Gatherings
learning circles, workshops, retreats, and other opportunities
to gather in community
My books can open a door to becoming.
Learning circles, reclamation circles, writer’s gathering, and retreats allow us to walk through that door together.
These gatherings bring women into conversation with themselves, one another, and the deeper questions that shape our lives. Through reflection, story, writing, and shared experience, we create spaces where insight becomes practice, and becoming transforms from an individual journey to something we do in community and kinship.
Featured Gatherings
reclaiming life beyond child estrangement
Women’s Learning Circles and Reclamation Circles Launching in Summer 2026
Online and in Dallas - Available for women’s groups, communities, and organizations nationwide
A mother should not be defined by her child's choice.
While reconciliation requires two people, healing only needs one.
Courage to Continue offers heart-centered learning circles and reclamation workshops for women navigating child estrangement and those who companion them. Together, we explore grief, identity, meaning-making, and the possibility of building a life that is still rich with purpose, joy, and connection.
Because our lives still matter.
Our joy still matters.
And we still have a choice in our becoming.
Your book becomes strategy not because it is designed to sell, but because it is designed to serve.
Summer Dates Coming Soon
Online - Available for women’s groups, communities, and organizations nationwide
Your book becomes strategy not because it is designed to sell, but because it is designed to serve. This two-part workshop is specifically designed for coaches, consultants, educators, healers, and thought leaders who want to create a book aligned with their purpose and long-term impact.
Workshop One explores clarity and discernment: What book are you truly called to write?
Workshop Two explores translation and strategy: How does that message become a book that can serve others with integrity?
No hype. No publishing shortcuts. Just thoughtful, purpose-driven book development.
We do not write memoir to remember the past. We write to reclaim our Selves and the stories of becoming.
Fall Dates Coming Soon
Online - Available for women’s groups, communities, and organizations nationwide
Every woman carries stories of becoming. Memoir as Reclamation is a writing journey that explores a question most memoir courses never ask:
Who did I become because of what happened?
Through reflective writing, guided inquiry, and the craft of memoir, participants explore identity, meaning-making, authorship, and the wisdom hidden within lived experience. Part memoir workshop and part journey of self-discovery, this course helps women remember, reclaim, and reimagine the stories of their lives.
Monthly Writer’s Gathering
Monthly Storywork Circle
A monthly gathering for new and emerging authors
Second Friday • 1:00–3:00 pm CT • Zoom
For many years I have had the privilege of facilitating a monthly gathering of writers through Retreat House Spirituality Center in Dallas.
The Storywork Circle is not a traditional critique group. Rather than focusing on grammar, mechanics, or line-by-line editing, we explore ideas, deepen our writing, and support one another in the creative process.
Writers are invited to share works in progress, explore new ideas, ask questions, and receive thoughtful feedback in a spirit of curiosity and encouragement. Memoirists, poets, essayists, spiritual writers, and aspiring authors are all welcome. Our conversations are guided by four simple questions:
What I liked. . . .
What I was curious about. . . .
What I was confused by. . . .
What I wanted to hear more about. . . .
Bring a piece of writing. Bring an idea that is just beginning to take shape. Or simply come to listen, learn, and be in community with fellow writers.
Hosted by Gretchen Martens in partnership with Retreat House Spirituality Center.
2026 Dates
July 10 • August 14 • September 11 • October 9 • November 13 • December 11
Other Gatherings
Other Doorways
I offer a variety of workshops, learning circles, and customized programs designed to support reflection, learning, healing, and personal growth. Drawing from The Glass Cradle, Storywork Alchemy, Wild Becoming, and eco-spirituality, these gatherings invite participants to explore the stories shaping their lives, deepen self-understanding, and discover new possibilities for their becoming.
Programs are offered online and in person and can be customized for community groups, organizations, retreat centers, educational institutions, faith communities, and workplaces nationwide.
More gatherings coming soon. Be sure to join the Wild Canopy for updates!
Retreats
Retreats offer something increasingly rare in modern life: space.
Space to listen. Space to breathe. Space to remember who you are beneath the demands, expectations, and noise of daily life.
Drawing upon reflective writing, contemplative practice, eco-spirituality, storywork, and connection with the natural world, retreats create opportunities to step away from routine and reconnect with what matters most. Whether focused on healing, creativity, identity, leadership, spirituality, or personal renewal, retreat experiences invite participants to slow down, deepen their awareness, and engage life with greater intention.
I currently partner with retreat centers, organizations, communities, and other facilitators to design and lead customized retreat experiences and am available as a retreat speaker, workshop leader, and collaborator. Over time, I will also be offering a my own Threshold Journey™ retreats for individuals seeking dedicated space for reflection, healing, and becoming.