Gretchen grew up in Northwest Indiana with hunters and firearms in the home. In 2013 she and her family moved to San Antonio where she found her love for all things firearms and the different types of self-defense training. She obtained her License to Carry Permit in 2017, Range Safety Officer Certification in 2018 and USCCA Firearm Instructor Certification in 2020. She is also certified in Situational Awareness and Stop the Bleed, and has continued to train and be trained in countless courses on both lethal and less lethal self-defense. Gretchen is passionate about educating individuals, especially women, on their role in their own personal safety and the safety of their loved ones, whether they choose to carry a firearm or other less lethal self protection tools. Gretchen is the Leader of the San Antonio Armed Women of America Chapter and a member of the Northwest San Antonio A Girl and A Gun Chapter, the NRA and the Texas Handgun Association. In 2024 she started EmpoweRED, InspiRED PrepaRED LLC, a self-defense education business that teaches students how to take responsibility for their own self protection through Situational Awareness and other less lethal tools.