--- title: About Karin Martino | Gallup-Certified CliftonStrengths Coach | Spark Engagement description: Karin Martino is the founder of Spark Engagement and a Gallup-certified CliftonStrengths coach and Q12 Engagement Champion. With certifications in Goleman and Six Seconds EQ and Dare to Lead training, Karin develops leaders from the inside out. --- [Skip to content](https://sparkengagement.com/about-us#main-content) This is a search field with an auto-suggest feature attached. - There are no suggestions because the search field is empty. [![Spark Engagement logo](https://sparkengagement.com/hs-fs/hubfs/SPARK%20LOGO%20BLUE%20YELLOW.png?width=3000&height=2000&name=SPARK%20LOGO%20BLUE%20YELLOW.png "Spark Engagement logo")](https://www.sparkengagement.com?hsLang=en) - [Home](https://sparkengagement.com) - [Services](https://sparkengagement.com/services) - [Coaching](https://sparkengagement.com/coaching) - [Spark Source Blog](https://sparkengagement.com/blog) - [About Us](https://sparkengagement.com/about-us) - [Contact Us](https://sparkengagement.com/contact-us) - Search Search Search # About Us ![MakenaLeePhotography-5262](https://sparkengagement.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Spark%20Photos%20Web%20Edits/MakenaLeePhotography-5262.jpg?width=2000&name=MakenaLeePhotography-5262.jpg) ## Why I Started Spark Engagement ![Karin Martino, founder and Chief Spark Starter of Spark Engagement](https://sparkengagement.com/hs-fs/hubfs/MakenaLeePhotography-5045.jpg?width=175&height=263&name=MakenaLeePhotography-5045.jpg) I grew up in a small Wisconsin town and I learned early that effort equals outcome. If something was hard, you worked harder. That belief got me through a lot. It also kept me from noticing when what I really needed was something different. I spent six years at home raising our three kids, through a premature birth, parenting a child whose needs didn’t fit any playbook (even with my special education background), and cancer. When I went back to work and became a manager, I did what I always did. I worked harder, and I didn’t admit what I didn’t know. Our first engagement survey came back in the 21st percentile. I realized I needed two things. I needed the technical knowledge of what employees need to be engaged, which no one had ever taught me. And I needed to do the emotional intelligence work underneath it, to see where I was getting in the way of my own progress and my team’s, and where I was acting out of alignment with my values. Working with a CliftonStrengths coach and learning about Gallup's Q12 is where that started. The next year my team was in the 97th percentile, and we held near the top for four more years. Along the way, I learned to notice what I was feeling, name what I needed, and choose on purpose. That became Notice It, Name It, Spark It, and it runs through everything I teach. When I decided to go out on my own, I truly wanted to teach what I learned, because it was so impactful. Some of the leaders I work with are already doing this well and want to understand why. Others are newer to leading people and building the skill now. Either way, I’d love to help. *Karin*   **Credentials & Training** - Master's Degree in Educational Leadership - Gallup-Certified CliftonStrengths Coach - Graduate, Gallup's Creating an Engaging Workplace for Engagement Champions - Trained in Dare to Lead (Brené Brown) - Certified in Daniel Goleman's Emotional Intelligence model - Certified in the Six Seconds EQ model ## How I Work My work combines the inner side of leadership, self-awareness and emotional intelligence, with the practical people leadership skills that decide how well someone leads others. It comes in three forms: - **[Coaching](https://sparkengagement.com/coaching?hsLang=en),** one-on-one with a leader, built on their CliftonStrengths. - **CliftonStrengths for teams,** so a team has shared language for how they work together. - **Engagement Essentials,** where people leaders learn what employees need and how to give it. ![MakenaLeePhotography-4833copy](https://sparkengagement.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Spark%20Photos%20Web%20Edits/MakenaLeePhotography-4833copy.jpg?width=2000&height=1333&name=MakenaLeePhotography-4833copy.jpg "MakenaLeePhotography-4833copy") # What Guides the Work ### Vision A future where every person is empowered by their strengths, energized by their work, and thriving in their life.   ### Mission To provide the spark that helps leaders and organizations discover and use their strengths, engage deeply in their work, and build thriving workplaces.   ### People First Thriving organizations are built on thriving people. I support the whole person, because personal wellbeing and professional success are connected. ### Research that Resonates I use research-based tools and strategies that are practical, people-focused, and easy to use. ### Spark What's Possible Lasting growth starts with helping people discover what's already strong in them. ![A team of leaders collaborating and engaged in their work together](https://sparkengagement.com/hs-fs/hubfs/iStock%20Paid/iStock-1453843862-1.jpg?width=1000&height=667&name=iStock-1453843862-1.jpg "A team of leaders collaborating and engaged in their work together") # Curious what this could look like for you? Book a free 20-minute conversation, or read how coaching works.     [Book a Free conversation](https://sparkengagement.com/meetings/karin/20-minute-conversation?hsLang=en) [About Coaching](https://sparkengagement.com/coaching?hsLang=en) ![Spark Engagement logo](https://sparkengagement.com/hs-fs/hubfs/SPARK%20LOGO%20WHITE%20YELLOW%20NO%20BG-1.png?width=2000&height=1333&name=SPARK%20LOGO%20WHITE%20YELLOW%20NO%20BG-1.png "Spark Engagement logo") **Site Map**   - [Home](https://sparkengagement.com) - [Services](https://sparkengagement.com/services) - [Coaching](https://sparkengagement.com/coaching) - [Spark Source Blog](https://sparkengagement.com/blog) - [About Us](https://sparkengagement.com/about-us) - [Contact Us](https://sparkengagement.com/contact-us) - [Terms & Conditions](https://sparkengagement.com/service-agreement-and-terms-conditions) **Contact**   Spark Engagement, LLC   PO Box 1350 Grafton, WI 53024   (414) 66-SPARK   info@sparkengagement.com © 2026 Spark Engagement, LLC Follow Us [Follow us on LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/karin-martino)