Dutch Martin

Born and raised in Cleveland, OH, Dutch Martin knows what it means to pull himself up from his bootstraps and overcome adversity.  Raised the youngest of six (6) children without a father in the home, Dutch decided early on that education would be his meal ticket to a better life.  After finishing high school, Dutch went on to graduate from Boston University in 1996 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in international relations.  He pursued graduate work at Heinz College, Carnegie Mellon University, where he earned his Masters of Science in Public Policy & Management in 1999.

Over the past two decades, has had a variety of careers, including U.S. diplomat, entrepreneur, small business owner, and contract specialist.

Dutch found yoga in August 2013 at a time in his when he decided to look at his health and wellness goals though a fresh pair of eyes.  Like many, he caught the "yoga bug" early on, and was immediately hooked.  He became certified in 2015 and has been teaching yoga ever since.

Dutch also developed an obsession with how the human mind works, more specifically, how we can train our minds to rewrite the stories we tell ourselves.  As a result, during the pandemic, he began studying neuro-linguistic programming (NLP) and hypnosis.  In February 2022, he became a Certified Consulting Hypnotist with the National Guild of Hypnotists (NGH).

A member of Toastmasters International since August 2016, Dutch has won the District 27 International Speech Contest two years in a row (2019-2020).  He also took first place in the 2021 District 29, Humorous Speech Contest.

A stand-up (clean) comedian since 2019, Dutch has performed throughout the DC Metro area, in person and online.  He is supported and anchored by his wife, Ibtissam, and young son, Luther.