Meet Gretchen
Author • Teacher • Soul Doula
My work explores the relationship between identity, becoming, and what I call the Sovereign Self—the deepest, most authentic part of who we are beneath expectations, conditioning, and inherited stories.
Over time, I have come to see that many of life's struggles emerge when we lose connection with that inner center. We find ourselves living according to expectations that no longer fit, carrying identities that no longer serve us, and confusion about why our lives feel disconnected from who we truly are.
Again and again, I find myself drawn to the stories people carry about themselves—especially women navigating caregiving, loss, reinvention, and the challenge of remaining true to themselves in a world full of competing expectations.
The work I offer is an invitation home.
Through The Glass Cradle™ framework, we explore how identity has been shaped by caregiving, culture, family systems, and the expectations placed upon us. Through Storywork Alchemy, we reclaim authorship of the stories that define who we are and what we believe is possible. Through Wild Becoming, we learn to trust the person we are growing into. Through Threshold Journeys™ and contemplative practices, we cultivate the courage to walk that path. And through Kinship, we rediscover belonging—to Self, to one another, and to the living world.
Whether through books, learning circles, retreats, coaching, or publishing, my work ultimately asks a single question:
What becomes possible when you live from your Sovereign Self?
An archaeologist
of the soul
Credentials and Experience
For those who care about formal credentials, I completed ontological coach training with the Newfield Network, one of the oldest and most respected coaching programs globally. I became a 14th generation Usui Reiki master through private study with Steve Reedy and earned advanced certifications as a shamanic healer with the Foundation for Shamanic Studies. My study of shamanism builds on my certification in eco-ministry with Seminary of the Wild.
I earned a BA from Cornell University and a MA from The University of Michigan, both in anthropology with a focus on archaeology. I am ABD in a PhD in higher and adult continuing education. I am also certified in the MBTI, the Forte Communication System, and Veterans Behavioral Health.
You’re not lost. You are becoming.
My first training was as an archaeologist. Long before I became a writer, teacher, publisher, or coach, I was fascinated by stories hidden beneath the surface—how people make meaning, how cultures shape identity, and what remains when old structures fall away.
Today, I often describe myself as an archaeologist of the Soul.
I am drawn to thresholds: moments of transition, loss, reinvention, awakening, grief, and becoming. Much of my work explores what happens when familiar identities no longer fit and we are called to discover a deeper sense of Self.
Nature has become one of my greatest teachers. You will often find me wandering forests, prairies, coastlines, and quiet trails with a camera and a journal, paying attention to the small moments that reveal something larger about what it means to be human. My writing, photography, and teaching are all shaped by this contemplative way of seeing.
Along the way, I have lived in five countries, nine states, and more than two dozen communities. I have studied archaeology, coaching, healing traditions, eco-spirituality, Buddhism, storytelling, leadership, and the many ways people seek meaning. Each has become part of the lens through which I accompany others.
At heart, I remain a student of becoming.
Today, I divide my time between writing, teaching, publishing, coaching, photography, and exploring the natural world. Whether I am supporting an author, leading a learning circle, accompanying a woman through a season of transition, or sitting quietly with my camera on a woodland trail, I remain fascinated by the same question:
How do we become more fully ourselves?
