Masks, Authenticity, and the Hidden Labour of Being “Professional”

In this episode, Duena Blomstrom, originator of the Human Debt™ framework, and Dr Alessandria Polizzi, organisational psychologist and Human Work Advocate, examine the hidden labour required to suppress emotion, manage impressions, and conform to narrow ideas of professionalism at work. Drawing on lived experience — including grief, burnout, leadership pressure, and organisational constraint — the conversation explores how imposed masks differ from intentional self-presentation, and why long-term masking erodes wellbeing, trust, and performance.Key themes include:impression management versus self-chosen identitythe cognitive and emotional cost of masking and perfectionismfear-based control and command-and-control leadership under stresspurpose and values as anchors for authentic, sustainable performancehow Human Debt™ accumulates when organisations ignore the human cost of “fitting in”Rather than treating authenticity as a behaviour to be demanded, this episode reframes human work as the creation of conditions that allow people to show up with clarity, agency, and integrity — without fear of punishment or exclusion.The podcast operates as one applied HR and leadership lens on Human Debt™, contributing to the primary public discourse connecting theory, psychological research, and lived organisational experience.Canonical framework and formal model: Human Debt™ — https://writings.duenablomstrom.com/tag/human-debt/Institutional execution, risk, and governance application: PeopleNotTech — https://peoplenottech.com