Meet + greet. Say hi. Get to know us.

Gretchen is an Adlerian Certified Life Coach, holds an MA in Counseling and has over 12 years professional experience in program development, education, training and coaching. She served on the Board of Directors for the Minnesota Coaches Association in 2007 and was Co-Lead for the Social Action, Learning and Transformation (SALT) team. She is currently a member of both the MCA and the International Coach Federation. In addition to ThriveWisely, her personal life coaching business that partners her with the most inspiring of clients, she has consulted on noodle-ing up personal and professional development models that have been implemented with students and spirits of all ages. Gretchen also maneuvers a kayak well enough to be dangerous, dances like nobody's watching and can be found rink-side cheering for various Minnesota hockey teams.

Elissa has over 12 years of strategic marketing and creative development experience. From life as an award-winning advertising copywriter for various ad agencies to the world of newspaper marketing for The Star Tribune and The Roanoke Times to marketing / editing work in Organizational Development to TV promotion for folks at ABC and Lifetime Television for Women to, finally, coming home to the conversation-based web and its infinite possibilities, Elissa is now co-owner of “frank: Organizational Courage and Authentic Branding Through Social Media,” a Web 2.0 consulting firm and strategic partner of e>v. In addition, Elissa also enjoys reading/exploring anything related to personal development, skiing down mountains and playing guitar around a cooler of cold ones. Preferably all in the same day.

Rachel is a student of evolution to the nth. A soul-spelunking adventurer, a butterfly-ing journeyer, a phoenix of the highest degree. From exploring the pain of life through deep personal loss to a history as an educational rebel to an ironic life-saving stint with the Army Reserves to learning the underbelly and inner-workings of the restaurant industry, Rachel has fallen down and gotten up in the most inspirational fashion. In short: her last name is no accident. Currently, Rachel continues to evolve and share her amazing life through spiritual stewardship with the Minneapolis Area Synod of the ELCA and her well-read blog, The Swandive. When not connecting divine dots, she enjoys stopping to smell the roses, devouring a fantastic book and lounging in her outdoor hot tub under starry Minnesota skies.

With over 18 years in strategic marketing and creative development, Liz is an award-winning art director, designer and creative consultant. Bringing art and insight to projects of all sizes, Liz has worked the gamut for mega clients like Target and Best Buy to indie shops like Covered to 3-d designs for packaging, furniture / interiors and garden spaces. Currently a freelance art director and designer, Liz has also practiced yoga for over 13 years and is training to be a yoga instructor. And there’s more: Liz volunteers (for youth and seniors alike), runs marathons (and other races), jumps out of airplanes (and into other hobbies like gardening and food) and is willing to “try anything once” (really).

From hanging with an agency focused on outdoor products and services to learning the marketing side of design in the B2B world to, currently, heading up Form and Logic, his freelance design/brand building gig, Brian’s 11-year expertise and passion for great creative keeps him on his toes daily. Add client work for folks like PepsiCo to Abu Garcia and Target to Concordia Language Village, his love of an independent melancholy dramedy or two, his penchant for exploring the world on his kayak or snowboard or his devotion to architecture, interior design and anything that’ll help mold his family’s 50’s home into an inspiring living space and you’ve got one versatile fella. Cool.