Meet Nolan Martinez, PhD, LPC

I was born in New Jersey and grew up in inner-city Miami, Florida. The flashiness of the 3-0-5 and South Beach that people may see on television and in movies was not exactly how I grew up. Two hard-working immigrant parents raised me—my dad from Colombia and my mami from Ecuador.

I grew up thankful that we always had what we needed, but we lived in a lower-income environment where crime was common, and the schools I attended came with many of the challenges often associated with inner-city schools. Thankfully, my parents emphasized the importance of education. In spite of the challenges around me, I graduated from high school and eventually from college with honors.

That was a tremendous blessing. Yet something important happened during that period of my life: I began to realize that accomplishments and material blessings could not give me what I was searching for internally. I could have blessings on the outside and still feel empty and spiritually dead on the inside.

Graduating from college with honors did not fulfill me, and I began to recognize that nothing in this world ultimately could.

Then came the greatest blessing of my life: the Lord calling me to Him.

At the time, I considered myself an atheist or agnostic. I was openly critical of Christianity and had a deeply disrespectful attitude toward God and faith. Yet my awareness of what was happening inside me led me to take a step I once would have resisted—I began studying the Bible and learning about Jesus.

As I studied, something changed. I found myself thinking, How could I not believe this?

I became a Christian.

My journey since then has certainly not been perfect. I have made poor choices as a Christian and even went through what I would describe as a significant prodigal-son season of my life. Yet the Lord remained faithful. Through both blessings and mistakes, He continued teaching me, correcting me, and drawing me closer to Him. Over time, I also came to understand Christian counseling as part of God's calling for my life.

One passage that has become especially meaningful to me is Paul's prayer:

When I was an atheist, I desperately wanted to see God. At the time, I was thinking primarily about seeing Him physically. Looking back, I believe God answered that longing in a way I did not yet understand: He began opening the eyes of my heart.

I now recognize His presence and work in many different ways.

Two of the most meaningful examples are my wife and daughter.

Of course, I see my beautiful wife with my physical eyes—and I happen to think God created something pretty amazing when He made her! But I have also been blessed to see something deeper: her inner beauty.

First Peter describes the “unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit” as being of great worth in God's sight (1 Peter 3:4, NIV, 2011). That passage reminds me of what I see in my wife. Her inner beauty shines through the way she treats others, responds to difficulty, loves our family, and seeks to grow in her relationship with Jesus.

One of the things I admire most about her is her conviction about repentance and genuine change. For her, growth is not simply about saying or doing the right things outwardly. She desires transformation from the inside out—allowing her thinking, beliefs, and heart to increasingly reflect Jesus.

Her example challenges and inspires me. God has often worked through her life to stir something within me and remind me of the person He is calling me to become.

Then there is our daughter.

Watching my daughter grow has been one of the greatest joys of my life. She loves gymnastics, and I love watching her excitement as she learns new skills and challenges herself. Even more meaningful has been watching her relationship with God develop. I have watched her sing and dance to worship songs and even create songs of her own. At times, I have been amazed by the biblical ideas that naturally come through in what she sings.

Jesus said:

There is something beautiful about witnessing a child's openness toward God. I also experience God's love through something as simple as hearing my daughter call me “Daddy.” One of the most meaningful moments of my life was having the privilege of baptizing her when she was seven years old.

My wife and daughter are two of the greatest gifts God has given me, and through them I have learned more about love, grace, growth, and what it means to see with the eyes of the heart.

That idea also connects deeply with my work as a counselor.

My own life taught me that someone can appear successful, accomplished, or put together on the outside while struggling deeply on the inside. I know what it is like to search for answers, to wrestle with faith, to make mistakes, to need grace, and to experience meaningful change over time.

As a counselor, I have also had the privilege of watching clients begin to see things differently—to better understand themselves, their relationships, their struggles, and sometimes God Himself. Some have identified strongly as Christians, while others have come from very different places spiritually. I consider it a privilege to meet people where they are and walk alongside them as they pursue healing, growth, and change.

What an incredible journey it has been to go from an atheist and agnostic to becoming a Christian—and eventually a Christian counselor.

I remain deeply grateful for the faith, salvation, family, calling, and countless other blessings God has given me.

Thank you for taking the time to learn a little more about my story. I look forward to the opportunity to learn yours and, if we work together, to walk alongside you in your journey.