About Gretchen Heaton, M.A., GCDF

Credentials & Expertise

• Certified Gallup Global Strengths Coach

• Certified Global Career Development Facilitator (GCDF)

• Certified Prosci® Change Practitioner

• Trained in Life Design at Stanford University

• Graduate Certificate in Negotiation

• 10+ years as an Adjunct Professor of Leadership & Organizational Studies

• 10+ years of Senior Leadership experience in both private and public higher ed institutions, with a track record of success reimagining and implementing scalable career and experiential learning ecosystems

Welcome—I’m Gretchen Heaton.

I’m a certified career, CliftonStrengths, salary negotiation, and leadership coach, as well as an educational consultant who believes that meaningful change—whether personal or institutional—starts with curiosity, courage, and a clear sense of purpose. Through Curious Magpie™, I help people and organizations navigate transitions with confidence and resilience.

Empowering People and Institutions to Thrive Through Change

I believe career coaching, career education, and experiential education all change lives—and when done well, they strengthen entire communities. Career support builds confidence, belonging, and opportunity. It fuels local economies. And it helps people see not just what’s next—but what’s possible.

That conviction is at the heart of Curious Magpie™, my coaching and consulting practice dedicated to helping people and organizations not just persist through change, but leverage it as an opportunity for growth. My work lives at the intersection of individual development and organizational strategy—strengthening the capacity for adaptability across both people and systems.

My Coaching Philosophy

Magpies are known for curiosity, resourcefulness, and intelligence—qualities that guide everything I do. To me, transformation is an act of hope: the belief that we can evolve our systems, our work, and ourselves without losing what matters most.

In my individual coaching, I help people reconnect with their strengths, values, and aspirations so they can make meaningful decisions about what comes next. Whether navigating a career transition, leading through uncertainty, grieving a job loss, or seeking renewed purpose, my clients learn to approach change with greater self-understanding and self-assurance. I ground my coaching in the CliftonStrengths framework, life design techniques, mindfulness practices, and years of experience guiding professionals through their career journeys—helping clients move forward, step by step.

A large part of my practice is empowering clients to achieve the salaries they deserve—because fair compensation isn’t just about income; it’s about equity, confidence, and recognizing the value of one’s contributions. Drawing on my graduate training in negotiation and my track record of success guiding professionals through salary negotiations, I help clients build the knowledge, strategy, and mindset to advocate for themselves effectively.

My Professional Background and Career Services Consulting

Before founding Curious Magpie™, I spent more than a decade leading career services and student success initiatives in higher education—work that deepened my belief in the catalytic power of purposeful career education. As a certified change management practitioner, I apply Prosci's evidence-based framework to build sponsorship, manage resistance, engage stakeholders, and reinforce the mindsets and behaviors that make transformation sustainable.

That blend of coaching expertise, higher education leadership, and change management strategy allows me to support people and organizations through moments of transition with empathy, insight, expertise, and practical tools.

The Curious Magpie™ Approach

Every coaching session, workshop, and collaboration begins with curiosity: What’s shifting? What’s possible now? From there, we build the mindset, structure, and strategy to navigate change in a way that feels grounded, intentional, and hopeful.

Ultimately, Curious Magpie™ is about transformation that lasts—the kind that strengthens people, teams, and communities alike. Because when we invest in resilience, we don’t just adapt to change. We learn to thrive because of it.