"From Burnout to Breakthrough: How StrongHer Supports Women in Ministry"

 

The Ministry Marathon You Were Never Trained For: Why Women Pastors Need StrongHer Now

You remember your first day of ministry. The idealism, the energy, the sense of calling that felt like fire in your bones. You were ready to change the world, one sermon, one pastoral visit, one committee meeting at a time.

Fast forward to today. You're in your 40s or 50s, and that fire? Sometimes it feels more like burnout. The calling is still there, but so is the exhaustion. The chronic stress. The body that doesn't bounce back like it used to. The nagging sense that you're giving everything to everyone else while slowly disappearing in the process.

If this resonates, you're not alone. And more importantly, there's a way forward.

The Reality No One Warned You About

When you entered ministry, they taught you Greek and Hebrew. Homiletics and pastoral care. Theology and church administration. But nobody taught you how to sustain yourself for the long haul. Nobody mentioned that ministry in your 40s and 50s would collide with perimenopause, shifting metabolism, accumulated stress, and a body that's been keeping score of every boundary you didn't set.

Women clergy face unique pressures: proving yourself in spaces that weren't designed for you, carrying the emotional labor of your congregation, navigating leadership while managing everyone else's expectations, and doing it all while your body is going through its own massive transition.

The statistics are sobering. Burnout among clergy is at an all-time high. Women leave ministry at higher rates than men. And many of us who stay do so at great cost to our health, our relationships, and our sense of self.

But it doesn't have to be this way.

Introducing StrongHer: A Year-Long Transformation for Women in Ministry

StrongHer is a comprehensive leadership and wellness program specifically designed for women clergy and congregational leaders ages 40 and up. Created by Erin Martinson (ELCA Pastor, ordained 2001, and Owner of EMBODY Wisdom) and Rachel Bents (Owner of Enjoy! and expert in strength training and nutrition for women), this program integrates what you've been missing: spiritual depth, physical strength, and a community that truly gets it.

This isn't another professional development program that focuses only on leadership skills while ignoring the vessel doing the leading. This is a holistic, year-long journey that acknowledges a fundamental truth: you cannot pour from an empty cup.

What Makes StrongHer Different

StrongHer addresses the whole person—body, mind, spirit, emotions, and relationships. Over the course of one year, you'll receive:

Comprehensive Support Structure

48 Weekly Group Coaching Sessions (60 minutes) - Live coaching with your cohort on curated topics addressing real ministry challenges. This is where you'll process the realities of pastoral leadership with women who understand exactly what you're facing.

12 Personal One-on-One Sessions - Individualized coaching with Erin or Rachel tailored to YOUR unique needs, goals, and challenges. This is your space to go deeper on what matters most to you.

Personalized Workout Plan - Custom fitness programming designed for YOUR body, YOUR schedule, YOUR goals. No generic gym routines. This is strength training that honors where you are right now and builds capacity for where you want to go.

Personalized Nutrition Plan - Sustainable, realistic eating strategies that honor your lifestyle and fuel your calling. No restrictive diets. No shame. Just practical guidance for nourishing yourself well.

Weekly Learning Materials - Curated readings, reflection prompts, and actionable tools aligned with each week's theme. Resources you'll actually use.

Life Coaching - Expert guidance for mindset shifts, goal-setting, and breakthrough strategies that help you lead more effectively while living more fully.

Energy Work - Holistic practices to clear emotional blocks, restore balance, and align with your authentic self. This is the body-spirit integration you've been longing for.

Private Community App - Connect with your cohort, ask questions, celebrate wins, and be truly known. This is your village.

Ongoing Access to Leaders - Direct access to Erin and Rachel throughout the week for encouragement and support. You're never alone in this journey.

The Five Dimensions of Transformation

Participants in StrongHer experience measurable change across five key areas:

Physical - Increased strength, energy, and vitality. Your body becomes an ally in ministry rather than an obstacle.

Spiritual - Deeper connection with God and calling. Rediscovery of the passion that drew you to ministry in the first place.

Mental - Clarity, focus, and renewed creativity. The mental fog lifts, and you lead with sharper discernment.

Emotional - Resilience, balance, and joy. You develop tools to navigate the emotional demands of ministry without losing yourself.

Relational - Authentic community and healthier boundaries. You learn to connect deeply while protecting your own wellbeing.

Who Is StrongHer For?

StrongHer is specifically designed for women in ministry and congregational leadership in their 40s and 50s who are:

• Navigating burnout or dangerously close to it
• Seeking deeper integration of body and spirit
• Longing for a community that understands the unique demands of ministry leadership
• Ready to invest in their own wholeness as seriously as they invest in their calling
• Committed to leading for the long haul, not just limping to retirement

An Investment in Your Wholeness

What is the cost of continuing as you are? What would it mean for your ministry, your family, your own life, if you had the strength, energy, and clarity to lead from fullness instead of fumes?

StrongHer represents a significant investment in your long-term sustainability and effectiveness in ministry. Many participants receive support from their congregation's professional development budget, and we're happy to provide documentation to facilitate that conversation.

A Growing Partnership with the ELCA

We've had encouraging conversations with Augsburg Fortress, who see the potential for StrongHer to serve women clergy across the ELCA. This program fills a critical gap in clergy care and professional development.

Bishops, synod leaders, and ministry colleagues: if you know women clergy who would benefit from StrongHer, we invite you to connect them with us. This is the kind of investment in pastoral leadership that pays dividends not just for the individual pastor, but for the entire community she serves.  This first year is a pilot...

Your Next Step: An Exploratory Conversation

We know this is a significant commitment. That's why we invite you to start with a no-pressure exploratory conversation. This is your chance to:

• Share your story and current challenges
• Learn more about how StrongHer works
• Ask questions about the program structure and investment
• Discern whether this is the right fit for you at this season

Schedule an Exploratory Conversation: calendly.com/embodywisdomllc

Meet Your Leadership Team

Erin Martinson - ELCA Pastor (ordained 2001), Owner/Operator of EMBODY Wisdom, specializing in spiritually grounded, trauma-informed approaches to holistic wellness. Erin brings deep understanding of both the demands of pastoral ministry and the pathways to sustainable wholeness.

Rachel Bents - Owner/Operator of Enjoy!, expert in strength training and nutrition for women. Rachel specializes in helping women in midlife rebuild strength, energy, and confidence in their bodies.

Together, we bring complementary gifts in spiritual direction, coaching, movement, and community-building. We've created StrongHer because we've lived versions of this story ourselves and because we've seen too many gifted women leave ministry unnecessarily or stay at great cost to themselves.

The Question That Matters Most

Ministry is a marathon, not a sprint. The question isn't whether you can make it to next Sunday. The question is: can you sustain this pace for another 10, 15, 20 years? Do you want to?

StrongHer exists to help you answer "yes" to that question—not by working harder or pushing through, but by fundamentally transforming how you lead, how you live, and how you steward the gift of your own life.

The women and communities you serve desperately need you to lead from a place of strength, not depletion.

Are you ready to invest in your own wholeness as seriously as you invest in your calling?

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Connect With Us:

Erin Martinson
e.m.martinson@gmail.com | 
www.embodywisdomca.com

Rachel Bents
rachel@enjoymyeveryday.com |
www.enjoymyeveryday.com

Schedule your exploratory conversation today: calendly.com/embodywisdomllc

 

A soft start to the Season (of rushing)

November arrives with a contradiction we all feel in our bones: the natural world is slowing down, preparing for winter's rest, while our calendars explode with urgency. Thanksgiving preparations. Advent planning. Year-end deadlines. Holiday gatherings. The pressure to do all the things, see all the people, finish all the projects before the year runs out.

And if you're in ministry? Multiply all of that by the weight of holding space for everyone else's expectations, grief, and joy during what many consider "the most wonderful time of the year" — but what often feels like the most exhausting.

The Body Knows

Here's what I've noticed, both in my own body and in the bodies of the women I work with: our bodies are not fooled by our busy calendars.

While our minds race ahead to the next task, the next service, the next family obligation, our bodies are quietly responding to the season we're actually in. The shorter days. The cooler temperatures. The pull toward rest, reflection, and turning inward.

When we ignore this pull — when we override the body's natural wisdom with caffeine, willpower, and the tyranny of our to-do lists — something starts to break down. We get sick right when we "can't afford to." We snap at people we love. We stand in front of the open refrigerator at 9 PM, exhausted and numb, eating food we don't even taste.

The body is speaking. The question is: are we listening?

The Sacred Practice of Slowing Down

I want to offer you something radical for November: permission to find the slow.

Not to abandon your responsibilities. Not to ignore the very real demands on your time and energy. But to intentionally create pockets of slowness within the rush. To honor the season your body is in, even while your calendar insists you keep sprinting.

This is not self-care as performance. This is not one more thing to add to your list. This is about reconnecting with the wisdom already living in your body — wisdom that knows what you need, if you'll just give it space to speak.

What "Finding the Slow" Looks Like

Finding the slow doesn't require a week at a retreat center or a complete schedule overhaul (though wouldn't that be nice?). It looks like small, embodied practices woven into the days you're already living:

In the morning: Before you reach for your phone, place both feet on the floor. Take three deep breaths. Notice the temperature of the air. Feel the weight of your body. Ask: What does my body need today?

In transition moments: Between meetings, before getting out of the car, after closing your laptop — pause. Five seconds of presence. One full breath. A gentle stretch. These micro-moments of slowness reset your nervous system.

During meals: Put your phone in another room. Sit down. Chew slowly. Taste your food. This isn't about "mindful eating" as one more spiritual discipline to master. It's about remembering that eating is a gift, nourishment is sacred, and your body deserves your attention.

Before bed: Instead of scrolling until your eyes burn, try five minutes of gentle movement. Roll your shoulders. Stretch your neck. Place your hands on your belly and breathe. Let your body know: You're safe. You can rest.

Once this week: Say no to something that doesn't serve your actual life, even if it seems important. Create space where there was none. Guard that space fiercely.

The Spiritual Work of Embodiment

For those of us in ministry, there's often a disconnect between what we preach and how we live. We talk about Sabbath rest, trusting God's provision, the importance of self-care — and then we model relentless productivity, self-sacrifice unto depletion, and the belief that our worth is measured by our output.

But what if embodiment — learning to honor the body's wisdom, to live at a sustainable pace, to find the slow — is actually spiritual formation?

What if the way we care for our bodies is a form of prayer?

What if slowing down enough to notice what we're feeling is how we stay connected to the God who made us embodied creatures in the first place?

The incarnation tells us that bodies matter. That flesh and bone and breath are not obstacles to the spiritual life but the very medium through which we experience the holy. Jesus didn't transcend his body. He lived fully in it — eating, sleeping, weeping, resting, feeling.

We are invited to do the same.

A Benediction for the Busy Season

As November unfolds and the pace threatens to overwhelm, I offer you this:

May you find small moments of slowness in the rush.

May you honor the season your body is in, even when your calendar demands otherwise.

May you remember that your worth is not measured by your productivity, your availability, or your ability to meet everyone else's expectations.

May you trust that the world will not fall apart if you pause long enough to breathe.

May you reconnect with the wisdom already living in your bones, your breath, your beating heart.

And may you know, deep in your body, that you are enough.

Not because of what you do.

Not because of what you produce.

But because you are a beloved child of God, fearfully and wonderfully made, worthy of care, rest, and gentle attention.

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What practices help you find the slow during busy seasons? I'd love to hear what resonates with you. Drop a comment below or reach out at e.m.martinson@gmail.com.

If you're a woman in ministry longing for a community that understands the unique challenges of this season — and support in building sustainable practices of embodied wisdom — I'd love to tell you about StrongHer. Let's talk: calendly.com/embodywisdomllc

 

🌾 Walking Through the Seasons of Grief

By Erin Martinson

“Grief is not something to get over - it is a sacred passage that transforms us.”

Grief does not arrive politely. It dislodges us from our routines, numbs our senses, and can make the world feel distant or unreal. Before we can move forward, grief asks us to stop - to feel, to breathe, and to acknowledge what has been lost. It is a season of disorientation, yet also the threshold to transformation.

The stages described by Dr. Don Eisenhower offer a compassionate map - not as rigid checkpoints, but as guideposts on the journey through love, loss, and renewal.

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Shock & Disbelief 🌫️

The first stage of grief can leave you stunned, numb, or disconnected. The mind struggles to absorb the reality, while the body and spirit signal that something profound has changed.

Spiritual reflection:
Even in the fog, the Sacred whispers: “This is real - and I am with you.” This stage is about allowing the heart to open to truth.

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Pain, Guilt & Longing 💔

As numbness fades, the ache emerges. Memories, longing, and sometimes guilt surface. Your heart feels tender, and sorrow can seem endless.

Spiritual reflection:
Your tears and longing are holy work - allowing the soul to process love and loss. Healing begins with presence.

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Anger, Bargaining & Questioning 🔥

Anger, “what ifs,” and questions about meaning are natural. Life may feel unfair, and you may wrestle with deeper spiritual questions.

Spiritual reflection:
The Divine remains present, even in anger. This is a sacred wilderness where you reclaim your voice, express truth, and wrestle with meaning.

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Reflection, Adjustment & the Slow Return 🌿

Over time, grief softens. You notice beauty, breathe more fully, and re-engage with life. Loss is still felt, but life begins to move forward.

Spiritual reflection:
Transformation is occurring. You carry the loss while reclaiming presence and meaning. Your heart is learning to live again.

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Acceptance, Integration & New Life 🌸

Acceptance is not forgetting. It is living with loss, carrying love and memory while creating space for new life and deeper connection.

Spiritual reflection:
Your life becomes a living altar. Compassion, wisdom, and love grow from grief, offering renewed purpose.

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Notes for the Journey 💬

• Grief is not linear; you may revisit any or all of these stages in different order.

• Presence matters more than “fixing.” Which may sound like you are being lazy - but staying present with what is happening through you is hard work, 

• Some days will feel heavy, others lighter.

• Seek support if grief becomes overwhelming.

• Your journey is sacred - every tear, every memory, and every sigh matters.

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An Invitation 🌻

If you are walking through a season of grief, I would be honored to accompany you. Together, we can explore what your heart and spirit most need and move forward with compassion, presence, and hope.

“You are not alone. Your sorrow is seen. Your healing matters.”

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#GriefHealing #SpiritualDirection #HealingTouch #LifeCoaching                    #EMBodyWisdom #SacredJourney

Growth Takes Time: The Hidden Transformation

Lately, I’ve been seeing all these statistics about personal growth and life coaching - and honestly, they’re surprising. Some say that only 2% of people experience real, lasting transformation.

But here’s what strikes me: we often measure transformation by speed. We expect change to happen quickly - within weeks or months. Yet real growth rarely works that way. Just like you don’t see muscle after one week at the gym, deep transformation takes time, consistency, and faith in what’s happening beneath the surface.

The Bamboo Lesson

Think about the Chinese bamboo tree. Its story is a perfect picture of how transformation unfolds.

For five years, you water and nurture that little patch of soil - day after day - with no visible sign of growth. Then, suddenly, in its fifth year, the bamboo shoots up 90 feet in just a few weeks.

Did it really grow 90 feet in a few weeks? Or was it growing underground all along - building roots, preparing to thrive?

The same is true for us.

Learning and Growing Beyond the Classroom

We spend years in school learning - about the world, about others, about ourselves. But once we step into “real life,” we expect to instantly grow, succeed, or transform. When that doesn’t happen, we think something’s wrong.

Yet those who truly flourish aren’t the ones who grow the fastest. They’re the ones who keep learning - who stay open, humble, and patient, trusting that growth is happening even when it’s unseen.

Transformation Beneath the Surface

You may not see it yet, but something is shifting inside you. God is moving. Your soul and spirit are being shaped in quiet, steady ways as you show up - in prayer, in community, in healing work.

Transformation is rarely loud or immediate. It’s sacred, slow work that changes who you are from the inside out.

Healing Takes Time

If you’re walking through grief or loss, remember: healing doesn’t mean forgetting. It means becoming. You are no longer the same person - and that’s okay. That loss becomes part of your story, your wisdom, your growth.

Take your time. You’re growing - even if you can’t see it yet.

Walk With Me

If you’d like someone to help you see your growth, to listen to your story, and to walk with you as you discover how you’re being moved and shaped - I would be honored to journey with you.

As a Life Coach, Grief Coach, Healing Touch Practitioner and Spiritual Director, I help people notice the quiet transformation already happening within them.

Because sometimes, you just need someone to remind you - the roots are growing strong. 🌱

Welcome to EMBODY

 Title: Welcome to EMBody Wisdom – Where Your Body is Your Teacher

Have you ever felt like your body was trying to tell you something, but you weren’t sure how to listen?

Maybe it’s the tightness in your chest when you're stressed…
The flutter in your belly when something feels right (or wrong)…
The exhaustion that doesn’t go away, no matter how much rest you get…

Welcome to EMBody Wisdom, a space where your inner signals are not just symptoms, but sacred messages. This is the beginning of a deeper conversation — not just between us, but between you and your body.

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What is EMBody Wisdom?

At its core, EMBody Wisdom is about reclaiming the intelligence of your body. It’s about tuning into your own embodied knowing - the subtle (and sometimes loud) ways your body communicates your needs, boundaries, truths, and desires.

Through somatic practices, trauma-informed guidance, nervous system education, and intuitive connection, we explore how healing happens through the body - not in spite of it.

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Why Start an Email List?

Because wisdom like this deserves a space to breathe.

Social media is fast, loud, and often fleeting. But healing is slow, subtle, and deeply personal. This email list is our quiet corner — a place where I can share meaningful reflections, tools, practices, and opportunities to deepen your own journey with embodiment.

If you’re:

• Curious about nervous system regulation and how it affects your emotions, relationships, and energy

• Craving deeper connection with your own body and inner guidance

• On a healing journey and looking for grounded, gentle support

• Wanting to stay informed about upcoming workshops, 1:1 offerings, or embodiment circles…

Then this is for you.

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What to Expect

When you join the EMBody Wisdom email list, you’ll receive:

✨ Monthly (or bi-monthly) love notes with reflections, practices, and inspiration
✨ Early access to new offerings, events, and workshops
✨ Exclusive content and tools only shared with the email community
✨ Occasional personal stories, musings, and ways to connect deeper

No spam. No overwhelm. Just a gentle nudge toward coming home to yourself.

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Ready to Join the Circle?

Find me at www.embodywisdomca.com

Or 

https://www.skool.com/embody-wisdom-4695/about?ref=7a91192cec284a6c9583f82aa12ff9c8

Your body already holds the wisdom — this is just a way to remember, together.

Here we go.

With love and embodiment,

EMBody Wisdom

The "Healing" of Healing Touch work

 

Early in my ministry life, I struggled with intense migraines that seemed to come out of nowhere, disrupting my work, my focus, and my sense of wellbeing. The pressure of leadership, the constant giving, and the emotional demands took a toll on my body in ways I didn’t fully understand at the time. I found myself searching for relief - not just a quick fix, but something deeper that could restore balance and calm.

That’s when I was introduced through a good friend to the world of healing touch.

It wasn’t just the physical relief that surprised me, but the way healing touch invited me to slow down, listen to my body, and reconnect with parts of myself I had been neglecting - physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. 

Over the past 20 years, this practice has become more than a tool; it’s been a lifeline, grounding me in the midst of life’s storms and ministry demands.

For many years, I found myself working and serving in environments where connection was expected but often felt distant - where conversations were rushed, and the weight of responsibility created a barrier between people and their deeper needs. I found myself longing for something different. I wanted to feel seen, not just as a role or a title, but as a whole person with a body that carries stories, emotions that need space, and a spirit longing for rest.

Healing Touch became that real connection.

The work of Healing Touch is more than physical contact; it’s a mindful presence that supports the whole person - body, mind, heart, and spirit. It opens space to release tension, invite ease, and bring healing on many levels. This understanding is at the heart of EMBody Wisdom.

I came to the training and depth of this work because I knew I needed it. I continue to do this work because I believe every woman navigating midlife deserves to be truly seen, held, and supported. This season of life calls for honoring your full self - the joys and struggles, the strength and vulnerability.

Healing touch offers more than relief - it offers renewal.  As a practitioner I find my work is helpsing you feel grounded when life feels unsettled, find clarity when your mind is busy, and reclaim your natural energy. This is a practice that invites you to step into midlife (or any time of life) not as a crisis but as an opportunity to embrace your authentic self fully.

If you’re longing to reconnect your body, mind, heart, and spirit, I invite you to explore healing touch with EMBody Wisdom. Together, we’ll use gentle, supportive practices to help you rediscover balance and vitality.

Your body holds wisdom your mind may have forgotten. The path back to wholeness begins with a single, healing touch.

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Preparing for Q4 2025

🌿 What This Year Has Been About

A reflection from the first year of EMBody Wisdom

As I reflect on the first year of EMBody Wisdom, I find myself returning to this question:

What has this year truly been about—and how is it growing me into something more?

It’s easy to measure time by external markers: clients served, programs launched, milestones reached.
But this year has been about something deeper. Quieter. More formative.

This has been a year of rooting.

Not just launching a practice—but building a foundation.
Not just speaking truths—but learning to hold space for them, in my body and in community.
Not just offering healing—but living it.

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Becoming a Steady Presence

In the midst of a world that feels increasingly unstable, I’ve found myself drawn into conversations—especially within the church—about what it means to be a stable presence.

This year has been an invitation to become that presence.

To stay grounded when others feel uprooted.
To hold space for grief, for doubt, for spiritual longing.
To trust the slow, body-led wisdom that says:
You don’t have to move fast to be moving forward.

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Choosing to Stay

This year also brought clarity about timing and place.

Even as I imagine what might come next, I’ve made the intentional decision to remain rooted where I am for a while longer.  (God willing)

Not because I’m stuck.
But because I’m choosing to go deeper before I go wider.

There’s something powerful about choosing to stay to resist the pull of urgency or expansion, and instead tend to the soil beneath your feet.

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Growing Into More

This year has reminded me that becoming more doesn’t always look like doing more.

Sometimes growth looks like:

• Becoming more present

• Becoming more visible in your truth

• Becoming more rooted in your body and Spirit

• Becoming more willing to trust the unfolding

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An Invitation to You

As I reflect on what this year has been about for me, I wonder…

What has this year been about for you?
What are you learning to hold?
What’s quietly growing within you, even if no one else can see it yet?

May we all have the courage to root deeply,
To trust the wisdom rising from within,
And to let the becoming unfold in its own sacred time.

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