Gretchen Martens is an adventurer of a certain age. . . an author, poet, retreat leader, speaker, interfaith coach, energy healer, and travel photographer. Drawing on her early years as an archaeologist, she describes herself as an archaeologist of the Soul, seeking out spaces that speak to the culture of place and the origins of our shared humanity. She finds herself drawn to places wild and remote, where people live simple lives of resilient happiness.
But she wasn’t always that way. . . .
In early 2017, Gretchen’s work environment had become so toxic that she ended up in the emergency room thinking she weas having a stroke; she was diagnosed with acute workplaces stress. On Friday, March 3, 2017, devoted friends Susan and Cassandra patiently shared a second very unhappy happy hour with Gretchen. Bourbon (in moderation) and snacks were involved. On Saturday, March 4, at 3 a.m. sharp, Gretchen awoke from a dead sleep and received her fourth calling.
“The voice” told her to leave her soul-sucking corporate coaching job, travel to Bhutan, research happiness in the country that inadvertently launched the global happiness movement, and, upon returning, write a book called Think Like Bhutan. Having followed “the voice” before, even though she wasn’t exactly sure where the voice came from, she gave her two-week-notice on March 17 and walked away on March 31. On April 9, she left on a solo spiritual quest to Bhutan by way of India and Nepal. Her trip turned out to be a watershed in her life and she’s ever been the same.
Gretchen returned April 30, 2019, from another spiritual exploration to Thailand and Cambodia. Covid has temporarily stymied her wanderlust but not her spiritual walkabout, which has turned more deeply inward. Her plan is to become an expat in early 2022. Her dream is to open a retreat center that is a sanctuary for spiritual seekers, artists, writers, and musicians. . . . and perhaps American expats who need a bridge to a kinder, gentler life. Creator gave it a name on June 30, 2018: Lantern House. Let us help you find your lantern and let your light shine as a beacon to the world.
Gretchen’s hobbies include reading, cooking, hiking, storytelling, abstract painting, collage, and leading mediations. She recently performed her first one-woman play, “A River Runs Through You,” an eco-theological exploration of American history narrated by the Potomac River, over Zoom at the 2021 Southwestern Unitarian Universalist Women’s Conference. She is actively working on two plays that take irreverent looks at grief and loss: “sanINinty,” the story of losing her second husband to bipolar disorder, and “Burying Dick,” the story of saying good-bye to her father who lived his life as a proud curmudgeon.
On the mundane side of things, Gretchen’s academic training is in anthropology (BA, Cornell University; MA, The University of Michigan) and higher education (ABD, PhD, The University of Michigan). She is a professionally trained ontological coach and had the privilege of training personally with Julio Olalla and the Newfield Network. After returning from Bhutan, she finally embraced her gifts as an intuitive healer.