About

I classify myself as a speaker, writer, consultant, and singer (not necessarily in that order) and although I don’t feel like I have to sacrifice any of them in order to fully be me—I readily admit that I can’t do them all at the same time very well. But they all center around the same things: voice, story, beauty, culture, creativity. My philosophy about singing carries through all of my work: you sound best when you sound like yourself, not when you manipulate your voice to sound like someone else.

The most holy ground I walk on is when I get to listen to the stories of others and help people unpack those stories and find connections and patterns as well as find their voice and agency in order to move forward.

I live in Seattle with my husband, Scott, our 14-year-old son, and 12-year-old daughter and a notoriously and embarrassingly ill-behaved Shih-Tzu/Bichon mix named Dodger. When I’m not with my three favorite people mentioned above, or dealing with my naughty dog, you can find me reading, out to coffee, hosting a dozen of my closest friends for a dinner party or . . .

Speaking

I am a frequent speaker at conferences, events, retreats, and sometimes even on Sunday mornings in a pulpit. I hold a B.A. in English Literature from Seattle Pacific University, a Master’s of Divinity from Fuller Theological Seminary, and am completing a few additional certifications in gender and diversity studies, and major life transitions. I have lived a little over 40 years with someone in my family (including me) working in a church environment. Even after all these years, I still haven’t given up hope for the church. With over 20 years of experience speaking, holding the stories of others, consulting, and the unexpected turns my own life has taken —I can speak on a wide variety of topics.

Writing

You can find most of my writing here…enjoy! There are a few writing projects in the works, so this will be the best place to keep up to date. I also have a variety of study materials available here. 

Consulting

Most of my time is spent here. I founded Exegete Consulting because, as Annie Dillard famously said, “how we spend our days is how we spend our lives,” and SO many of us spend our days in work environments that are terrifyingly de-humanizing. We feel less human, less alive, as a result of working there and we bring that diminished self home to our families and our loved ones. Do you want to know who some of the worst offenders are? churches. There is a reason the band Arcade Fire wrote a song with the regrettably accurate and haunting words, “working for the church while your family dies.” While I work with many different organizations on culture assessment, change management, and staff health, I will always have a passion for the church and for its flourishing and health.

STAY IN TOUCH

Let’s stay in touch! Email me at connect@marisagronholz.com to say hi or get more info!