Every year, Founded Communities releases a mini-magazine highlighting our community's impact. In the 2024-2025 year, we were thrilled to feature four of our members doing impressive work, from creating mental health spaces where clients feel represented to bringing transparency to photography. Read our story about Gretchen Campbell, founder of Grow, Encourage, Empower PLLC.

--

Gretchen Campbell is a long-time resident of Cary, therapist, author, and entrepreneur driven by her commitment to making a positive difference in the lives of those around her. Her passion and resilience have been a driving force in fulfilling that goal, leading her to complete her undergraduate studies at Kean University and her graduate studies at Fairleigh Dickinson University.

Following her degree, Gretchen entered the mental/behavioral health field, working in various environments. Some of her work included working with children and families in a case management role for at-risk youth, psychiatric residential treatment programs, adults living independently with cognitive delays, and transitional living for pregnant teens.

This work gave Gretchen experience with both adolescents and adults, which was critical in helping her identify which population she was genuinely passionate about and developing the holistic approach she implements at her practice, Grow, Encourage, Empower. Gretchen faced many challenges while building her clinical skills and therapeutic style.

“I had a supervisor early in my career who gave me a critical piece of advice: ‘You won't be able to fix everything, and you can't take it home with you.’ It served as an important reminder throughout my career to prevent burnout."

Armed with this guiding mantra, Gretchen’s therapy practice, Grow, Encourage, Empower, launched in 2015. Beginning the journey was a leap of faith, requiring an investment of time and hard work that fellow entrepreneurs will find familiar. 

“I was working a full-time job and then meeting with clients in the evenings and on weekends. It wasn’t always easy, but it was worth it.”

In 2019, Gretchen moved into Gather Goods, a woman-owned coworking space in downtown Cary, before eventually expanding to Cary Founded to accommodate her growing team and the various services that make Grow, Encourage, Empower unique. Gretchen’s practice offers more than counseling. It is a healing space integrating meditation, yoga, and wellness workshops to serve the clientele that most sought Gretchen out: young girls and women of color. 

"Seeing someone like them that they can identify with makes all the difference.”

Gretchen explains, “It’s important to have therapists who can show up and be themselves, and who can aid in breaking down stigmas surrounding mental health in our communities” 

Gretchen’s work with teen girls and their mothers in particular led her to write her best-selling novel “I’m a Mom of A Teen Girl, Help!” and the accommodating podcast “I’m a Mom of a Teen, Help!” Raising teens, Gretchen explains, is about meeting them on their level and maintaining reliable communication between everyone involved in a child’s life, something her newest endeavor aims to improve.

“Therapists, pediatricians, counselors, and even law enforcement should be able to communicate when it comes to children with severe mental health issues.”

By connecting these key players, Gretchen aims to create an app that reduces school shootings and other mental health crises.

As her practice continues to grow and her work expands into the tech world, Gretchen credits collaboration as a key to her success.

“When I began my practice, having an accountability partner who was also navigating the challenges of entrepreneurship was so important. No matter where you are in your journey, I encourage anyone to find peers who can offer support and understanding.”

You can find Gretchen primarily around our Cary Founded location. Learn more about our offices, events, and coworking memberships in Downtown Cary at caryfounded.com.