AI moves fast. Trust moves more slowly.
I help AI leaders bridge the gap.

After three decades at NPR and Amazon’s Audible, I work with leaders building tools for writers, filmmakers, and artists—helping them develop a public voice grounded in empathy, judgment, and deep listening as their technology enters the cultural conversation. Peabody- and Murrow-winning media executive and advisor on narrative, leadership presence, and credible founder-hosted storytelling.

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Speaking

I work with a small number of founders each quarter in a close, hands-on advisory role, usually over a three-month minimum engagement. The focus is on helping founders find their voice, sharpen their narrative judgment, and develop a founder-hosted podcast that feels editorially credible and builds real trust with creative communities over time.

My role is to be a thought partner and guide: I help with positioning, host presence, the shape and flow of conversations, guest selection, and navigating reputational or cultural sensitivities. For founders who’d rather not manage the mechanics, I can also oversee or provide end-to-end production with a small, senior team, so everything—from the conversations themselves to how the show sounds and looks—meets the same high editorial and creative standards. That way, you can stay focused on leading the company while the platform is built with care, consistency, and craft.
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Consulting

I am a dynamic, engaging speaker who has spoken nationally and internationally on topics ranging from powerful, effective storytelling, to the state of the podcasting industry, to teaching deep listening and pro-active questioning. Among my more recent engagements are the Rhinebeck Rotary Club and the podcast, Listening with China Blue.  I am available to give both keynotes and to lead workshops or seminars for your company or organization.
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Clients

  • Black and white geometric design with sharp angular shapes and symmetrical patterns.
  • Text reading 'CHORA' in bold white and turquoise letters on a black background.
  • Blue square with a white steam radiator icon.
  • A traffic or road sign with the words 'At Will Media' on it, featuring black text on a white background with a small orange arrow pointing right in the lower right corner.
  • Black and white illustration of three women from the iconic 'Breakfast at Tiffany's' poster, with the text 'School of Humans' underneath.
  • Logo with a tiled red and blue design and the word 'ms/ g' in red and blue text.
  • The image features a yellow background with black bold text that reads 'HUMAN BEING'. There is a white circular symbol with a smiling face, crossed out with a red line, indicating no humans allowed.
  • A graphic of three overlapping watercolor-style hearts in shades of red and orange with the text 'DATING WHILE GRAY' in bold, colorful letters beside the hearts.
  • Bright yellow text on a white background reads 'yellow ant.' with a yellow period at the end.
  • Audazzio logo with brand name and tagline 'It Comes in Waves' on a dark blue and peach background.
  • Colorful logo with an open book and rainbow stripes, displaying the text 'TMI Project'.
  • Text graphic with the words 'THE FREE PRESS' in bold black letters on a light background.

  • "Martha did an outstanding job meeting with our editorial and production staffs to assess competencies in the podcast/video/live event space and guide the formation of a new organizational structure that elevated us from a start-up to a mature media organization. This has allowed our 100+ staff to make an even bigger step forward in our editorial proposition! Grazie Martha!"

    -Barbara Salabe, CEO of BeWater Productions

  • "I worked with Martha at NPR. She is an excellent editor, producer, and manager. She has a superb sense of narrative and what's needed to make a story work for a national audience. As a manager, she provided clear direction and leadership while remaining supportive. She's a pleasure to work with -- she has boundless energy and enthusiasm. You would be lucky to have her!"

    -Madeleine Brand, Host of Press Play on KCRW

  • "Martha is that rare blend of warm, energetic, and tough. She's great at building teams that feel inspired, inclusive, and nurturing, while also supporting those around her to make the difficult creative/editorial choices necessary for our jobs. She's great at sussing out which projects truly have energy behind them and how to lift them up."

    -Rachel Hamburg, Executive Producer, Audible

  • "Martha is a rare breed. She has a remarkable ear for what makes a good radio story or show and also knows how to get the best work out of her reporters and hosts."

    -Bianca Vazquez Toness, National Education Reporer

  • "Martha's leadership of the WBUR news team was exceptional. She inspired and encouraged reporters and producers to work toward the highest standards in the business."

    -Mark Navin, Senior Director at Now/WBUR/NPR

  • "Martha is an outstanding editor. She knows how to pare a story down to its essentials, and how to build the tension that will keep the listener engaged to the end. She demands the best out of the people who report and write for her, and for that reason, is a pleasure to work for."

    -Frederic Thys, Reporter at The Plymouth Independent

  • "Less than a year ago serendipity brought me into contact with Martha. In that short time, we have been working together to pull my stories into manuscript form for publication. Martha’s rare skills have helped me find my voice and express it with clarity, meaning, and intelligence. She not only taught me how to capture my audience’s attention and keep it focused, but she did it in a context of safety and encouragement. I know. Just last week, my work with Martha led me to a prize- winning presentation. You won’t be disappointed."

    -Joan Axelrod, Writer

  • “Martha’s expertise was instrumental in shaping a podcast concept for me. Thanks to her guidance, we were able to craft a captivating podcast outline that’s ready for execution. None of this would have been achievable without her remarkable support and insights!”

    -Christophe Fox, Keynote Speaker

AI & Human Insight: A New LittleMedia Podcast

Empathy. Attention. Presence. Dignity. Taste. Trust. The thing that happens when a person reads your face and adjusts. As AI gets better at more of what we do, these stop being abstract concepts — they start showing up in our work, our families, our questions about who we're becoming.

Most AI shows ask you to pick a side: hype or doom, true believer or skeptic. This one doesn't. Hosted by someone who has spent thirty years listening to people for a living, each episode sits with the actual question — what's worth protecting, what's worth questioning, what it feels like to be human in a moment like this — and invites a thoughtful guest to think it through out loud. Filmmakers and founders, neuroscientists and doctors, writers and builders. Different doorways into the same room.

If you're excited and afraid, hopeful and grieving, all at once — that's the honest position, and you're not alone in it. Come think with me.

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Executive Producing & Editing Work

  • Book cover for 'Chasing Ghislaine,' featuring a black and white photo of a woman with short dark hair and dark eyes. Text indicates it is an Audible original about the woman in Epstein's shadow.

    Chasing Ghislaine: The Woman in Epstein’s Shadow

    Journalist Vicky Ward chronicles her 19-year investigation into Jeffrey Epstein's wealth and crimes, featuring testimonies from over 20 individuals connected to him. Uncovering ties to money-laundering, gun-running, & espionage, Ward's journey reveals the enigmatic role of Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein's ex-lover and alleged co-conspirator, who may hold pivotal information about his actions.

    Audible
  • Cover art for the Audible Original podcast titled 'The Home Front with Martin Sheen,' featuring a black and white portrait of a man, flanked by torn images of soldiers and women, with red accents and the tagline 'American Voices During World War II.'

    The Home Front: Life in America During WWII

    Narrated by award-winning actor Martin Sheen, The Home Front: Life in America During World War II takes listeners into the lives of Americans at home who supported the war effort and sustained the country during wartime. Feel what living in the United States was like for everyday people during this disruptive and uncertain period of American history in this Audible Original series.

    Audible
  • Book cover for 'Deputy Mayor Putin' from Audible, featuring an illustration of Vladimir Putin in a blue tracksuit jacket with red, white, and blue stripes, sitting outdoors with green trees in the background.

    Deputy Mayor Putin

    How did a once faceless bureaucrat, a man whose own wife said he was born under the sign of the vampire, become the idealized face of Russian manhood and its authoritarian leader? This podcast explores how Putin’s formative years shaped him, and how the supporting cast of characters he gathered along the way helped him get to the Kremlin’s inner sanctum. We will trace how Putin’s many transformations brought him closer to the leader he is today: from scrawny street thug to the aggressive President who invaded Ukraine in 2022.

    Audible
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