Lindsey Martin
Lindsey Martin is the Founder & CEO of Paloma Home Interiors, a sustainable luxury home brand dedicated to heirloom-quality textiles and thoughtfully sourced goods from small, women-owned and artisan-led businesses around the world. She leads the company at the intersection of e-commerce, design, and tech-enabled retail, building a direct-to-consumer and trade platform that emphasizes craftsmanship, customization, and longevity over mass production. Her work focuses on creating meaningful connections between people and the spaces they live in, while supporting global artisan economies through intentional sourcing and design.
Her career journey has been circuitous, spanning nearly two decades in national security and intelligence work. Lindsey held a security clearance and worked in highly sensitive environments, including roles at Booz Allen Hamilton and in support of defense and international security missions involving organizations such as NATO. Her work centered on biometrics, identity systems, and technology strategy, where she advised senior government leaders and supported global counterterrorism and security initiatives. She began her career in intelligence analysis, working in highly controlled, windowless environments briefing senior officials an experience that was impactful but ultimately led her to reflect on the personal cost of that path and her deeper desire to engage more directly with people and cultures.
Over time, and especially after becoming a parent to three children, Lindsey began to re-evaluate how she wanted to contribute both professionally and personally. Her experiences working across cultures and international initiatives, combined with a long-standing appreciation for people and human connection, led her to build something more aligned with her values. Two years ago, she launched Paloma Home Interiors to merge her background in global systems thinking with a mission-driven approach to sustainability and home life. She believes that homes are foundational to how we live and what we pass on to future generations, and that responsible design should honor both people and the planet—an ethos shaped by her global career, her family, and her conviction that meaningful change often begins at home.
• Certificate , Digital Marketing
• Michigan State University - BA, Political Science, Social Policy
• George Mason University - MS, Political Science, Peace Operations
• Next Generation Women Leaders
• Global Leaders, Young Professionals in Foreign Policy
• Michigan State Study Away Program
• NATO SCHOOL OBERAMMERGAU
What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice I've ever received is keep going. I think so often we get overwhelmed by what's next, and we're not really sure what we're doing, and particularly in this phase of life, which feels like my second act. I used to have a job that I could do in my sleep, and now I have taken that and leaned into something that I'm really passionate about, but in doing that, you kind of find yourself in the unknown or the messy middle, and that's when you want to give up the most, because you're just not sure if it's going to work or take off. I've heard again and again to keep going, and when you keep going, you find these little golden nuggets along the way that kind of give you additional wind in your sails so that you can keep going. It's those little milestones, and when you're starting your own business, or you're doing something, building something from the ground up, it can be really scary. You just don't know what is around the corner, whereas in the corporate world, I always did the 9 to 5, and it was pretty static, and I knew the content, and I felt like I was well-versed in it, and I knew what the next step was. In this, I am learning something new every day, and it's a little bit exhausting, but also really exhilarating, and I've never felt more fulfilled than I am in pursuing this next step, probably because it aligns most with my ethos, or mission set. If it's something you're passionate about, if it's something you've always wanted to pursue, don't let the challenges of the day-to-day deter you, just keep going.
What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I think in addition to keep going, you just have to put yourself out there and be a little bit uncomfortable, and it's in the discomfort you kind of grow into your true self. It's all about networking and the people you meet, and when you are passionate about something, I think that it just shows, you know, being your authentic self. Keep going, pursue the things that you love, because when you love them, people can tell, and it is something that will reverberate off of you. The authenticity that it takes to get people to buy into your ideas, you really have to believe in yourself. And when you do, you will go that much further. But it's hard. We always talk about the confidence that you need to get somewhere, but you don't talk about the messy middle and things that you have to go through to be confident. Being uncomfortable and sitting in the discomfort is what will get you to the next step, and so you shouldn't be afraid of that. I recently went to this event on Wednesday, and it kind of reminded me of being a young woman in DC pursuing my first career, where I'd find myself in a room, and I wouldn't know anyone, and I was trying to establish myself, and now here I am at my age, doing the same thing, just with a different background. And it was this full-circle moment, and I think what I realized is that you have to put yourself out there and be a little bit uncomfortable. You have to be okay with the unknown.
Locations
Paloma Home Interiors
Bethesda, MD 20817