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About Heather

Full Name:

Heather Martinez

Biography

Heather Leavitt Martinez (she/her/hers) is a visual practitioner, Appreciative Inquiry facilitator and an award-winning author living in Durango, Colorado.

Heather’s visual approach turns attendees into participants during virtual and in-person meetings. While passionately creative, Heather is also very pragmatic and is a certified Agile Scrum master and specializes in Human-Centered Design.

With over 25 years of design experience, Heather has applied her visual skills by supporting leadership development trainings, high-performing teams, and change management using strategic visualization.

Her dream is to create high-touch, customized experiences by holding a space for others to be successful so they may have breakthrough conversations. She is also a certified Appreciative Inquiry Facilitator, certified Appreciative Resilience Facilitator, certified SHIFT-IT Coach, certified virtual facilitator, and is the director at www.TechHostAcademy.com. She specializes in using AI in approach design for virtual and in-person meetings, off-sites, and retreats.

Services

Tech Hosting

Want your online sessions to be more:

    • Engaging,
    • Efficient and
    • Equitable?

Learn How to Create Online Environments We Can All Thrive In!

The curriculum at Tech Host Academy is inspired by Appreciative Inquiry. You can learn more with the AI template.

Tech Hosting

Graphic Faciliation

Using visuals to support the 4D process, I provide graphic facilitation or co-facilitation from the discovery meeting, through design, and to delivery.

Graphic Faciliation

1:1 Coaching for Artists

Professional coaching sessions for artists using the Art Career Theorem model and the SHIFT-IT® Visual Coaching system.

Articles

Engage Your Meeting Participants: Visualize Your Agenda!

Start Your Meetings with a Celebration

The Tech Hosting Mindset: Seeking Possibilities in a Problem-Centric World

Being of service has always gotten me far in every job I have had. Showing up with a service mindset:
• encourages collaboration,
• builds your brand value, and
• let’s face it, it feels good!

Blending a service mindset with an Appreciative Inquiry approach is the best of all worlds!

The curriculum at Tech Host Academy is inspired by Appreciative Inquiry (AI), which allows for an AI approach when conducting discovery meetings with clients, a support framework when supporting the design, and to have the presence needed in the delivery to meet the desired outcomes.

Here are two resources you can check out to learn more about how how tech hosting is a wonderful way to live into the principles of AI:

• The “Appreciative Inquiry inspired Tech Hosting” 5D Template: https://www.techhostacademy.com/appreciative-inquiry-inspired-tech-hosting

AND

• The video blog, “The Tech Hosting Mindset: Seeking Possibilities in a Problem-Centric World: https://www.techhostacademy.com/blog/the-tech-hosting-mindset-seeking-possibilities-in-a-problem-centric-world

From Appreciative Imagery to Appreciative Inquiry

The Power is in the Process

Portfolio

The 5D AI Process Template

The “Tech Hosting inspired by Appreciative Inquiry” handout includes the 5D Template and is a great guide for asking the “right” questions to support the client’s desired outcomes through tech hosting.

You can learn more about how to use tech hosting as a vehicle to live out the principles of Appreciative Inquiry at https://www.techhostacademy.com/appreciative-inquiry-inspired-tech-hosting

 

The 5D AI Process Template

The 4D AI Process Template

Inspired by Appreciate Inquiry, this facilitated graphic can be used to conduct the first client interview to inform the creative brief. Available in an editable PowerPoint, native Adobe Illustrator, and as an 11×17″ interview sheet that can be populated with notes on the fly. Great for co-creative graphic design assignments.

 

The 4D AI Process Template

Testimonials

Brenda Macon, Executive Director, Durango Arts Center

Heather has a way of facilitating a dialogue that leaves you feeling as though you have just changed your way of seeing all things for the better, not just the way you perceive the topics on the table. She artfully guides you through exercises that help you realize interesting facts about human dynamics (with respect to organizations and business) that validate your intuitions and give strength to your ideas. Every time I work through these processes with Heather, I feel the urge to yell from the tree tops, because she has helped facilitate big realizations that border on epiphanies. I always feel as though these forward steps are due to Heather’s insight, intuition, skills and amazing practice. We are so fortunate to have her here in Durango!

Martin Moller, Business Impact Coach | Consultant | Leadership Development | Facilitator | Speaker | Career Development

Heather is one of the most creative professionals I’ve had the pleasure to work with.  She is a rare talent that combines high business acumen with innovative, creative thinking and artistic skills to produce relevant, high impact visual communication. I had the luxury of having Heather graphically record one of my workshops, highlighting the key points and frameworks in a visually appealing summary of the entire workshop.  Participants’ learning increased and key concepts were more readily implemented as a result.  I still have the amazing graphic summary piece today.  I would highly recommend Heather for any graphic or strategic visualization project you may have where key messages need to be visually communicated to your audience. And most importantly, she is an engaging, collaborative professional to work with!

Michele, participant in AI + Visuals = Meeting Design

Michele, participant in AI + Visuals = Meeting Design

Susan, participant in AI + Visuals = Meeting Design

Susan, participant in AI + Visuals = Meeting Design

Maketa, participant in AI + Visuals = Meeting Design

Maketa, participant in AI + Visuals = Meeting Design