Tuesday Takeover: Shiny Rachel Mathew

Jun 22

For this Tuesday Takeover I’d like to welcome my fearless friend Shiny Rachel Mathew to the blog. Long before she was the Queen B of tax law, I originally met Shiny as a law student at OCU Law. Sixteen years later, I’ve had the pleasure of watching her grow into a total BOSS, taking over the tax world through her co-ownership of the firm Polston Tax , authoring a book, numerous tv appearances, helping the public with tax issues, teaching continuing education courses at steak restaurants (great touch), and most recently I’ve gotten to know her as the best mother of three beautiful kids. Along with juggling the demands of a working mother, her generosity as a woman of faith and conviction shine through her work and philanthropy. I admire her ambition, her patience and foresight, her generous spirit, and her simply elegant style. She has the confidence and grace to pull off almost anything and I can’t wait to hear what she has to share during her takeover.

At one time I was a full-time tax attorney with a newborn, a 1 year old, and a 3 year old. All 3 children in diapers, all 3 still drinking out of a bottle, and I was waking up every night for the nighttime bottles and diaper changes…And then bright and early each morning I would wake up, get the children fed and ready for daycare, and then get myself ready for work! Nothing extraordinary - Just the typical routine for millions of parents working full-time all across the country.

My story varies from some others to the extent that over the last eleven years I have gone from being the first attorney ever hired by Rod Polston when he had just 3 full-time employees, to becoming his business partner and the co-owner of Polston Tax. Together we manage and oversee over 100 employees and the operations of our firm in multiple states across the nation, serving clients all over the country.

I love the work we get to do helping individuals and business owners who owe taxes to the IRS. Since I was young, I have always believed my purpose in life would be in some form of service to others, thus although I had never planned on becoming an attorney, now I see how it was the exact journey intended for me to be in a place where I could serve countless individuals by helping them out of the tax nightmare they find themselves in. I fundamentally believe that our lives are not about the wealth that we accumulate, but the number of lives that we touch, and I feel fortunate to have been able to help build a business that is truly dedicated to serving others.

My love for serving others has taken on many forms over the years such as writing multiple articles on the subject of taxes, serving as the chair of the tax section of the state bar association, appearing on a live monthly segment on TV in the morning, currently serving as a trustee of the bar foundation for the state bar association, currently serving as a director for the metropolitan library endowment trust, currently serving as a commissioner nominated and appointed by the Governor to serve on the commission on the status of women, and having spoken hundreds of times all across the nation from private events to large public conferences on a variety of subjects from taxes, to economics, to running a business, to marketing, to work-life balance, to interesting cases, just to name a few. As many times as I have spoken over the years and as many articles as I have been asked to write, this is the first time anyone has asked me to talk about my look and style choices!  Having become accustomed to the expectation of being camera ready, I have a fairly straightforward approach to it all.   As a full-time working woman, running a business, leading teams of employees, traveling often, and always trying my best to be a hands-on mom with my children, I was excited for the chance to give away my secrets on my go-to look that allows me to have an effortless professional look, while still being efficient with my time! — My love for serving others has taken on many forms over the years such as writing multiple articles on the subject of taxes, serving as the chair of the tax section of the state bar association, appearing on a live monthly segment on TV in the morning, currently serving as a trustee of the bar foundation for the state bar association, currently serving as a director for the metropolitan library endowment trust, currently serving as a commissioner nominated and appointed by the Governor to serve on the commission on the status of women, and having spoken hundreds of times all across the nation from private events to large public conferences on a variety of subjects from taxes, to economics, to running a business, to marketing, to work-life balance, to interesting cases, just to name a few. As many times as I have spoken over the years and as many articles as I have been asked to write, this is the first time anyone has asked me to talk about my look and style choices! Having become accustomed to the expectation of being camera ready, I have a fairly straightforward approach to it all. As a full-time working woman, running a business, leading teams of employees, traveling often, and always trying my best to be a hands-on mom with my children, I was excited for the chance to give away my secrets on my go-to look that allows me to have an effortless professional look, while still being efficient with my time!

Getting ready each day is a part of my day I truly enjoy.  I find it to be very easy to make choices about what to wear, and each day I feel freshly inspired when I choose.  I typically select a dress or skirt in an understated style, with soft fabrics, in any variety of colors and cuts, but usually something knee length and unfussy, paired with heels and a splash of jewelry.  This look makes me feel polished with very little effort. It feels like I’m getting away with wearing a long t-shirt all day, while appearing like I got “all dressed up”. I do tend to switch things up a bit depending on the season. More jewel tones in the fall, heavier fabrics and leather in the winter paired with tights and boots on the coldest days, lighter colors and fabrics in the spring, and often bolder colors, more daring styles, and high-heeled open toe-sandals for the summer. Unlike many attorneys, I don’t often wear suits. The Tax Court docket is scheduled months in advance to be held in pre-set cities for one week twice each year. As such, a traditional suit is often not required most days of the year for my practice, and I appreciate the luxury of selecting from a variety of looks all year round. — Getting ready each day is a part of my day I truly enjoy. I find it to be very easy to make choices about what to wear, and each day I feel freshly inspired when I choose. I typically select a dress or skirt in an understated style, with soft fabrics, in any variety of colors and cuts, but usually something knee length and unfussy, paired with heels and a splash of jewelry. This look makes me feel polished with very little effort. It feels like I’m getting away with wearing a long t-shirt all day, while appearing like I got “all dressed up”.
I do tend to switch things up a bit depending on the season. More jewel tones in the fall, heavier fabrics and leather in the winter paired with tights and boots on the coldest days, lighter colors and fabrics in the spring, and often bolder colors, more daring styles, and high-heeled open toe-sandals for the summer. Unlike many attorneys, I don’t often wear suits. The Tax Court docket is scheduled months in advance to be held in pre-set cities for one week twice each year. As such, a traditional suit is often not required most days of the year for my practice, and I appreciate the luxury of selecting from a variety of looks all year round.

Much like the effortless strategy I like to employ with getting ready, I tend to shop in the same way.  I don’t often go to the mall, and shopping for clothes is not a top priority on my list, but when I need something I prefer to shop online for a deal when I can find the time.  I have also used a few different clothing rental subscription services over the years where I receive a box of clothing to wear in the mail.  The current service I am using sends 3 outfits at a time from an assortment of items I have selected from their “closet”. If I like any of the looks I can keep them and I tend to be swayed if the price is significantly marked down.  I spend even less on shoes and tend to stick to a stylish tan, black, or navy high heel most days to keep the decision simple. — Much like the effortless strategy I like to employ with getting ready, I tend to shop in the same way. I don’t often go to the mall, and shopping for clothes is not a top priority on my list, but when I need something I prefer to shop online for a deal when I can find the time. I have also used a few different clothing rental subscription services over the years where I receive a box of clothing to wear in the mail. The current service I am using sends 3 outfits at a time from an assortment of items I have selected from their “closet”. If I like any of the looks I can keep them and I tend to be swayed if the price is significantly marked down. I spend even less on shoes and tend to stick to a stylish tan, black, or navy high heel most days to keep the decision simple.

I do travel for work quite a bit, and whether for work or for pleasure, my trick for travel wear is to take a picture of the entire outfit laid out - including necklaces and shoes- and then fold the clothes into a Ziploc bag. I do this for each individual outfit and I find that when I arrive at my destination, just looking at the pictures makes it easier to know what I have, without fully unpacking. I do the same thing if my children are traveling with me, and I also pack their undergarments and socks in each Ziploc with their clothing and write their name on the Ziploc bag with a black Sharpie marker. This makes it very easy for me to grab a Ziploc bag with their name on it and hand it to them to get ready on their own when we are traveling. I love when I find ways to make routine jobs easier or time-consuming tasks more efficient!

I said this is the first time I’m being asked to write about my style, and that’s true, but this isn’t the first time I’m passing along my favorite tips and tricks! I love passing along tips to all of my friends about the convenient grocery delivery service I’m using (Shipt!), or the shoe brand I think is most comfortable (Vince Camuto!), or the standing hair dryer I bought that I just sit under to dry my hair after a shower and knock out emails (The Purple People Heater!), or my favorite candle (Bath and Body Works White Barn Champagne Toast candle!), or my favorite perfume (Tiffany & Co. “Sheer”!)…the list is fairly endless and I’m always willing to share! Like I said – I think serving others is fundamental to my purpose in life. Sometimes serving looks like packing food for the homeless at the food pantry, but sometimes it looks like texting a picture of an incredible product I love to others who could benefit!