Collective Thread Studio

by Hannah Mattner

Helping people to share their diverse threads of experience and knowledge to get better outcomes across community and government

Coming Soon

Please use the contact form below if you would like to contact Collective Thread Studio about a piece of work before the official launch.

Facilitation

I run workshops that bring together diverse groups, draw out their common interests and unify them around action on shared goals. My workshops are practical and collaborative. Workshops are tailored to specific organisational and community needs and may include:

Policy and program development and planning
Problem solving

Community connection
Clarifying and articulating a group's vision, purpose and identity.

Research

I bring together a wide range of perspectives and information sources to clarify and communicate underlying themes and influences to inform policies, programs and community engagement. My specialist research areas include:

Co-design
Ethnographic research
User research
Research synthesis and reporting
Literature scans.

Inclusion

Training and consulting that draws on my experience as a neurodivergent person who's part of the LGBTIQA+ community to connect with and support people with empathy and nuance. Examples include:

Working in the Australian Public Service - training for neurodivergent public servants
(course available final quarter of 2026)
Training and consulting on inclusion with a focus on LGBTIQA+ and neurodivergent inclusion
Support for businesses and other organisations to improve their accessibility for neurodivergent people.

Writing and editing

I write and edit to help people communicate clearly and effectively with the groups they're trying to reach. Examples include:

Writing instructional material, and training others in how to do so (1 day course available on request)
Editing material for formal and informal audiences, including detailed and actionable feedback

Self-publishing support
Grant writing
Sensitivity reviews.

Creativity

My advice and workshops help people to apply innovation and creativity in practical ways through techniques like design thinking and analogous examples. Examples include:

Immersive workshops to bring immediacy and fresh perspectives to bland topics such as policy development and work health and safety.
Introduction to fibre crafts including weaving, spinning, knitting and crochet, and the way they relate to complex innovation and scientific discoveries.

Coaching

I coach people on ways to work across all the spaces above. This can include support with:

Applying for Australian Public Service jobs

Facilitating events
Conducting people-focused research and design
Improving inclusion
Writing and editing
Integrating creativity to refresh standard processes.

About Hannah

I am a human-centred design and inclusion leader, with over 15 years' experience of policy and delivery in the Australian Public Service. In joining the public service I was concerned by the gap between policy makers and the communities they support. I've seen how direct connection between policy makers and the community make products and services much simpler, cheaper and more effective. Effective and people-focused facilitation, research and design are my specialisation as the key to bridging that gap, along with innovation and technical communication which play a key role in implementing it effectively.

My skills enables me to support good people and teams to connect, collaborate and build better futures. I bring my strengths in understanding people, drawing out unspoken needs and helping to navigate the complex and sometimes intimidating paths required for great understanding, facilitation and inclusion.

My deep personal and professional experience spans leadership of design projects, editing teams, program implementation and policy development. I build on that experience to connect with a wide range of communities and to shift gears quickly from strategic planning to practical tactics and in-the-moment action running events and teams.

I have a Bachelor of Media and a Bachelor of International Studies, as well as training and extensive experience as a trainer, facilitator and coach. I also bring nuanced personal experience of life as someone who's queer, chronically ill and neurodivergent.

This site was built on Ngunnawal Country. I acknowledge the Traditional Owners of Ngunnawal Country and throughout Australia, and recognise their continuing connection to lands, waters and communities. I pay my respect to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, and to Elders past and present. Sovereignty was never ceded.

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