Register for Free
Post comments, receive updates via email, gain access to exclusive content, and more.
Spam Safe!
An introduction to Becca (Chris's wife)
Hello everyone-
Chris and I have been partners for 22 years now. We’ve lived in 7 states (if you count the summer we worked in a salmon plant in Alaska when I was 19!), are raising 3 children in western Mass, and have made enormous changes in our lives based of the info presented in the Crash Course. We’ve move from college life, to farm life, to corporate life and back to the farm again and somehow have managed to grow together through the many twists and turns along the way.
When Chris first began researching the economy 6 years ago, he quickly realized that I needed to understand this stuff too (and believe me, it was not my natural inclination). He could see the changes we needed to make and knew we had to be on the same page to do it; I needed the same education in the 3 E’s that he had. So I read and read and read and we talked about the subject incessantly. I’ll never forget the incredulity I felt when first reading “Creature from Jeckle Island”. No bleeping way was this how the banking system worked! It seemed totally preposterous. I wanted to tell everyone I knew that the whole system was a ponzi-scheme house of cards ready to topple at any moment.
At least that’s how it felt to us at the beginning. We were sure the whole system would crash and burn years ago, but have learned there is more resiliency than we thought possible. And we are happy to have the time to continue to make changes in our lives.
I have worked side-by-side Chris on every seminar he has ever given and we are hard at work now preparing for the Rowe Conference. I keep an eye on the participants; watching for clues that folks are confused and need clarification, watching for signs of emotional pain when people are encountering the material for the first time. Our primary goal is always to help people take steps to prepare themselves for the changing future. In order to do that, people first need an awareness and understanding of the material that will then inform their actions. But getting to action is very hard for many of us.
My own personal work in the world, other than homeschooling our 3 children and serving on the Board of a local non-profit, is to help people make positive changes in their lives. This starts by creating a CLEAR and compelling picture of what one wants, and then taking steps to move forward in that direction. Of course there’s more to it than making a grand “to do” list, as we all carry deeply held beliefs that hold us back in ways of which we are frequently unaware. Uncovering and releasing these limiting beliefs and choosing empowering beliefs is the heart of the work I do in my private consultations with people.
So that’s my quick story. I am always here behind the scenes, working with Chris on strategic planning for the site, talking about challenging threads and how to respond to people who are emotionally triggered by others, managing some aspects of the day-to-day work on the site, and supporting Chris to fulfill his mission. Thanks for listening and I look forward to getting to know you all more in the months and years to come.
Print
Offline
There's an old saying that behind every successful man stands a strong woman. Without a doubt, Becca epitomizes that saying.
After working with Chris "over the phone and e-mail" for a few months, I recently had the opportunity to travel to Massachusetts to meet the Martensons face to face, and I have to say that meeting Becca was an unexpected treat! Sure, Chris is just as impressive in person as you would guess from his presence on the site, but I already expected as much. Becca is every bit as impressive and dynamic a person as Chris, and meeting her was a true delight and something of an unexpected surprise.
In a bizarre way, Becca reminds me of Sydney, the psychologist character on the old M*A*S*H TV series. Those of you who know the show will recall that to an uninformed observer, Sydney didn't seem to be all that plugged in to whatever crisis was errupting at a given moment. But in reality, that was because he was operating on a whole different wavelength than everyone else. He had an innate ability to see past everyone's act, and figure out what really made them tick as human beings. That's Becca Martenson: Operating on a different plane than most of us, and more intuitive and perceptive about people and their emotional condition that I can find adequate words to describe.
Thanks for coming out of the closet, Becca!
Erik
Becca,
It's a pleasure to meet you and hear your story, and I'm grateful for your contribution to this site and everything it represents.
Chris
Becca
Thrilled that you've taken the time out of what obviously is a busy life to pull up a chair at this virtual table. A toast to the hostess.
Wow! Erik, Cat, Linda, Chris and jfr29: thank you all for such a warm welcome. I appreciate the support you have all given Chris, and by extension our family and I look forward to further conversations.
Now I have to go to the library and get some old M*A*S*H episodes to check out this "Sydney psychologist" character I apparently resemble! Erik- Thank you for your lovely and generous reflection. That was very kind of you and it was a pleasure having you visit us in MA ( even though I know it was miserably cold for you!). 
With gratitude,
Becca
Hi Becca,
Before your personal introduction to us today, I had the pleasure of receiving a response from you on a message I had sent to Chris, and I figured out very quickly that you are a "class act."
I am one of those guys who is fortunate to also have a wife who is truly a partner in my life, so I can appreciate the value that you are to Chris and vice versa. And besides, my having one of those partnerships where each partner grows by their sharing with each other, it fills my heart with joy to know that someone whom I trust so much, Chris, obviously has the same kind of relationship in his life.
It is just so neat to think about the two of you, working happily together and also being a loving family together. I also want you to know how much we admire that you homeschool your children. My guess is that, in their time, they will be wonderful people who contribute to the world as you and Chris do now, because no public or private teacher can ever give them all the things that you do in that setting.
Again, there is something so comforting about knowing that the folks whom we trust, for important professional and personal information, are living examples of what they teach and share.
We look forward to a long and fulfilling relationship with your family, through your organization.
Before I really get myself in trouble here...
I never meant to imply that you look anything like the character on MASH!
(Yes, folks, Becca really is every bit as gorgeous as she appears in the photo)
Erik
Before I really get myself in trouble here...
I never meant to imply that you look anything like the character on MASH!
(Yes, folks, Becca really is every bit as gorgeous as she appears in the photo)
Erik
Lol... I am so happy you cleared that up for Becca before she sees Sydney!
Cat
WOW..... so now we know that not only is Chris the Master Communicator, he's a charmer too! It's great to put a face to the emails Becca.... and thank you for supporting Chris, we sure need him. I too can testify that without an understanding partner (in far more ways than one) I would not be able to pull off all the work I do behind the scenes here in Australia..
Peace on Terra http://damnthematrix.wordpress.com/ http://groups.yahoo.com/group/roeoz/