Marla Martenson on Life, Lessons & Legacy

Marla Martenson shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.

Marla, really appreciate you sharing your stories and insights with us. The world would have so much more understanding and empathy if we all were a bit more open about our stories and how they have helped shaped our journey and worldview. Let’s jump in with a fun one: What is something outside of work that is bringing you joy lately?
Developing mediumship. Connecting to the spirit world has been the most magical thing!

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
For over two decades, I’ve had the honor of working as a high-end matchmaker — connecting extraordinary, successful men with deeply aligned, emotionally available partners. Playing Cupid has been one of the great joys of my life, and witnessing true connection unfold never gets old.

But throughout my years in the industry, I noticed something I couldn’t ignore:

While the men were actively seeking commitment, so many women were still unconsciously choosing the same emotionally unavailable or dysfunctional partners — over and over again.

That realization led me to create LIBERATE — my private 1:1 coaching portal for women who are ready to break that cycle for good.

Inside LIBERATE, we do the deep inner work — boundaries, shadow work, healing codependency, and redefining self-worth — so that love no longer has to feel like a battlefield.

What makes my work unique is the dual lens I bring: I understand both the psychology of high-caliber men and the emotional healing women need in order to attract and hold healthy, lasting love.

Right now, I’m continuing my private matchmaking work while expanding LIBERATE — supporting women as they reclaim their standards, heal their patterns, and open to the kind of love that reflects their highest self.

Over the course of my career, I’ve also become an award-winning author of six books, and I incorporate energy healing and tarot readings into my work to support deeper emotional clarity, alignment, and transformation.

Great, so let’s dive into your journey a bit more. What part of you has served its purpose and must now be released?
The part of me that was unregulated, reactive, and constantly second-guessing herself — she’s done her job. She was trying to keep me safe, to stay in control, to not mess it up.

But that way of operating isn’t needed anymore. It’s exhausting.

Now, I’m learning to respond instead of react. To sit with discomfort instead of spiraling. To trust myself instead of needing constant certainty.

What have been the defining wounds of your life—and how have you healed them?
Some of the most defining wounds of my life have come from grief and betrayal.

I’ve lost many family members and close friends over the years, and that kind of repeated loss changes you. It forces you to sit with the fragility of life — and the rawness of what it means to keep going with an open heart.

At the same time, I spent years in relationships with men who were emotionally and verbally brutal. I didn’t realize back then how much of it was tied to my own self-worth, nervous system dysregulation, and unresolved pain.

Healing didn’t happen all at once — and it wasn’t just one method.

I’ve walked through it all: a dozen plant medicine journeys with a shaman, deep energy healing, working with powerful coaches, and showing up for myself day after day in a hot yoga room where I learned how to breathe through discomfort instead of escape it.

Every modality gave me something different — but the common thread was this: I stopped abandoning myself. That’s what healed me.

Alright, so if you are open to it, let’s explore some philosophical questions that touch on your values and worldview. What’s a belief or project you’re committed to, no matter how long it takes?
Mediumship.

It’s something I’m deeply committed to, no matter how long it takes to develop. My connection to it began through grief — after losing so many loved ones, I knew there was more beyond this physical world. That knowing became a calling.

Pursuing mediumship has been part of my own healing — a way to stay connected, to find peace, and to understand that love never dies. But it’s also about more than me. I believe being able to serve as a bridge between worlds is one of the ways I’m meant to support and serve humanity.

Whether it’s offering closure, comfort, or just reminding someone that they’re not alone… I know this path is sacred. And even if it takes a lifetime to fully embody, I won’t give up on it.

Okay, so let’s keep going with one more question that means a lot to us: If immortality were real, what would you build?
If immortality were real, I’d build a global sanctuary for healing — a living, breathing space that fuses ancient wisdom with modern emotional healing.

It would be part mystery school, part grief temple, part relationship institute. A place where people could come to release pain, reconnect to their soul, remember how to love, and access the unseen parts of themselves.

I’d build a lineage of guides, teachers, and intuitives who carry that work forward — not just to help people feel better, but to help them become whole.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.marlamartenson@mac.com
• Instagram: themysticalmatchmaker
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marlamartenson/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheMysticalMatchmaker