Behind every dip in output is a story: a brilliant mind that works differently, an uncomfortable pain someone quietly pushes through, a policy that was never built for real bodies. I help you find those leaks and turn them into a workplace that's healthier, and genuinely more productive.
Book a conversation
About
Founder & Principal Consultant, Humanly Works.
I started Humanly Works after years of researching what organizations often overlook: the conditions that allow people to do their best work. This project grew out of doctoral research on disability, gender, and employment — fieldwork carried out in Scotland and Peru studying how skilled professionals navigate work alongside chronic pain, caregiving, and organizational expectations. Now based in Canada, I continue building on it, with a growing focus on neurodiversity and the invisible costs of presenteeism.
One conviction came out of all of it: when people are seen as whole human beings, not managed as variables, organizations win too. Performance goes up. Attrition goes down. And the business case takes care of itself.
Organizations already measure outcomes. I help them understand the human conditions that produce them. — Maria Zapata
Services
Consulting, diagnostics, and advisory support for organizations managing long-term impairments, chronic pain, and neurodiversity in their workforce.
Applied research that turns lived experience of impairment and presenteeism into evidence leaders and organizations can use.
Evidence-informed recommendations connecting impairment-inclusive practice to organizational outcomes.
Keynotes, panels, and conversations on chronic pain, neurodiversity, and the future of work.
Process
A conversation to understand your challenge, your context, and what you've already tried.
Evidence and analysis — what your data, your people, and your practices are actually telling you.
Recommendations grounded in research and shaped to work in your real organizational context.
Practical action — support that doesn't disappear after the final slide.
Core offering
The umbrella diagnostic behind everything I deliver — it makes the hidden costs of masked impairment visible, and produces two concrete outcomes for your organization.
An advanced diagnostic audit that benchmarks your organization's hidden presenteeism costs, mapping where employees mask chronic pain and long-term impairments due to traditional corporate biases.
Two outcomes the audit unlocks
A structured operational system that replaces risky medical disclosures with dynamic, traffic-light communication protocols to seamlessly manage fluctuating employee energy levels.
A high-yield performance model that transitions your management team from tracking rigid physical presence to measuring objective outputs — protecting your organization from costly turnover and compliance liabilities.
In their words
Maria helped our company work — and grow — in ways we didn't think were possible. We are forever thankful for her guidance.SofiaEnves Hub Ltd
Maria is so well organized — she helped us upgrade to the next level.MonicaAsanut
Ready to shape a workplace that lasts? Write to maria@humanlyworks.com.