Contestant's Case to Win

My name is Gretchen and I am not your traditional girl. You won’t find me in a dress picking flowers and talking about cute shoes. I am most likely out doing something that someone said couldn’t be done.

Growing up in a neighborhood of all boys (except for my little sister), I learned to throw a football and race BMX bikes with the best of them. I played Little League baseball every summer and in the 6th grade I was one of two girls to make the boys basketball team. During high school I was in a car accident and the doctors said I would never walk again. I proved them wrong. My first year of college was also a challenging experience as the only female percussion major in a field dominated by guys. I know what it’s like to be told I can’t do something because I’m a girl.

My childhood experiences prompted me to create the Girls Can’t WHAT? website in 2005. It is here I share my personal experiences along with amazing stories and interviews from some truly inspirational women. Together, our purpose is to encourage women to pursue their dreams no matter what roadblocks they may encounter.

When not creating new material and products for Girls Can’t WHAT? I can be found working on freelance graphic and web design, drumming in my all-girl band, Amplified, or spending time with my husband, Doug, our two daughters, Katelynn and Kirstynn, and our pug, Quest.