Gretchen Martens

Gretchen Martens

Retreat House Covenant Partner, “House of Series” Book Editor, Retreat Leader, Coach

Gretchen is one of the original covenant partners of Retreat House and serves as book editor in RH’s House of book series. An active participant in Retreat House, Gretchen has led retreats at the house and in the midst of Covid-19, launched a weekly meditation series Healing Self, Soul and the World. She has also been affectionately called the “Minister of Soup” at Retreat House after feeding and creating and cooking countless bowls of soup creation for fellow spiritual journeyers at the house.

She is an author, speaker, coach and happiness expert. A modern woman who should have been born a man during the Renaissance, she irreverently describes her mindset as “What Box?” Her coaching colleagues and clients describe her as having one of the biggest hearts they’ve known. A business partner once described her infectious enthusiasm by saying, “Knowing Gretchen is like being sucked into a vortex, in a good way.” She was given the name “Sister Vision” in an African naming ceremony for her ability to hold the vision for herself and others, no matter the apparent obstacles.

Gretchen’s work on happiness blends three decades of work as an anthropologist, ontological coach, experiential educator, and improvisational comedy performer. She is relationship-focused and strives to gain a deep understanding of client needs and goals. She loves to help people explore their TWIST on life (The Way I See Things). She is passionate about helping individuals and teams shift from fixed/scarcity mindsets to growth/abundance mindsets. A visionary leader and foresight strategist in her own right, Gretchen helps people consciously manage life’s challenges and complexity as they transform their own lives, families, communities, and organizations. Her approach is consistently transdisciplinary and systemic. Gretchen’s Ph.D. advisor described her as “one of the most intellectually gifted students” she ever taught. Fortunately, comedy keeps her from getting too serious.

You can read more about Gretchen here.

Gretchen has a B.A. from Cornell University and a M.A. from The University of Michigan, both in anthropology. She is A.B.D. in Ph.D program in higher and adult continuing education. She trained with the Newfield Network and is waiting for her Professional Certified Coach credential from the International Coach Federation. She is certified in the MBTI, the Forte Communication System, and Veterans Behavioral Health.

When Gretchen isn’t spreading happiness or trying to save the world, she is an improvisational comedy performer at Dallas Comedy House. She is a storyteller, poet, playwright, political satirist, and budding novelist who has no appreciation for rhyming couplets. She is a photographer and abstract painter who is bored by the old masters. She’s managing her addiction to the news but won’t subscribe to the NY Times because she needs a newspaper with daily comics. She’s a former archaeologist who makes killer sangria and a mediocre salsa partner. Her standup career never got off the ground.

Interested in a coaching session or retreat with Gretchen? She would love to hear from you!