About Us

NICE TO MEET YOU!

Stephanie J. Gren, MA, LCMHC-A 

Stephanie is a licensed clinical mental health counselor and co-founder of Core Matters Creative Center, and owner of Core Matters Counseling. The younger of the two sisters, she blends evidence-based therapy with strategic coaching to help clients and professionals move through anxiety, burnout, and major life transitions with clarity and confidence. Known for her warm, thoughtful approach and practical insight, Stephanie believes meaningful change starts at the core — and works best when it fits real life. Whether she’s guiding clients in session or leading workshops, she brings both clinical depth and approachable energy to every conversation.

HEY Y'ALL!

Elle Renee Arters 

Elle, a co-founder of Core Matters Creative Center, is a soulful systems thinker with a creative wild side—part coach, part course architect, part storytelling alchemist. She doesn’t just talk about growth — she designs experiences that walk people through it. With one hand in the world of emotional wellness and the other in the land of sticky notes, metaphors, and mood boards, she turns big ideas into grounded, heart-forward tools and paragraphs that actually help people change.

She believes transformation happens when we get honest, get aligned, and start living from that weird, wonderful spark inside us. She’s not just here to help people grow—she’s here to help people grow on purpose.

Basically? She makes healing feel human, growth feel doable, and self-discovery feel a little like magic.

You can also find her personal page full of creative content on Facebook here.

Combined training experience:

Why We Do This

Since adolescence, both Stephanie and Elle have desired to help other people experience authentic, abundant, and powerful relationships with themselves, others and God. We believe this is key to living a satisfying and holistic healthy life, and we are passionate about bringing encouragement, insight, resources and companionship to as many people as possible.  

Our Story

Maybe we're like you...
We didn’t grow up in a home—or a church—that had any language for things like emotional intelligence, boundaries, or mental health tools. In our family, emotions were either shut down completely, or took over the room like a storm. We were taught to fear our feelings, walk on eggshells, and believe that trusting our hearts would only lead us astray. We learned to stuff things down, stay small, and give ourselves away to keep the peace. Boundaries? We didn’t know what those were. Many relationships felt confusing and chaotic.

It wasn’t until we both started reconnecting with our own core selves on our own journeys—learning how to name our emotions, honor our needs, identify our values and build real inner safety—that everything began to change. As we applied the knowledge and tools we discovered, our lives grew more grounded, powerful and satisfying. The material and skills we teach & counsel now are some of the exact ones that helped us finally feel at home in our selves—and we’d be honored to walk that journey with you.