Mongolia, I joined Born Free Africa and moved into the international development sector. Born Free was launched to support the global effort to end mother-to-child transmission of HIV. Our team built partnerships with Ministries of Health in African countries hardest hit by HIV, to hire and support great local talent to run the prevention program. (Also notable, I co-led Victoria Beckham’s visit to Kenya alongside UNAIDS a few years ago.)
Eventually, I pushed pause on my international focus and was fortunate to work on a variety of projects here in New Jersey. Most recently, as a consultant I helped build parts of the COVID Response Team within Newark, NJ’s Department of Health.
In the midst of all of these opportunities and transitions, I’ve been building Convers(ate). Convers(ate) is the culmination of what I know about creating opportunities for learning and connection among people.
Connection is foundational to the human experience. As humans, we are hard-wired for it! In evolutionary terms, connection enables collaboration and thus, survival. And it also makes us feel good: just think back to your last great conversation with a family member, colleague or even a stranger. And yet, in our increasingly digital and virtual world, we’re more connected and more disconnected than ever. I observed a real need to “bring back conversation” as a key pathway to the connection we all crave.
I co-created Convers(ate) to bring engaging and meaningful conversation to all - from the board room to the dinner table. We work with managers who want to improve trust, rapport and knowledge-sharing among their teams or members. We facilitate highly interactive sessions and we’re known for our great question prompts and style for opening up a group. In recent months, we’ve led virtual sessions with as many as 300 participants in them, always achieving a level of connection, vulnerability and fun. We also offer a simple and sophisticated box set - the “DIY version” that includes 30 topics and over 300 questions.
I first learned about The Co-Co from two of the co-founders. I immediately loved the space - both the physical design and the vibe within - and was excited to get involved. As The Co-Co’s first Facilitator-in-Residence I’ve loved designing custom sessions for the entire community that speak to The Co-Co’s values and membership. Along the way, I’ve connected with remarkable women - many of whom are already wonderful friends. The best part (to me) is that Co-Co members show up as their whole selves, totally ready to co-learn and connect (my two favorite things).
