Life Coach for Women

About Martha

Spring ~ Collage by Martha O'Brien

As a life coach, Martha guides and supports women to live their best life. With attentive listening, she creates a safe space so women can discover how to make desired changes in their beliefs and behaviors. Her mindful presence, gentle inquiry, and perceptive insights guide her clients to optimal well-being.

Martha has worked as a public school teacher; in a corporate environment at Hewlett-Packard; and as a facilitator of personal and leadership development courses. Listening to stories of everyday people as a StoryCorps’ facilitator, Martha experienced the transformational power of deep listening. Spending a year as a caregiver for a spouse with a terminal illness and later working at a caregiving agency gave Martha a compassionate understanding of the role of a family caregiver.

Martha has facilitated workshops Creating Wellness through the Mind-Body Connection;Women in Transition: from endings to new beginnings; and Understanding Women’s Changes: the emotional and spiritual transformation of menopause. She has co-facilitated Mother/Daughter Coming of Age Workshops with Dr. Margaret Christensen. Martha also facilitates Women, Food and God workshops with Misty Shatto.

As a life long learner, she has continued her personal and professional development by participating in workshops, intensives, and retreats. She received a MA in Transpersonal Psychology with a certificate in Wellness Counseling at the Institute of Transpersonal Psychology [ITP]. Transpersonal Psychology is a spiritual psychology that seeks the balanced development of the intellectual, emotional, spiritual, physical, social, and creative aspects of a person’s life.

Martha’s desire for a deeper spiritual connection led her to complete a Certificate in Spiritual Formation from Perkins School of Theology at Southern Methodist University.

Continuing study includes ~

  • Courage to Teach Workshop with Parker Palmer
  • Imagery / Healing & Mind-Body Health Intensives with Jeanne Achterberg and Frank Lawlis
  • Appreciative Inquiry Workshop with David Cooperrider
  • Centering Prayer retreats ~ Colorado, Texas, Tennessee
  • Spiritual Direction with Fr. Paul Jones
  • Jungian Dream Interpretation with James Hall, M.D. Jungian Analyst
  • Solitude retreats at Lebh Shomea House of Prayer ~Texas

Martha returned to her home town of Nashville, Tennessee, in 2007. She lives an urban lifestyle walking to yoga classes and Whole Foods Market. She is the mother of a daughter who lives in Washington, DC and a son in Nashville. She is a volunteer with Alive Hospice.

What Others Say About Martha

“Martha has been an incredibly important pillar in my life’s journey, whose gifted insight has guided my steps. Drawing from her deep well of experience, intuition, and wise compassion, Martha is passionate about supporting women.”
Margaret Christensen, M.D. Christensen Center for Whole Life Health ~ www.christensencenter.com

“During my recent period of physical, mental and emotional chaos, Martha provided a much-needed calm in the storm going on in my life. She truly LISTENS and took all my rambling thoughts and helped me make sense of them. Her insightful questions helped me to focus on what would lead to more acceptance and love of who I am. For all of this, I am so very grateful to her for holding the space for me to grow.”
Jeanne Marsh, Facilitator From Age-ing to Sage-ing Workshops

I have been strengthened and have received clarity in other ways–by you electronically, by books that I’ve read, by contemplatively examining my dreams with your help, by enjoying nature, by interacting with family members, by relating to people in my community, and by staying open to the still, small voice of God and the messages God sends through all of the above.

Rosanna Webb, Librarian, Texas