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The Author

Abby Martin doesn’t just study workplace culture, she has operated within it at every scale. From early-stage startups where survival depends on every hire to Google, where culture is both a competitive advantage and an industry unto itself, she developed a rare eye for what actually makes teams produce and what is just theater.

Smiling woman with long dark hair wearing a white blouse against a white background.

As founder and operator,

Abby works with executive teams, small business owners, and founders who are done managing vibes and ready to build something that holds. She holds a Master of Science in Psychology and uses it the way a good operator uses any tool: to solve real problems, not decorate a wall. A Southern California transplant by way of Florence, Alabama, she is also navigating a household of four kids, which provides more daily lessons in organizational chaos than any corporate retreat ever could.

Contact Abby

  • “Abby and I spent more than a decade working together, but the reason I’m endorsing this book isn’t because of that—it’s because she changed my mind.

    As someone building a company focused on mental fitness, I initially viewed many workplace wellness and culture initiatives as unquestionably positive. Abby helped me recognize that when organizations confuse supporting people with becoming responsible for every aspect of their lives, both performance and well-being suffer. Work Is . . . Work!  is a refreshingly honest call to replace culture theater with clarity, accountability, and meaningful work. Whether you agree with every point or not, this book will challenge how you think about leadership.”

    —Dave Barney, CEO and co-founder of ElizaChat, an AI-powered mental fitness platform

  • “If ‘culture’ has quietly become a tax on your business—more meetings, more initiatives, less actual work getting done—this is your book.

    I’ve known Abby since our Google days in 2012, and I’ve watched her build a business helping founders do exactly what she writes about here: Cut the bloat and get back to the work that matters. Work is . . . Work!  is full of concrete, do-it-Monday actions to refocus your team and your company. It’s the book I’d put in the hands of any founder before we start working together.” 

    — Katie LaFranchi, former Google and Amazon HR executive

  • “I have spent my life talking about the power to change your environment.

    Abby Martin takes that idea into the workplace and makes it sharper than anyone I have heard. Work is . . . WORK!  cuts through the noise that has been building in corporate America for decades and gives leaders a clear path back to what actually produces results. This is not a feel-good book. It is a get-real book. And right now, that is exactly what leaders need.”

    — Damon West, bestselling coauthor of The Coffee Bean

Promotional banner for a podcast episode featuring Abby Martin, titled "HR Pro on Building Productive Teams: 6.5 'Them's The Rules' for Startup Success." Includes a photo of three people with a city skyline background and the Fearless Founders Club logo.

Featured Podcasts

Podcast promotional graphic with colorful background, featuring images of speakers Jeff, Janna, and Abby Martin. Text highlights improving company culture with key insights for leaders, and mentions a podcast episode titled "Pull the Chute - Grow your People, Grow your Company." Duration is 27 minutes.