In Episode 111, Pabel Martinez, Founder and CEO of Plurawl, joins Melinda in a discussion on redefining professionalism so people can bring their authentic selves to the workplace. They explore how biases around professionalism move individuals to mask their identities and “code-switch”’ to assimilate into another culture. They look into the difference between uncomfortable and unprofessional and how we can mitigate the impact of biases around professionalism. They also discuss how managers can promote authenticity at work by building trust in teams and leading honest conversations.


About Pabel Martinez (he/him)

Pabel Martinez is a native New Yorker, storyteller, and former Tech executive.

Throughout his career, Pabel struggled balancing two jobs…Tech Employee and Actor. As an Actor, he would focus on assimilation because he was trained to believe that many parts of his identity were unprofessional.

Pabel would dedicate days out of the week to study “white popular American culture” and memorize scripts he would later use for work conversations. He knew that talking about Bad Bunny and shows like Insecure, would not make him relatable. Instead, he would binge-watch seasons of Riverdale since it would help him build relationships with colleagues and senior leaders.

The assimilation became overwhelming, and it was at the expense of his identity & mental health.

As a result, Pabel's mission in life became redefining professionalism by empowering authenticity. In 2020, he launched Plurawl to bring this mission to life.


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For more about Empovia, visit https://ally.cc. There, you’ll also find educational resources and highlights from this episode.


Connect With Pabel Martinez On Social

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pabelmartinez/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/plurawl

Connect With Us On Social

YouTube: youtube.com/@empovia
Twitter: twitter.com/empoviaco
Facebook:facebook.com/empovia
Instagram:instagram.com/empovia/
LinkedIn:linkedin.com/company/empovia/

Production Team

Creator & Host: Melinda Briana Epler
Co-Producers: Renzo Santos & Christina Swindlehurst Chan
Podcast Rocket: Rob Scheerbarth & Nina Rugeles


[Image description: Leading With Empathy & Allyship promo and photos of Pabel Martinez, an Afro-Latino with a low black haircut, thick black facial hair, and grey crew neck t-shirt with the word “plurawl” printed in bright orange, and host Melinda Briana Epler, a White woman with blonde and red hair, glasses, red shirt, and black jacket.]

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