E301: Laura Martin - Choosing your own adventure
What if the real key to leadership wasn’t authority, but curiosity? In this energizing episode of Back2Basics, Leticia Latino sits down with Laura Martin—founder of The Glenda Group—to explore how choosing curiosity over conventionality has shaped her bold, purpose-driven career. From her early days dreaming of entrepreneurship in rural Minnesota to walking away from a lucrative client that didn't align with her company’s vision, Laura shares how she’s navigated each career chapter like a “choose your own adventure” story—guided by values, fueled by curiosity, and committed to building meaningful connections.
Learn more about Laura at: https://glindagroup.com/
Highlights include:
💡 The courage to walk away : Why Laura and her co-founder turned down a massive client—and what they gained.
🔄 From rivals to collaborators : How trust turned competition into a game-changing partnership.
🧠 Why culture is performance infrastructure : Laura explains why investing in team dynamics isn’t a “nice-to-have”—it’s business-critical.
🧭 Leadership without titles : How everyday choices shape team culture more than org charts ever could.
🌍 Volunteering and humility : Laura shares how working with refugees reshaped her view of leadership, resilience, and humanity.
Packed with practical insight, personal stories, and powerful reframes, this episode is a masterclass in designing work—and life—that aligns with who you are.
"When people are involved, things get complicated. But that’s exactly where the magic happens." — Laura Martin
Time Stamps:
Show Notes with timestamps
👧 [01:53] Growing up in rural Minnesota: big dreams about entrepreneurship from her six years.
🎯 [04:18] Her epiphany in highschool: growing career in corporate, then later in startups.
👩💼 [07:30] Choose your adventure: being curious and choosing interesting areas of business.
🔑 [09:34] Cooperating is the key: creating Product of the Year in 2017 with Jordan Birnbaum.
‼️ [13:54] It takes courage to choose your vision over big revenue: don't sacrifice your peace of mind serving clients that are not aligned with you.
‼️😇 [17:32] Leader development challenges: solving problems crafting messages, team and culture performance in organisations.
⚠️ [21:58] When people are not interested in the work, or caring enough: Business thrives when workers are happy.
😍 [23:08] Her volunteering in mediation: now working with refugees and immigrants.
🥅 [27:15] Don't underestimate the importance of the human experience at work.
⚡ [28:24] Sense of adventure makes Laura tick: looking forward to exciting things in life.
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Laura Martin
Co-Founder and CEO
Laura Martin is an expert in workplace culture and leadership, and the co-founder and CEO of The Glinda Group, a consultancy that helps organizations drive engagement. Drawing from behavioral science, Laura and her team deliver practical tools, immersive workshops, and strategic consulting that unlock performance, strengthen leadership, and drive measurable business outcomes.
With over two decades of cross-functional leadership experience, Laura brings a unique blend of business acumen and people expertise. A former Chief Human Resources Officer, she has held senior leadership roles in Fortune 100 companies and high-growth startups, including Target, The Marcus Buckingham Company/ADP, RAZR, and BMS. Her career has spanned operations, finance, HR, client success, IT, and product—giving her a deep understanding of how to align people strategy with business strategy across every level of an organization.
Laura holds an MBA from The University of St. Thomas and a certificate in DEI from Cornell.
Known for her engaging and practical style, Laura blends optimism and strategy to inspire action and elevate performance.
