Meet Dr. Joel P. Martin | Transformational Leadership, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion 30+ Year Specialist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Dr. Joel P. Martin and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Dr. Joel, is there something that you feel is most responsible for your success?
My Triad West, Inc. brand: Dr. Martin is a transformational leadership trainer and coach and a diversity, equity inclusion, and belonging specialist and pioneer, exuding positivity and business decorum qualities. As a groundbreaking entrepreneur, she has tenaciously opened the door for others to thrive in the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) industry. Dr. Martin touts 30+ years of creating innovative solutions for organizational development. She is committed to her vision of change in the work environment and communities. She is a frequent and Award winning community leader who has appeared on the Today Show, A.B.C.’s Sonoran Living, and in the NY Times, Black Enterprise, Essence (cover feature), Fortune, and US News and World Report.

Here is information about my Positively Powerful brand: Arizona Businesswoman Joel P. Martin, Ph.D., hosted the 13th Annual Triad West Inc. Positively Powerful™ Transformational DE&I Education Summit and Woman Awards on October 28. The event at the presenting partner’s Sun Devil Stadium ASU 365 Community Union was an inspirational, informative, upbeat, and inclusive time creating “Unity.” According to Dr. Martin, “This was a much anticipated in-person event. Based on the accolades, we successfully hosted a spectacular two-part crowd-pleasing event. We celebrate the accomplishments of women in ways that empower all people to live their dreams and will change lives and businesses for the better. The program mirrored that sentiment.”

What should our readers know about your business?
I love people and am passionate about creating effective solutions to people’s challenges that lead to their success. How have I accomplished this? At an early age, my mother repeatedly told me two things: 1) That I was going to go to college. 2) She told me I could be anything I wanted, even the president. I believed what she said. This has been key to my success: 1) Even though we didn’t have a lot of money then, I went to and graduated from The Ohio State University. and 2) I’ve been the president of my businesses, including being one of the first women to manage, own, and operate a full-service advertising agency. Now, for more than 30 years, I have been the President of Triad West Inc., which specializes in Consulting, Coaching, and Training in Transformational Culture Change, Leadership and Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging. I am also the Founder of an award-winning program for influential women business leaders and those who want to be change-makers. This year, the Positively Powerful Woman Awards and Education Summit celebrated its 13th Annual event.

I am proud to be one of the few global transformational leaders in experiential education. This career path has taken my resilience as the field has tended to be dominated by men. In shifting from running my ad agency to becoming a global trainer, trainer of trainers, and consultant, I felt a need to earn a MA in Psychology, a Ph.d. in Communication, and become one of the Wharton Fellows of Wharton Business School.

I have been able to travel and work with clients in Asia, the United Kingdom, France, and other countries. One of my clients said, “She is a genuine genius in her approach to transformation” and one of “the best in the nation for delivering breakthrough leadership performance and organizational change.” And another, “Thank you for your authentic leadership over the years in helping shape our culture to one that values inclusion and embraces diversity.”

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I am a Native New Yorker, and when Bob and I moved from New York City to Marin County in California so that I could become a global trainer and then to Arizona, I had no idea what to expect. While no place is perfect, I love living here. My major at OSU was Visual Communications, and Bob is a painter, so my favorites include the Phoenix Art Museum and The Heard Museum’s collection, which has more than 3,600 pieces of the art of the original people – American Indian Art. The Desert Botanical Garden is uniquely Arizona. Tour the Arizona State University and Grammage, which has Broadway shows. Also, visit Sedona, AZ. It is incredible. As I say, “God’s red rocks are an art form.” Sedona will be having a Black History Month Art Show in February if you are in the area then.

There are great restaurants in metro Phoenix and Scottsdale. You will find a very diverse selection: Soul Food, Mexican, Spanish, French, Italian, and Vegan, and it is all here. Visit Old Town Scottsdale and plan on seeing the Arizona Black Rodeo and Arabian horse shows. If you are a shopper, there’s the Biltmore area. See the mansions leading up to the Frank Lloyd Wright designed Biltmore Hotel while you are in the area. Another favorite area I like for shopping is Fashion Square. It offers stores for all ages and price points.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
What a wonderful question. I truly believe in acknowledging the contributions of others. In fact, the mission of my Positively Powerful Woman Awards and Education Programs is to “acknowledge the accomplishments of women in ways that empower all people to live their dreams and change lives and businesses for the better.” I’ll share more on this in your next question.

In my shout out, I include my family, friends, faith, and the teams I work with on my entrepreneurial and philanthropic visions. Family includes my husband, Bob. We’ve been together for more than 50 years, and our daughter Cybel, who lights up our life. My family also includes my cousins and sisters, both my half-sister Annette Bonner and step-sister Carolyn Mitchell. My friends are also the people that I choose to work with. That would be Joy Johnson of “A Joyful Event, Jackie Wszalek of Splash Printing, and Diana Gregory of Gregory Fresh Market, who was once a client of mine. The books that I most enjoy reading are some of my training manuals. I always want to refresh my skills when I do my transformational leadership work. As a lifelong learner and a person of faith, I read, study, and enjoy life and the people I get to work with. One book I “browse through” occasionally that I find calming is, “The Game of Life in Words of Wisdom” by Florence Scovill.

Website: https://positivelypowerful.com/Insights/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pospowjp/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Drjpmartin

Other: https://vimeo.com/manage/videos/728668839 https://vimeo.com/manage/videos/427121133

Image Credits
Some Photos by Taylor Luke, Financial Potion I have the rights to publish these photos