We had the good fortune of connecting with Griselda Martinez and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Griselda, can you talk to us a bit about the social impact of your business?

I’ve been in the economic development field for the last 13 years. When I launched my business focusing on economic development consulting work – that was the easiest transition. I was already doing it; my network was heavily connected to it. The first year of my business was a broad stroke of what consulting meant to me, including the type of clients and projects to pursue. In a somewhat desperate way, I needed to prove I would succeed. That sense of rush prevented me from carefully selecting the type of work I was involved with, leading to my heart’s misalignment again. This time, I had the freedom to pivot. As I continued to take steps forward, God worked overtime in my healing. As healing goes up, desperation goes down. And the healing of needing to prove myself has made room for clarity on who I needed to help. 

Finding this clarity has felt like I am on a scavenger hunt  – on finding purpose and deepening my own self-discovery journey. In this process, I discovered my personal calling to be a transformational agent partnering with people hungry for opportunities to help them walk in their purpose and potential. I help them by providing support, knowledge, and accountability. The certainty of my bigger purpose and the clarity that has come with this has transformed how I see opportunities for myself and my business.

The economic development consulting work is now niched in helping communities and non-profit organizations serving underserved communities or pockets of the population. My ideal clients are community leaders taking steps towards their own contribution to positively impact the world – and the best part of that is that I get to work with them by adding my unique expertise to help their communities.

Then, I realized that, given my trajectory, voice, and gifts, I was a source of inspiration for women. I also rediscovered the lost love of working with entrepreneurs and the joy brought to me by seeing them grow. Then, I realized that while women want to impact their communities, three primary reasons hamper them from moving forward: fear, having the time to work on their dreams while balancing the day-to-day obligations, and not knowing what to do next. This results in the underutilizing of their gifts and their futures. So, my business expanded to help aspiring women entrepreneurs become the businesswomen they have been called to be. As a business coach, I become a bridge for these women to find a way to the next season of their lives. And that is how my business expanded to business coaching for women. 


At this point, I realized that while I had a wonderful network of professionals, I did not have role models or access to mentors for entrepreneurship who did what I wanted to do and who looked and sounded like me. I knew that access to networks, expertise, and mentorship from people ahead of the business ownership game was key to success. I realized I was not the only one with these limitations and that accessing these resources was hard. To eliminate those barriers, I launched unExpectedly Successful, The Podcast. In this podcast, I featured successful businesswomen sharing their most authentic journey, bringing expertise, know-how, inspiration, and role models accessible to anyone. Some of the testimonials from listeners have been amazing and have confirmed the transformation in their lives through what they’ve heard in the episodes. Now, my commitment is to expand the reach, making it available to more women and expanding its impact. Two unexpected outcomes from this podcast have been that many of my guest speakers have never shared their founder stories. unExpectedly Successful, The Podcast creates the space for these powerful women to share, maybe for the first time, maybe for the only time, their most genuine story in a safe way, with no judgments – and instead, with appreciation and hope of their stories having a positive ripple effect. The second unexpected outcome is that listeners who are not yet business owners are inspired to start their businesses and soon share their own business success stories with our audience and pay it forward. 

The coolest part about this journey of growth and impact is that I would have never imagined being here – and then even better, I know the best is yet to come for the impact and influence I was created to be.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
I started my business in August of 2021, after leaving my good title and salary… I am one of many who left the job during the now-famous “Great Resignation.” While my shift from being an employee to becoming a business owner was not directly linked to the deep reflections resulting from the health pandemic, it was based on the same concept of going after my purpose and using my business as the vehicle to do that. I believe each of us has a specific purpose for our lives through which we make our unique positive impact. The faster we discover and operate in it, the faster we will find that deep joy and peace within us that makes us smile big. Ascendo Strategies is the umbrella of three major work areas, with a fourth one in the works. The first is economic development consulting work branded under Ascendo Strategies (ascendostrategies.com). I work with local municipalities and non-profit organizations whose mission is to create and implement strategies for economic prosperity and social mobility and, deeper than that – help individuals craft a better future for themselves and their families.

The second one is business coaching and mentoring, a rediscovery of a lost love I had packed away in the attic. This program is branded “Her Path to Purpose and Profit” (herpathtopurposeandprofit.com). Through this work, I work with aspiring women entrepreneurs who are experts in their field, are super hardworking professionals, and care deeply about their community and making an impact. Although they are grateful for their jobs – something is missing. As the name says, creating their own business is their mechanism to continue their growth, find their purpose, and be profitable.

The third is my newly launched podcast, unExpectedly Successful, The Podcast. This initiative is the one that is furthest from what I thought I would be doing if anyone had asked me two years ago – would you ever have a podcast? I would have said no. But on my pathway to purpose, I realized that my gifts and talents needed an additional outlet while filling in a gap I experienced. I feature business founders who have become successful business owners despite the challenges and limited support systems, access to role models, mentors, information, and networks. One key question in my interview is: Were you expected to be successful? And I will not spoil the answers; find unExpectedly Successful, The Podcast in your favorite podcast app and on YouTube. I will say that these conversations are one of my favorite things I get to do. The fourth one in the works relates to my becoming a transformational writer. Before the end of 2023, I will be a published author in partnership with a few selected transformational co-authors.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?

Yes, life is done with our loved ones. First, to God for putting me on this earth and giving me all the blessings I have been privileged to have since early birth.

To my mother and father, because they were the mechanism to get me here, and I am part of their legacy.

To my husband for his love and support at all times, even when I am not seeing me.

To my siblings, because they are tattooed in my heart – growing up with five young souls was the best thing I could have asked for.

To my nieces and nephews – they are my inspiration, and I pray I am a role model as they grow older and continue to take risks and make decisions in their lives.

To the “no’s” I have received in my life, closing doors that were not meant for me, and narrowing down the options for the “yes’s.”

Website: ascendostrategies.com / herpathtopurposeandprofit.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/unexpectedlysuccessfulpodcast/

Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/griseldatmartinez

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/griseldatmartinez/

Youtube: unExpectedly Successful, The Podcast (https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLqsmRUwJ21VjpabEzBOn2ZwmdCOgWWe0V

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