My name is Matjaz Kovse, also known within the Nonviolent Communication (NVC) community as Mati. I enjoy accompanying individuals, groups, and organizations in cultivating awareness, connection, and life-serving ways of relating. I was born in Slovenia and have been living in Vienna, Austria, since 2020. I first encountered NVC in 2011, moved by a longing for social change and for weaving together diverse perspectives, movements, and lived experiences.
I enjoy working with both individuals and organizations, and I am guided by values such as inclusion, diversity, cooperation, empowerment, mutual support, interdependence, honesty, partnership, and co-creation. I care about seeing and meeting people as whole human beings, and about creating spaces where choice, dignity, and authenticity are welcome. I trust that sustainable change grows from awareness, presence, and nourishing relationships.
One of my main areas of exploration is supporting people in becoming more aware of their inner and outer support systems, and in strengthening their capacity to create, sustain, and repair connections. I am especially interested in how communities can be built and cared for in ways that are lively, inclusive, welcoming, and resilient over time. Learning together and exploring life as a shared and unfolding process is central to my work.
I enjoy being an assistant in courses led by Sarah Peyton , and I volunteer as a trainer with the NGO Hope is Life. I am also part of the project Conversations for the Heart, where we co-organize free online community events with invited speakers, often certified NVC trainers, creating spaces for reflection, inspiration, and connection within the wider NVC community.
My work is informed and inspired by Restorative Circles, Sociocracy, Relational Neuroscience, Polyvagal Theory, Spiral Dynamics, Natural Health (Nature Cure and Natural Hygiene), Joanna Macy’s Work That Reconnects, and Deep Ecology. Outside of my professional life, I find nourishment in Argentine tango, concerts, time in nature, poetry, and exploring the wonders of life.
“For me, Nonviolent Communication (NVC) is a practice of listening for what is alive - in myself, in others, and between us - and of finding ways together that honor the needs of all living beings. Celebration and mourning are central practices that help me stay connected to what matters most.”