Experience Life!

Gretchen Kainz

I am a curious adventurer and lifelong seeker of personal-growth opportunities!  I fully believe in experiencing life and living intentionally with courage, joy, and a full heart as much as is possible. (And, admittedly, sometimes joy and full-heartedness feel totally impossible. I do my best.)  

I feed some of this adventuring by working as a professional coach as certified by the International Coaching Federation. And I specialize in emotional growth facilitation. That basically means I support other humans (individuals, teams, couples, leaders, families) to access and grow their emotional intelligence pathways so they can have better relationships and communication skills. One way to do that by is by looking at aspects of self or dynamics in life (personally and professionally) that are not working, are painful, or may even be causing some level of harm.

As far as communication, I also help folks (individuals and groups) that want to be more effective with conflict engagement (because not all conflicts can be “resolved”). I believe conflict communication starts on the inside.

I’ve explored many different modalities to stretch into my own personal growth. So far, the deepest and most effective for me has been Shadow Work®! I first experienced SW at a weekend retreat while serving in the U.S. Air Force in England a long time ago. At that retreat, I felt the connection instantly, and it became clear that Shadow Work was my “calling”. Although the timing wasn’t quite right at that time, about 15 years later my life journey led me back to the Shadow Work path with a stronger foundation of skills and confidence. Now a certified Shadow Work Coach, group facilitator, and trainer, I use that framework, combined with other mind-body modalities, as the root of my coaching practice.  

Although I will always promote personal growth and improved conflict engagement, I believe in keeping strong boundaries and not projecting onto others what I think is best for them. Instead, I lead from behind to allow whatever you or the group wants or needs to unfold, and I meet you there to do the work.

My “jewel” is my presence and energy! And the feedback I get most often is how “safe” it is working with me. I love that! I honor people where they are energetically and hold the space in whatever way they need. I’m not easily scared, but I’ll definitely own any hesitancy or discomfort. Transparency and integrity are important to me! I ask a lot of questions (which my husband finds very annoying) and have deep listening skills and intuition. (Sometimes, I’m super funny, too.) (Seriously, I am!) All that stuff, in combination with a big scoop of compassion and openness, help build courage so you can move towards the life you want to live. Yay!

This is pretty dang long already, but if you’re interested, here’s a bit more for fun….

Since 2008, I have been helping people understand the underlying causes of their conflicts, both internal (within themselves) and external (with others). I’ve done that work professionally in judiciary settings as a group facilitator, mediator, circle-keeper, and conflict resolution / conflict engagement coach and trainer.  

I also worked as a Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor in Europe for Disabled American Veterans and then as an advocate for abused and neglected children in Florida. I spent nine years in the U.S. Air Force as a Morse Code Operator and Training Coordinator. During that time, I had the opportunity to serve the country while traveling extensively and earning a Bachelor and a Master’s degree.  

I currently (and proudly) serve part-time as a reservist Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) Advisor with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). In 2018, my partner, Tony, and I took a big plunge and quit our day jobs, sold our house and almost all of our “stuff” to travel around the country in a small travel-trailer exploring the wilds of America. We did that for over a year. For now, we’re choosing to stay in beautiful Boise, Idaho until the next adventure calls.

Thanks for reading. Yay! High-five!