People Leader Accelerator Podcast

Epizode

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  Episode 46: The HR Career Journey That Came Full Circle (Plus a Look Inside the Latest People Leader Accelerator Cohort) 11.08.2026 18min

  Welcome to the People Leader Accelerator Podcast, where we go behind the curtain on building high-performing organisations with honest conversations between experienced leaders. In this episode, we take a break from the traditional guest interviews and invite you into an informal conversation between hosts, Jess Yuen and Andrew Bartlow. Instead of sharing the spotlight with a guest, they dive into their own lived experiences and perspectives as people leaders, exploring what leadership, culture, and authenticity look like in practice. Today, Andrew and Jess offer a look inside the latest People Leader Accelerator cohort before exploring the value of leadership development, professional community, and giving back. The 12th People Leader Accelerator cohort brings together an especially experienced group of People leaders from organizations across the United States, Canada, and Australia. Although they work in different industries and organizational environments, the participants share a desire to operate more strategically and become more effective and influential executives. Andrew and Jess explain how the People Leader Accelerator combines established management research with practical application. Rather than presenting one collection of HR “best practices” as universally correct, the program helps leaders consider how factors such as ownership, organizational structure, business goals, and operating conditions should shape their decisions. They also discuss the longer-term impact of the program. More than 80% of surveyed People Leader Accelerator alumni reported being promoted after completing the program, with an average reported pay increase of almost 30%. The conversation then takes a personal turn as Andrew reflects on the graduate program in Human Resources and Industrial Relations at the University of Illinois, which changed the direction of his life and launched his HR career. After graduating from the program, serving on its alumni board, helping to launch a podcast and speaker series, and later returning as a commencement speaker, Andrew has now come full circle. He is co-teaching the master’s-level course Mastering Business Fundamentals alongside his longtime collaborator and co-author, Brad Harris. In this episode, Andrew and Jess discuss: Who is participating in the 12th People Leader Accelerator cohort Why effective People leadership requires more than following popular HR best practices How management research can be applied thoughtfully within different organizational contexts What six years of alumni outcomes reveal about the impact of leadership development How confidence, executive presence, relationships, and career progression can all form part of that impact What distinguishes a valuable professional community from a large network Why returning to teach at the University of Illinois represents such a meaningful full-circle moment for Andrew Listen for an honest and thoughtful conversation about developing more effective People leaders, creating a genuine professional community, measuring long-term impact, and giving back to the institutions that helped shape our careers. For show notes and bonus resources, visit www.PeopleLeaderAccelerator.com/podcast. About The People Leader Accelerator Podcast Our goal with this podcast is simple: to help people leaders navigate the messy, complex, and deeply rewarding work of leading teams and organizations with more clarity, confidence, and community. Whether you’re the first HR hire at a startup or an experienced executive at a company with scale, you’ll find actionable insights you can use right away. We can’t wait to share these conversations with you. Welcome to the journey! Listen, learn, and connect: 🎧 Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts (Apple, Spotify, YouTube). 💡 Find show notes and bonus resources at peopleleaderaccelerator.com/podcast. 📬 Share this episode with a colleague who’s ready to level up as a people leader. 🤝 Connect with your h
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  Episode 45: Speaking the Language of Business as an HR Leader (Jess Yuen and Andrew Bartlow in conversation) 04.08.2026 9min

  Welcome to the People Leader Accelerator Podcast, where we go behind the curtain on building high-performing organisations with honest conversations between experienced leaders. In this episode, we take a break from the traditional guest interviews and invite you into an informal conversation between hosts, Jess Yuen and Andrew Bartlow. Instead of sharing the spotlight with a guest, they dive into their own lived experiences and perspectives as people leaders, exploring what leadership, culture, and authenticity look like in practice. HR does not earn influence by changing its name, adopting more polished language or reporting the metrics it finds most familiar. It earns influence by solving genuine business problems - and by making the commercial value of that work clear to the stakeholders who matter. In this episode, hosts Andrew Bartlow and Jess Yuen examine how people leaders can translate HR activity into organisational outcomes, build credibility with executives and connect their work directly to the company’s most important priorities. Andrew and Jess explore why measures such as engagement, attrition and vacancies may only tell part of the story. They suggest that a business leader may ultimately be more concerned with the unfinished work, reduced capacity or lost revenue behind those indicators. Rather than expecting executives to adopt HR’s internal terminology, people leaders can identify the measures their stakeholders already value and use those measures to explain why action is needed. Jess and Andrew also show how shifting from activity-based descriptions to outcome-based narratives can change the way HR work is understood. A leadership-team prioritisation session is not valuable simply because HR facilitated it; its value lies in improving organisational execution and increasing the likelihood that critical work achieves its goals. Similarly, updating an organisation chart becomes more commercially relevant when it is explained as work designed to strengthen accountability, clarify roles and improve decision velocity. The right narrative depends on the strategic concern at hand: if leaders need the organisation to move faster, HR should clearly connect its work to faster communication, decisions and execution. The conversation offers a practical method for setting priorities: work backwards from the business need. Start with the organisation’s most important current objective, determine which capabilities or changes are required to support it, and then draw a direct line to the relevant people work. This helps HR move beyond process completion and demonstrate how its contribution supports execution, accountability, speed and commercial performance. For show notes and bonus resources, visit www.PeopleLeaderAccelerator.com/podcast. About The People Leader Accelerator Podcast Our goal with this podcast is simple: to help people leaders navigate the messy, complex, and deeply rewarding work of leading teams and organizations with more clarity, confidence, and community. Whether you’re the first HR hire at a startup or an experienced executive at a company with scale, you’ll find actionable insights you can use right away. We can’t wait to share these conversations with you. Welcome to the journey! Listen, learn, and connect: 🎧 Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts (Apple, Spotify, YouTube). 💡 Find show notes and bonus resources at peopleleaderaccelerator.com/podcast. 📬 Share this episode with a colleague who’s ready to level up as a people leader. 🤝 Connect with your hosts: Jessica Yuen: linkedin.com/in/jessicayuen | jessyuen.com Andrew Bartlow: linkedin.com/in/bartlow | peopleleaderaccelerator.com
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  Episode 44: Building Executive Presence From The Inside Out (Jess Yuen and Andrew Bartlow in Conversation) 28.07.2026 20min

  Welcome to the People Leader Accelerator Podcast, where we go behind the curtain on building high-performing organisations with honest conversations between experienced leaders. In this episode, we take a break from the traditional guest interviews and invite you into an informal conversation between hosts, Jess Yuen and Andrew Bartlow. Instead of sharing the spotlight with a guest, they dive into their own lived experiences and perspectives as people leaders, exploring what leadership, culture, and authenticity look like in practice. Why do capable, confident HR leaders sometimes become approval-seeking “yes people” around the CEO? In this episode, Andrew and Jess examine the habits that can prevent senior HR leaders from becoming credible enterprise executives - and what it takes to move beyond responsiveness, perfectionism and flawless execution toward greater perspective, self-direction and influence. The conversation begins with an experienced CHRO who immediately agrees to plan an executive offsite, only to realise later that they do not understand what the CEO wants from it. Andrew and Jess use this example to explore why authority can trigger a “middle school” version of an otherwise accomplished leader: someone focused on being liked, gaining recognition and proving they can deliver. They unpack three forces that can contribute to this response - real differences in power, a lifetime of learned deference and the perfectionist instinct to accept an assignment and execute it well. For HR leaders, the tension can be particularly acute: they are expected to challenge and advise the CEO while knowing that the same person influences their ratings, compensation, title and continued employment. Andrew and Jess also reframe organisational politics as a leadership reality rather than inherently manipulative behaviour. Political awareness does not require cynicism or unethical conduct. It means recognising the stories, interests and motivations influencing how people respond. Executives may all care about the organisation while prioritising different outcomes, including mission, financial performance, efficiency or people. Instead of assuming bad intent, the hosts encourage listeners to separate assumptions from facts and consider both the story they are telling themselves and the story another stakeholder may be telling themselves. The episode also explores the risks of codifying idealised expectations for executive teams. Clear expectations can be useful, but only when leaders are prepared to model, reinforce and be held accountable to them. Andrew and Jess argue that statements about teamwork, enterprise-first decision-making, values or culture can cause real damage when daily conduct, incentives and decisions contradict them. The lesson is not to abandon aspiration, but to ensure it remains credible and connected to organisational reality. At the centre of the discussion is the transition from high-performing executor to enterprise executive. The qualities that often accelerate an HR career - responsiveness, reliability and consistently strong delivery - can eventually become constraints. At the executive table, leaders cannot simply wait to be told what to do. They need to understand what the business and their peers care about, identify the work that matters and be willing to question, clarify and push back when necessary. This is a thoughtful, practical conversation for senior HR leaders ready to move beyond being excellent functional executors and become more credible, self-directed and commercially grounded enterprise executives. For show notes and bonus resources, visit www.PeopleLeaderAccelerator.com/podcast. About The People Leader Accelerator Podcast Our goal with this podcast is simple: to help people leaders navigate the messy, complex, and deeply rewarding work of leading teams and organizations with more clarity, confidence, and community. Whether you’re the first HR hire at a startup or an experienc
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  Episode 43: Culture Is Built One Decision at a Time - with Alex Buder Shapiro 21.07.2026 41min

  Culture is not an HR programme to impose, preserve or package into a set of aspirational statements. It is a commercially relevant operating system: shaped by founder behaviour, grounded in the realities of the business and made credible through the decisions and behaviours leaders consistently reinforce. In this episode, Alex Buder Shapiro, Head of People at Clay, explores what it takes to build an authentic, distinctive culture in a fast-changing company. She explains why senior People leaders need genuine alignment with founders, why the best culture work begins with ingredients already present in the organisation, and how a strong employee experience can become a meaningful advantage when sought-after candidates have several credible opportunities to consider. The conversation examines two of Clay’s operating principles: “negative maintenance” and “non-attached action.” Alex describes negative maintenance as the quiet, continuous work of leaving things better than you found them. Non-attached action combines movement, momentum and iteration with a willingness to let go of any individual answer or method. Together, these ideas show how precise and distinctive language can make behavioural expectations clearer than familiar but broadly interpreted values terminology. Alex also discusses the importance of turning culture into something employees experience rather than simply read about. She shares Clay’s “Starting Fresh at Clay” onboarding exercise, in which new hires examine assumptions and negative experiences carried from previous workplaces before physically shredding what they have written. The exercise began as a quickly launched worksheet and developed through contributions from employees and other teams - an example of why a useful People practice does not always need to be fully polished before it is tested. From there, the discussion tackles one of the most important questions facing executive teams: who actually owns culture? Alex distinguishes between the top-down responsibility to define and support the organisation’s direction and the bottom-up role employees play in revealing how culture is experienced. The People function enables that environment, but it cannot act as its sole architect. Alex describes the People leader as a “cultural archeologist,” observing how the organisation behaves in real time and articulating those patterns honestly and specifically. The episode also challenges the idea that scaling culture means preserving an early version of the company indefinitely. Alex argues for addressing the organisation’s current chapter: observing what is genuinely breaking, waiting until a problem is specific enough to solve and allowing each stage of growth to develop practices suited to its circumstances. This requires judgement about when to intervene, as well as the confidence not to build solutions for hypothetical future problems that have not yet materialised. Finally, Alex considers how AI-native companies operate at the pace of rapidly changing technology and customer behaviour. She argues that established organisations cannot reproduce this tempo simply by introducing AI tools; they must also examine the assumptions, workflows and behaviours that need to be rewired. In these environments, hiring becomes less about matching a fixed checklist and more about curiosity, adaptability, learning agility and what each candidate can teach the organisation. Listeners will come away with practical questions to apply in their own companies: Are your stated values reflected in recent leadership decisions? Does your cultural language describe observable behaviour? Which parts of your employee experience genuinely distinguish you in the talent market? Could an onboarding slide become a tangible experience? Are you solving a current organisational problem or anticipating one that is not yet defined? And, before entering a leadership meeting, do you know what you will contribute beyond absorbing context
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  Episode 42: Harnessing AI for Leadership Development and Organizational Insights - with Ben Perreau of Parafoil 14.07.2026 42min

  Welcome to another episode of the People Leader Accelerator Podcast, where we explore what it really takes to build high-performing organisations. Our guest today is Ben Perreau, Founder and CEO of Parafoil. Ben brings a unique perspective shaped by his diverse background spanning journalism with major media brands, digital transformation, consulting, and organisational change. After two decades of uncovering how teams operate and adapt, Ben now leads Parafoil, an AI-powered platform focused on leadership intelligence and cultural insight for modern enterprises. His deep understanding of both behavioural science and technology makes his perspective particularly relevant to experienced people leaders navigating transformation. In this conversation, we discuss the evolving role of leadership development and the emerging opportunities that new technology, especially AI, presents for HR and executive teams. The core theme centres on how people leaders can build real-time, data-backed understanding of organisational culture and leadership effectiveness - while maintaining trust and privacy. Listeners will gain practical insights into measuring and developing leadership behaviours, building a data-informed people strategy, and identifying microcultures within organisations. Ben shares lessons on balancing technology with the irreplaceable value of human judgement, as well as tangible examples that help people leaders upgrade their approach to organisational diagnostics and behaviour change. Discussion highlights: The limitations of traditional surveys and performance cycles in capturing real-time organisational sentimentApplying cognitive science and psycholinguistics to better understand leadership behaviours through language usePrivacy, data quality, and the ethical considerations in deploying AI-powered tools for people analyticsUsing aggregate conversational data to inform leadership development and cultural transformation strategiesThe importance of identifying and learning from high-performing team rituals and microculturesDifferentiating between individual and enterprise-level insights, and why preserving privacy results in more truthful dataPractical ways technology can supplement (not replace) human judgement in diagnosing organisational needsMetrics and real-world examples on how to assess and demonstrate ROI for leadership and culture programmes This conversation provides a clear-eyed look at how technology is transforming leadership development. Ben's experience underscores that while AI offers new ways to observe culture and behaviours at speed and scale, the value of human connection, context, and judgement is only increasing.  For show notes and bonus resources, visit www.PeopleLeaderAccelerator.com/podcast. About The People Leader Accelerator Podcast Our goal with this podcast is simple: to help people leaders navigate the messy, complex, and deeply rewarding work of leading teams and organizations with more clarity, confidence, and community. Whether you’re the first HR hire at a startup or an experienced executive at a company with scale, you’ll find actionable insights you can use right away. We can’t wait to share these conversations with you. Welcome to the journey! Listen, learn, and connect: 🎧 Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts (Apple, Spotify, YouTube). 💡 Find show notes and bonus resources at peopleleaderaccelerator.com/podcast. 📬 Share this episode with a colleague who’s ready to level up as a people leader. 🤝 Connect with your hosts: Jessica Yuen: linkedin.com/in/jessicayuen | jessyuen.com Andrew Bartlow: linkedin.com/in/bartlow | peopleleaderaccelerator.com
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  Episode 41: AI Adoption, ROI and Governance (Jess Yuen and Andrew Bartlow in Conversation) 07.07.2026 19min

  Welcome to the People Leader Accelerator Podcast, where we go behind the curtain on building high-performing organisations with honest conversations between experienced leaders. In this episode, we take a break from the traditional guest interviews and invite you into an informal conversation between hosts, Jess Yuen and Andrew Bartlow. Instead of sharing the spotlight with a guest, they dive into their own lived experiences and perspectives as people leaders, exploring what leadership, culture, and authenticity look like in practice. This discussion centres on the realities and nuances of AI adoption in organisations, exploring not only the opportunities but also the pitfalls and unintended consequences. Andrew Bartlow and Jess Yuen examine how leaders can balance innovation with intentionality, ensuring that new tools drive business value rather than distraction or wasted investment. Discussion highlights: The risk of adopting AI for its own sake, versus focusing on clear use cases and business value Why tracking token usage alone is a flawed metric for measuring AI impact Lessons from other workplace tools like PowerPoint and Excel - the challenge of quantifying true utility The concept of “financial gravity” and how incentives and costs shape behaviour and culture Real-world examples of setting practical guardrails and prompts to manage AI usage Emerging tools that monitor not only AI output but the work process itself for compliance and skill-building Reflections on AI’s potential as both a productivity booster and a source of distraction The importance of the Four Cs - clarity, communication, consistency, consequences - in guiding teams and AI systems Organisational risks like “AI apocalypse” from uncontrolled proliferation and the need for shared context and documentation Building operational resilience by planning for handoffs, tool ownership, and system dependencies Collectively, this conversation sheds light on the real challenges leaders face as they integrate new technologies into their organisations.  For show notes and bonus resources, visit www.PeopleLeaderAccelerator.com/podcast. About The People Leader Accelerator Podcast Our goal with this podcast is simple: to help people leaders navigate the messy, complex, and deeply rewarding work of leading teams and organizations with more clarity, confidence, and community. Whether you’re the first HR hire at a startup or an experienced executive at a company with scale, you’ll find actionable insights you can use right away. We can’t wait to share these conversations with you. Welcome to the journey! Listen, learn, and connect: 🎧 Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts (Apple, Spotify, YouTube). 💡 Find show notes and bonus resources at peopleleaderaccelerator.com/podcast. 📬 Share this episode with a colleague who’s ready to level up as a people leader. 🤝 Connect with your hosts: Jessica Yuen: linkedin.com/in/jessicayuen | jessyuen.com Andrew Bartlow: linkedin.com/in/bartlow | peopleleaderaccelerator.com
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  Episode 40: Building Outstanding HR Teams and Board Relationships - with Anna Binder 30.06.2026 42min

  Welcome to another episode of the People Leader Accelerator Podcast, where we explore what it really takes to build high-performing organisations. Our guest today is Anna Binder, a seasoned HR executive, board member, and investor. With a career that spans leadership roles at startups and global technology companies such as Asana and MuleSoft, Anna offers a nuanced perspective on scaling teams, navigating organisational change, and shaping the board-level agenda. Her experience as both operator and board member allows her to see leadership and organisational effectiveness through multiple lenses, making her guidance particularly relevant for senior HR leaders and executives. In this episode, we unpack the realities of building a sustainable career in HR leadership while driving business outcomes in dynamic environments. Anna shares her journey leading the People function through significant growth stages, including IPOs and global expansion, and the lessons learned about aligning people strategy with business objectives. The conversation also explores the evolving role of the Chief People Officer, the relationship with boards, and the leadership implications of AI and technology shifts in the workplace. Listeners will come away with straightforward, actionable insights on how to increase their impact as people leaders. Anna delivers hard-earned advice on navigating board dynamics, managing burnout, building outstanding teams, and prioritising ruthlessly through periods of rapid change. Her reflections also provide valuable guidance for those looking to accelerate their HR careers and build deeper credibility with executive teams. Discussion highlights: Key differences in perspective between board members and executive operators, and how people leaders can adapt communication accordingly The importance of understanding the individual priorities of board members to build productive relationships and influence decision-making How to focus on outcomes rather than outputs when preparing board materials or engaging senior stakeholders Approaches for broadening the Chief People Officer remit - including forming People and Culture Committees - even in smaller or early-stage companies Strategies to avoid burnout, including aligning work to clear priorities and building exceptional teams Lessons on ruthless prioritisation during periods of team gaps and high organisational demand The shift in the People function’s role in the context of AI and technology transformation - and why leading, not just partnering, is critical Advice on developing as a business-minded HR leader, including the value of looking beyond conventional HR sources for insight and growth Taken together, this conversation offers a candid and practical exploration of what it means to lead at the intersection of people and business success. Anna’s reflections shine a light on the habits and mindsets that help HR executives thrive across growth stages, work effectively with boards, and drive meaningful impact in their organisations. For show notes and bonus resources, visit www.PeopleLeaderAccelerator.com/podcast. About The People Leader Accelerator Podcast Our goal with this podcast is simple: to help people leaders navigate the messy, complex, and deeply rewarding work of leading teams and organizations with more clarity, confidence, and community. Whether you’re the first HR hire at a startup or an experienced executive at a company with scale, you’ll find actionable insights you can use right away. We can’t wait to share these conversations with you. Welcome to the journey! Listen, learn, and connect: 🎧 Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts (Apple, Spotify, YouTube). 💡 Find show notes and bonus resources at peopleleaderaccelerator.com/podcast. 📬 Share this episode with a colleague who’s ready to level up as a people leader. 🤝 Connect with your hosts: Jessica Yuen: linkedin.com/in/jessicayuen | jessyuen.com Andrew Bartlow: linkedin.com/in/bartlow 
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  Episode 39: Building Trust and Driving Change as an HR Leader - with L. David Kingsley 23.06.2026 43min

  Welcome to another episode of the People Leader Accelerator Podcast, where we explore what it really takes to build high-performing organisations. Our guest today is L. David Kingsley, Chief People Officer at Illumio. With a background spanning management consulting, HR leadership in public and scale-up technology companies, and service as a Navy Reserve intelligence officer, David brings a disciplined, mission-driven perspective to people leadership. His experience working with founder-led startups, large enterprises, and fast-growing teams gives him a valuable lens on the intersection of organisational strategy and human dynamics. In this conversation, we focus on what it means to be of service as a people leader and how to navigate complex change in today’s business environment. David shares lessons from large-scale organisational transformation, the evolution of the HR function, and how leaders can position themselves as critical enablers and trusted advisors to their business. The discussion addresses both the timeless challenges and new realities facing people leaders, especially around technology shifts and alignment with business priorities. Listeners will take away practical strategies for career growth, frameworks for stakeholder management, and clear guidance on building credibility with business leaders. David unpacks the importance of curiosity, business fluency, and continual learning, and offers concrete examples of how HR teams can deliver value in organisations navigating significant change. This episode is particularly relevant for people leaders looking to accelerate their impact and develop the mindsets required to succeed in senior HR and executive roles. Discussion highlights: David’s career journey from management consulting to Chief People Officer and the lessons learned along the way How to balance service to the company, team, and self - adapted from naval leadership principles The evolving role of HR from necessary support to trusted advisor in the business Practical ways people leaders can build credibility by learning the language of the business and aligning with commercial outcomes Approaches to adopting and experimenting with AI as an HR team, and considerations on when to build, buy, or adopt new technologies Navigating vendor negotiations amidst rapid technological change and understanding the true costs of AI adoption The critical role of curiosity for career advancement and problem-solving in people leadership Why clarifying personal purpose and values is essential for long-term growth as an HR leader Managing unarticulated expectations and building effective relationships with CEOs and other business leaders This conversation provides a grounded, experience-based look at the challenges and opportunities for people leaders in dynamic organisations. For show notes and bonus resources, visit www.PeopleLeaderAccelerator.com/podcast. About The People Leader Accelerator Podcast Our goal with this podcast is simple: to help people leaders navigate the messy, complex, and deeply rewarding work of leading teams and organizations with more clarity, confidence, and community. Whether you’re the first HR hire at a startup or an experienced executive at a company with scale, you’ll find actionable insights you can use right away. We can’t wait to share these conversations with you. Welcome to the journey! Listen, learn, and connect: 🎧 Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts (Apple, Spotify, YouTube). 💡 Find show notes and bonus resources at peopleleaderaccelerator.com/podcast. 📬 Share this episode with a colleague who’s ready to level up as a people leader. 🤝 Connect with your hosts: Jessica Yuen: linkedin.com/in/jessicayuen | jessyuen.com Andrew Bartlow: linkedin.com/in/bartlow | peopleleaderaccelerator.com
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  Episode 38: Increasing HR Impact by Aligning People Analytics with Business Strategy - with Cole Napper 16.06.2026 42min

  Welcome to another episode of the People Leader Accelerator Podcast, where we explore the realities of leadership and organizational effectiveness. Our guest today is Cole Napper, the first Chief People Intelligence Officer at HRBench and a recognized leader in people analytics, workforce intelligence, and evidence-based HR strategy. He is the creator of the *People Intelligence Manifesto*, founder of Directionally Correct, LLC, and host of one of the world's leading people analytics podcasts and newsletters. Cole also leads the Data Driven HR Academy, a practitioner-led program that equips HR leaders and people analytics professionals with the skills to operate at the intersection of data, AI, strategy, and decision-making. Throughout his career, Cole has helped organizations transform how they use people intelligence to make better business decisions. His experience spans major global companies including FedEx, Texas Instruments, Toyota, PepsiCo, and Grainger, as well as venture-backed startups such as Motive, Booster, and Orgnostic. He previously served as Vice President of Research and Workforce Intelligence at Lightcast and has become a sought-after advisor, speaker, and consultant on the future of people analytics. Holding both a Ph.D. and M.A. in Industrial-Organizational Psychology, Cole combines academic rigor with extensive real-world experience. In this conversation, we focus on the evolving landscape of people analytics and the growing expectations for HR functions to contribute directly to business outcomes. The discussion goes beyond dashboards and reporting, examining how people leaders can integrate analytics, workforce intelligence, and behavioral science to drive meaningful organizational change. Listeners will come away with practical ideas for making HR data more relevant to executive decision-making and board-level discussions. Cole shares insights on shifting from traditional metrics to actionable intelligence, building business acumen as an HR leader, and aligning people insights with the core priorities of the business. This episode is particularly valuable for those seeking to increase their impact as strategic partners within their organizations. Discussion highlights: Why people analytics is now an organizational necessity rather than a luxury or speciality The convergence of analytics, workforce planning, talent intelligence, and behavioural science functions Common pitfalls in HR reporting and how to tie people metrics directly to financial and business outcomes The importance of developing business acumen within HR and understanding how the business makes money Rethinking traditional HR metrics and focusing on measures that drive executive action Balancing employee, contractor, and technology spend for true workforce productivity The role of accounting nuances (such as capex vs opex) in workforce-related decision making Practical approaches for people analytics across different organizational archetypes, from early-stage startups to major enterprises How people leaders can move from reporting on outcomes to providing actionable recommendations Key advice for HR leaders looking to accelerate their careers and build influence Cole's perspective offers a candid look at how people leaders can move beyond traditional HR practices to become essential contributors to business performance. For show notes and bonus resources, visit www.PeopleLeaderAccelerator.com/podcast. About The People Leader Accelerator Podcast Our goal with this podcast is simple: to help people leaders navigate the messy, complex, and deeply rewarding work of leading teams and organizations with more clarity, confidence, and community. Whether you’re the first HR hire at a startup or an experienced executive at a company with scale, you’ll find actionable insights you can use right away. We can’t wait to share these conversations with you. Welcome to the journey! Listen, learn, and connect: 🎧 Subscribe wherever you ge
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  Episode 37: Prioritization Frameworks To Help People Leaders Drive Organizational Success (Jess Yuen and Andrew Bartlow in Conversation) 09.06.2026 35min

  Welcome to another episode of the People Leader Accelerator Podcast, where we examine the realities of building effective organizations and leading through complexity. In this episode, we take a break from the traditional guest interviews and invite you into an informal conversation between hosts, Jess Yuen and Andrew Bartlow. Instead of sharing the spotlight with a guest, they dive into their own lived experiences and perspectives as people leaders, exploring what leadership, culture, and authenticity look like in practice. The central theme of this discussion is prioritization - how leaders distinguish between what is urgent and what is truly important, and how to maintain focus on the highest-impact work amid continual demands. They explore how people leaders, executives, and founders can clarify organizational priorities, structure their time, and avoid getting lost in day-to-day tasks at the expense of longer-term, strategic goals. Discussion highlights: Why traditional to-do lists are inadequate for the demands of executive leadership roles The critical importance of calendar blocking and turning priorities into dedicated time Frameworks for prioritization, including leveraging the Eisenhower Matrix and the “Leverage, Neutral, Overhead” model The distinction between urgency and importance, and why leaders often conflate the two Practical approaches for managing “sand” tasks versus “big rocks” in daily schedules How to ground people team strategies in direct conversations with business leaders, not just HR best practices Techniques for expectation management and building alignment across the leadership team Challenges unique to HR leaders, including balancing stakeholder requests with high-impact organizational needs This conversation offers a grounded view of the leadership challenges that come with growth and complexity. The insights shared will help people leaders avoid getting sidetracked by low-impact activity, encourage better alignment between HR and business strategy, and support effective prioritization in demanding environments. For show notes and bonus resources, visit www.PeopleLeaderAccelerator.com/podcast. About The People Leader Accelerator Podcast Our goal with this podcast is simple: to help people leaders navigate the messy, complex, and deeply rewarding work of leading teams and organizations with more clarity, confidence, and community. Whether you’re the first HR hire at a startup or an experienced executive at a company with scale, you’ll find actionable insights you can use right away. We can’t wait to share these conversations with you. Welcome to the journey! Listen, learn, and connect: 🎧 Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts (Apple, Spotify, YouTube). 💡 Find show notes and bonus resources at peopleleaderaccelerator.com/podcast. 📬 Share this episode with a colleague who’s ready to level up as a people leader. 🤝 Connect with your hosts: Jessica Yuen: linkedin.com/in/jessicayuen | jessyuen.com Andrew Bartlow: linkedin.com/in/bartlow | peopleleaderaccelerator.com
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  Episode 36: Navigating Rapid Change and Innovation in People Leadership with - AJ Thomas 02.06.2026 28min

  Welcome to the People Leader Accelerator Podcast, where we examine what it genuinely takes to lead, scale, and evolve effective organisations. Our guest for this episode is AJ Thomas, an accomplished executive with a remarkable track record across talent, HR operations, business strategy, and the early-stage venture ecosystem. Having served in pivotal roles at Alphabet’s Moonshot Factory (Google X) and as a founder and general partner at an early-stage venture firm, AJ Thomas brings a rich, multidisciplinary perspective to the evolving world of people leadership. AJ Thomas’s hands-on experience spans leading global talent initiatives, designing organisational culture, and advising both startups and established enterprises as they navigate innovation and change. This conversation focuses on the vital role of experimentation, curiosity, and first principles thinking in shaping effective HR leadership. Against a backdrop of technological transformation, including the rising influence of generative AI, we dig into how people leaders can remain grounded in the human aspects of their roles while effectively driving innovation and business outcomes. Discussion highlights: Navigating a non-linear career path and the value of being a “super learner” The power of experimentation in HR and why learning from failed experiments is critical How to design experiments with clear objectives, “kill criteria,” and real business impact in mind The importance of challenging the status quo by first getting deeply curious about it Integrating people strategy with AI and technology-driven change, without losing sight of human outcomes Lessons from applying rapid testing and iteration in high-stakes environments like Google X Why starting with the business goal - and not just the solution - drives more meaningful change Practical frameworks for aligning HR initiatives to measurable organisational outcomes The courage it takes to unsell ideas and prioritise what will truly support business and people growth This episode offers candid insight into the leadership qualities and practical tools needed to guide organisations through uncertainty and change. For show notes and bonus resources, visit www.PeopleLeaderAccelerator.com/podcast. About The People Leader Accelerator Podcast Our goal with this podcast is simple: to help people leaders navigate the messy, complex, and deeply rewarding work of leading teams and organizations with more clarity, confidence, and community. Whether you’re the first HR hire at a startup or an experienced executive at a company with scale, you’ll find actionable insights you can use right away. We can’t wait to share these conversations with you. Welcome to the journey! Listen, learn, and connect: 🎧 Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts (Apple, Spotify, YouTube). 💡 Find show notes and bonus resources at peopleleaderaccelerator.com/podcast. 📬 Share this episode with a colleague who’s ready to level up as a people leader. 🤝 Connect with your hosts: Jessica Yuen: linkedin.com/in/jessicayuen | jessyuen.com Andrew Bartlow: linkedin.com/in/bartlow | peopleleaderaccelerator.com
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  Episode 35: AI Meets HR - How OpenAI’s People Innovation Labs Are Simplifying Workflows - with Dylan Vassallo 26.05.2026 42min

  Welcome to another episode of the People Leader Accelerator Podcast, where we explore what it really takes to build high-performing organisations. Our guest today is Dylan Vassallo, an engineering leader at OpenAI, where he leads the People Innovation Labs team. Dylan brings a unique blend of technical expertise and a deep passion for people operations, having previously held impactful roles at Khan Academy and Stripe. His background in both engineering management and HR innovation gives him a distinctive perspective on how cutting-edge technology can empower and transform people teams. In this conversation, we discuss the strategic and practical considerations behind building internal tools for people teams at scale. Dylan shares how OpenAI balances the decision to build versus buy people systems, the importance of simplifying employee workflows, and how AI is enabling new levels of efficiency and impact for people operations. The episode delves into the nuances of aligning technology, culture, and operational realities as organisations expand rapidly. Listeners will come away with actionable insights on optimising people processes, fostering a culture of experimentation, and navigating the trade-offs of introducing new technologies within HR. Dylan also shares tips on how HR leaders can adopt a builder’s mindset, pilot solutions, and partner effectively with engineering teams, even in resource-constrained environments. Discussion highlights: Why OpenAI created a dedicated People Innovation Labs team to address organisational challenges during periods of hypergrowth Balancing “build vs. buy” decisions and creating user-friendly layers on top of complex HR systems The importance of simplifying employee experiences by curating paved paths through HR workflows How to assess when an organisation is ready for custom internal tools based on operational complexity and compliance demands The role of cross-functional collaboration with security, legal, and other stakeholders when implementing people technology Common pitfalls in rolling out HR tech, including the need for strong operational support and sustainable adoption Encouraging a culture of curiosity, experimentation, and iterative improvement within HR teams Practical strategies for fostering a mindset of continuous learning and career growth in people leadership This conversation is a grounded exploration of how technology and people strategy intersect as organisations grow. For show notes and bonus resources, visit www.PeopleLeaderAccelerator.com/podcast. About The People Leader Accelerator Podcast Our goal with this podcast is simple: to help people leaders navigate the messy, complex, and deeply rewarding work of leading teams and organizations with more clarity, confidence, and community. Whether you’re the first HR hire at a startup or an experienced executive at a company with scale, you’ll find actionable insights you can use right away. We can’t wait to share these conversations with you. Welcome to the journey! Listen, learn, and connect: 🎧 Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts (Apple, Spotify, YouTube). 💡 Find show notes and bonus resources at peopleleaderaccelerator.com/podcast. 📬 Share this episode with a colleague who’s ready to level up as a people leader. 🤝 Connect with your hosts: Jessica Yuen: linkedin.com/in/jessicayuen | jessyuen.com Andrew Bartlow: linkedin.com/in/bartlow | peopleleaderaccelerator.com
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  Episode 34 - Navigating AI-Driven Efficiency and Headcount Impacts for HR Leaders (Jess Yuen and Andrew Bartlow in Conversation) 19.05.2026 26min

  Welcome to another episode of the People Leader Accelerator Podcast. In this episode, we take a break from the traditional guest interviews and invite you into an informal conversation between hosts, Jess Yuen and Andrew Bartlow. Instead of sharing the spotlight with a guest, they dive into their own lived experiences and perspectives as people leaders, exploring what leadership, culture, and authenticity look like in practice. This episode centres on the real impact of artificial intelligence on productivity, headcount, and organizational structure. Andrew and Jess discuss how recent technology-driven layoffs in major companies, the drive for efficiency in tech and high-growth environments, and the practicalities of leveraging AI tools are reshaping management practices and leadership demands. They examine whether the wave of workforce reductions is truly about AI-driven efficiency or if other factors, such as investor pressure and post-pandemic organizational changes, also play a critical role. Discussion highlights: The current wave of tech layoffs and whether AI is the real cause or a convenient narrative How leaders can approach organizational “flattening” and wider spans of control with caution The unique challenges and risks of managing large numbers of direct reports Investor and board pressures shaping productivity and technology adoption in HR The pitfalls of pursuing AI for its own sake rather than solving specific business problems Key factors to consider before replacing complex systems with AI or no/low-code solutions The importance of evaluating the complexity and sensitivity of business processes before deciding whether to build or buy solutions Practical strategies for team leaders to identify use cases, measure ROI, and avoid common technology traps Taken together, this conversation delivers a thoughtful look at what it takes to lead organizations through waves of change, especially as AI and new technology reshape job roles and leadership responsibilities.  For show notes and bonus resources, visit www.PeopleLeaderAccelerator.com/podcast. About The People Leader Accelerator Podcast Our goal with this podcast is simple: to help people leaders navigate the messy, complex, and deeply rewarding work of leading teams and organizations with more clarity, confidence, and community. Whether you’re the first HR hire at a startup or an experienced executive at a company with scale, you’ll find actionable insights you can use right away. We can’t wait to share these conversations with you. Welcome to the journey! Listen, learn, and connect: 🎧 Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts (Apple, Spotify, YouTube). 💡 Find show notes and bonus resources at peopleleaderaccelerator.com/podcast. 📬 Share this episode with a colleague who’s ready to level up as a people leader. 🤝 Connect with your hosts: Jessica Yuen: linkedin.com/in/jessicayuen | jessyuen.com Andrew Bartlow: linkedin.com/in/bartlow | peopleleaderaccelerator.com
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  Episode 33: From Employment Lawyer to Chief People Officer - with Guissu Baier from GoFundMe 12.05.2026 42min

  Welcome to another episode of the People Leader Accelerator Podcast, where we dive into what it truly means to lead teams and build effective organisations. Our guest today is Guissu Baier, Chief People Officer at GoFundMe. With a diverse background as both an employment attorney and people executive, Guissu brings unique perspective from her time at Visa, Instacart, venture capital firm General Catalyst, and as a co-founder of The People Collective. Her experience spanning high-growth startups, large enterprises, and investor advisory roles gives her uncommon insight into the challenges and opportunities people leaders face as organisations evolve. In this conversation, we examine the real-world complexities of leadership development, the evolving role of people leaders, and the nuances of career growth in HR. The episode explores the contrast between operating roles and advisory positions, offers a candid look at working with stakeholders like legal and investors, and highlights the decisions that matter most as organisations scale or adapt. Discussion highlights: Guissu’s unconventional career progression from employment law to Chief People Officer Building partnerships between HR and legal teams, including practical tips for reducing friction Determining when organisations need in-house employment counsel and the variables that affect hiring decisions Lessons learned from moving between in-house HR leadership, consulting, and venture capital advisory work Common missteps founders make when hiring their first people leaders and how to clarify people team roles Why pattern recognition helps but doesn’t replace context-specific judgement in talent decisions Navigating personal career transitions - what to look for in your next operating or advisory role Taken together, this conversation offers grounded insight into the multifaceted nature of HR leadership. Guissu shares practical lessons on building impactful partnerships, making the right career decisions, and focusing on the outcomes that matter most for your organisation and your own growth. People leaders who want to deepen their influence, whether inside fast-scaling companies or in investor advisory roles, will find plenty to reflect on and apply. For show notes and bonus resources, visit www.PeopleLeaderAccelerator.com/podcast. About The People Leader Accelerator Podcast Our goal with this podcast is simple: to help people leaders navigate the messy, complex, and deeply rewarding work of leading teams and organizations with more clarity, confidence, and community. Whether you’re the first HR hire at a startup or an experienced executive at a company with scale, you’ll find actionable insights you can use right away. We can’t wait to share these conversations with you. Welcome to the journey! Listen, learn, and connect: 🎧 Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts (Apple, Spotify, YouTube). 💡 Find show notes and bonus resources at peopleleaderaccelerator.com/podcast. 📬 Share this episode with a colleague who’s ready to level up as a people leader. 🤝 Connect with your hosts: Jessica Yuen: linkedin.com/in/jessicayuen | jessyuen.com Andrew Bartlow: linkedin.com/in/bartlow | peopleleaderaccelerator.com
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  Episode 32: Navigating Change and Building Influence as an HR Leader - with Teresa Lilly 05.05.2026 46min

  Welcome to another episode of the People Leader Accelerator Podcast, where we explore what it really takes to accelerate careers and build high-performing organizations. Our guest today is Teresa Lilly, an experienced HR leader and fractional CPO who has navigated the people leadership landscape across the US and Australia. With over a decade spent scaling tech startups from early to growth stages, advising founders, and now helping multiple organizations as a consultant and interim executive, Teresa Lilly offers a candid perspective on the practical realities of change leadership, executive relationships, and adapting people strategy to diverse business contexts. In this episode, we focus on the leadership challenges of managing organizational change, aligning HR and business strategy, and building the relationship between people leaders and CEOs. Teresa Lilly shares lessons from change-heavy environments, the impact of local employment regulations, and what she wishes more HR professionals understood about their own influence. Listeners will gain a wealth of practical insights on navigating organizational transitions, building credibility with executive teams, and stepping into consulting or fractional leadership roles. Teresa Lilly provides grounded advice on influencing company direction, managing personal values amid business pressures, and making the leap from in-house operator to advisory roles. Discussion highlights: How a non-traditional background and international move shaped Teresa Lilly’s approach to people leadership The emotional and relational costs of sustained organizational change - and how leaders can address them Practical strategies for planning and communicating major changes, such as CEO transitions The critical role of managers in helping teams process and adapt during change Why the HR-CEO relationship is pivotal, and techniques to “stress test” alignment early in a new role Recognizing when values and beliefs between HR and leadership are too misaligned to reconcile The realities of moving from in-house roles to fractional or consulting work, including building trust and managing context-switching How to structure fractional CPO work across multiple clients without losing effectiveness The trade-offs between flexibility, influence, and workload as a consultant versus an in-house HR leader Key differences between US and Australian startup ecosystems, particularly regulatory impacts on people practices Advice on how to build career growth, credibility, and influence - regardless of organizational context The importance of understanding your business and speaking its language as a people leader This conversation offers a nuanced, experience-based look into the trade-offs and decisions people leaders face when managing organizational transitions and shaping people strategy. Teresa Lilly’s insights into executive relationships, practical change management, and the realities of consulting are relevant for HR leaders, founders, and executives alike. Whether you are scaling a startup, considering a shift to advisory work, or navigating the unique challenges of your region’s ecosystem, the lessons here provide actionable guidance and candid reflection for your leadership journey. For show notes and bonus resources, visit www.PeopleLeaderAccelerator.com/podcast. About The People Leader Accelerator Podcast Our goal with this podcast is simple: to help people leaders navigate the messy, complex, and deeply rewarding work of leading teams and organizations with more clarity, confidence, and community. Whether you’re the first HR hire at a startup or an experienced executive at a company with scale, you’ll find actionable insights you can use right away. We can’t wait to share these conversations with you. Welcome to the journey! Listen, learn, and connect: 🎧 Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts (Apple, Spotify, YouTube). 💡 Find show notes and bonus resources at peopleleaderaccelerator.com/podc
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  Episode 31: Navigating Talent Advisory and Executive Search Across Europe - with Puren Ucar 28.04.2026 32min

  Welcome to another episode of the People Leader Accelerator Podcast, where we explore what it really takes to build high-performing organisations. Our guest today is Puren Ucar, one of Europe’s original venture capital talent partners, and now an independent advisor working closely with founders and VC firms across the UK and Europe. With a background in executive search and years spent building out talent functions for leading venture firms, Puren brings a unique, insider’s view of both the operational and strategic sides of scaling leadership teams inside high-growth companies. In this episode, we explore the evolution of the talent function within VC-backed organisations, the shift from talent acquisition to advisory, and the practical realities of supporting founders as they scale teams and navigate critical leadership hires. We also examine how emerging tools like AI are influencing executive search and networking, and delve into the personal side of working closely with ambitious founders. Listeners will gain practical, candid insight into what it takes to build and support executive teams—from diagnosing organisational needs, to coaching founders through decision-making, to leveraging frameworks that balance business needs with human dynamics. Leaders will also hear about effective approaches to founder advisory, common misconceptions in hiring, and lessons for building trust with both founders and boards. Discussion highlights: Shifting from embedded executive talent acquisition to strategic talent advisory for portfolio companies Building frameworks and playbooks that help diagnose organisational challenges and guide leadership hiring The importance of starting every search by clarifying the true capability needs of the businessTactics for engaging founders deeply in the search and selection process—including bespoke scorecards and benchmarking conversations Addressing the emotional and psychological elements underlying leadership hiring decisions How leadership traits valued in the UK or Western Europe may differ from those prioritised in Eastern European contexts The impact of AI tools on sourcing and networking—what changes and what remains uniquely human Trends in using psychometric assessments within VC-backed organisations and their alternatives“IC” work at the executive level—why hands-on curiosity and continued learning are increasingly valued alongside traditional management skills How AI fluency is influencing the composition and nurturing of today’s executive networksWhy founder alignment, safe spaces, and clear role boundaries are essential for successful C-level searches Practical advice for people leaders: prioritising hands-on learning, leveraging peer insights, and building a network that adapts to changing organisational needs This conversation sheds light on the realities of building and advising executive teams in high-growth environments, where business strategy and people dynamics intersect. For senior people leaders and founders, the insights shared here offer both tactical takeaways and a reminder that effective leadership is as much about human connection as it is about frameworks and process. For show notes and bonus resources, visit www.PeopleLeaderAccelerator.com/podcast. About The People Leader Accelerator Podcast Our goal with this podcast is simple: to help people leaders navigate the messy, complex, and deeply rewarding work of leading teams and organizations with more clarity, confidence, and community. Whether you’re the first HR hire at a startup or an experienced executive at a company with scale, you’ll find actionable insights you can use right away. We can’t wait to share these conversations with you. Welcome to the journey! Listen, learn, and connect: 🎧 Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts (Apple, Spotify, YouTube). 💡 Find show notes and bonus resources at peopleleaderaccelerator.com/podcast. 📬 Share this episode with a colleague who’s ready to level up as a p
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  Episode 30: How Hypergrowth Companies Balance Speed And Talent Quality - with Maryanne Caughey and Charles Guillemet from Lovable 21.04.2026 48min

  Welcome to another episode of the People Leader Accelerator Podcast, where we explore what it really takes to build high-performing organisations. Our guests today are Maryanne Caughey, Head of People at Lovable, and Charles Guillemet, Head of Recruiting at Lovable. Between them, they bring decades of experience leading people and talent functions at world-class technology organisations, including Google, Dropbox, Notion, Meta, Neuralink, and Gusto. Their perspective is highly relevant for leaders building teams at the intersection of culture, talent strategy, and breakthrough technology. This episode centers on the realities and challenges of building organisational culture, systems, and talent processes in an environment defined by hypergrowth and rapid technological change. Jess Yuen, Andrew Bartlow, Maryanne Caughey, and Charles Guillemet discuss how Lovable, a leading AI-native company, scales its team and leadership practices while navigating intense competition and a fast-moving market. Listeners will walk away with grounded insights into what it means to operationalize people strategy for speed without sacrificing trust, quality, or culture. The conversation unpacks practical approaches to hiring, compensation, decision-making, and performance management, as well as the core leadership habits required to succeed in dynamic, founder-led environments. Discussion highlights: The impact of founder involvement and talent obsession on early hiring and culture formation Why Lovable prioritizes “systems over heroics” to enable both speed and quality in people processes Practical approaches to removing compensation as a barrier and building trust through transparent pay structures The value of direct culture diagnosis and the importance of understanding founder DNA when shaping talent strategy How high-growth companies balance the need to unlearn past habits and adapt to new organisational contexts Examples of rapid decision-making, such as evolving location strategy and the willingness to reverse previously “irreversible” choices Early implementation of scalable HR and recruiting systems, often years ahead of company age The reality of work intensity and the deliberate setting of expectations with candidates and employees Approaches to performance management that decouple compensation from reviews to favor shipping and growth How AI is integrated into talent and operations, and what “AI fluency” looks like for hiring and career growth Rethinking headcount planning and prioritisation in a context of uncertainty and rapid change The interplay between high trust, direct feedback, and the ability to course-correct quickly as an organisation This conversation offers practical, experience-driven guidance for senior HR and business leaders looking to build high-performance organisations in uncertain and fast-moving markets. Maryanne Caughey and Charles Guillemet share not just frameworks, but also lived experience scaling teams where stakes are high, expectations are explicit, and learning cycles are short. For leaders navigating similar environments, there is much here to reflect on, whether you are building your first systems, rethinking people strategy for the AI era, or working to harmonise trust, culture, and operational excellence. For show notes and bonus resources, visit www.PeopleLeaderAccelerator.com/podcast. About The People Leader Accelerator Podcast Our goal with this podcast is simple: to help people leaders navigate the messy, complex, and deeply rewarding work of leading teams and organizations with more clarity, confidence, and community. Whether you’re the first HR hire at a startup or an experienced executive at a company with scale, you’ll find actionable insights you can use right away. We can’t wait to share these conversations with you. Welcome to the journey! Listen, learn, and connect: 🎧 Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts (Apple, Spotify, YouTube). 💡 Find show notes and bonus resources a
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  Episode 29: Empowering Technical Leaders Through Effective Coaching Strategies - with Kevin Rice 14.04.2026 41min

  Welcome to another episode of the People Leader Accelerator Podcast, where we explore what it really takes to build high-performing organisations. Our guest today is Kevin Rice, an executive coach who previously led product and engineering teams through rapid growth at companies like Airbnb. Drawing on a background that bridges hands-on technical management and leadership coaching, Kevin now partners with heads of product, heads of engineering, and CEOs, helping leaders evolve as their organisations scale. With experience developing people processes in high-growth environments and supporting leaders through changing responsibilities, Kevin brings a unique perspective to supporting both leadership and people teams. This episode centres on the evolving challenges faced by technical leaders, particularly as their teams expand and the demands of scale intensify. We discuss the tension between technical expertise and people management, how leaders can determine where their time and focus are most valuable, and the critical partnership between HR and technical functions as companies evolve. Discussion highlights: Why technical leaders often face distinct scaling challenges as their teams become the largest in the company The trap of comparing leadership roles to external models rather than identifying what the company uniquely needs Practical frameworks for leaders to prioritise responsibilities based on position, skills, context, and passion How high growth in technical functions drives early development of people processes such as levelling and performance rubrics The value of 360 feedback for surfacing hidden or unspoken development needs Navigating the “brilliant but difficult” leader dynamic and the importance of coaching readiness Critical distinctions between coaching for growth and coaching as part of performance management Setting clear performance expectations as a prerequisite for successful coaching engagements The importance of engaging coaching proactively during major leadership transitions or team scale Structuring effective collaboration and information flows between HR, direct managers, and external coaches Measuring the ROI of executive coaching and the leverage of investing in leadership capability Five hidden obstacles to scaling teams, including role drift, decision bottlenecks, shared mental models, process avoidance, and tenured employee resistance Taken together, this discussion offers a practical roadmap for people leaders working alongside technical executives in dynamic, scaling environments. The episode surfaces both the hidden pitfalls and proven tools for accelerating leadership growth, structuring effective partnerships with HR, and ensuring that coaching has a measurable and lasting impact. For those supporting technical talent or navigating rapid organisational change, these insights offer valuable guidance for developing high-performing teams and resilient leadership. For show notes and bonus resources, visit www.PeopleLeaderAccelerator.com/podcast. About The People Leader Accelerator Podcast Our goal with this podcast is simple: to help people leaders navigate the messy, complex, and deeply rewarding work of leading teams and organizations with more clarity, confidence, and community. Whether you’re the first HR hire at a startup or an experienced executive at a company with scale, you’ll find actionable insights you can use right away. We can’t wait to share these conversations with you. Welcome to the journey! Listen, learn, and connect: 🎧 Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts (Apple, Spotify, YouTube). 💡 Find show notes and bonus resources at peopleleaderaccelerator.com/podcast. 📬 Share this episode with a colleague who’s ready to level up as a people leader. 🤝 Connect with your hosts: Jessica Yuen: linkedin.com/in/jessicayuen | jessyuen.com Andrew Bartlow: linkedin.com/in/bartlow | peopleleaderaccelerator.com
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  Episode 28: Bridging Academic Insights and Business Practice - with Brad Harris from HEC Paris 07.04.2026 36min

  In this episode of the People Leader Accelerator Podcast, we welcome Brad Harris, Professor of Management and Human Resources and Associate Dean at HEC Paris. Brad brings an exceptional blend of academic rigour and deep practical experience, having taught, researched, and consulted across several continents. As a co-author of Scaling for Success and one of the core faculty members in the People Leader Accelerator program, his perspective is especially relevant for executives shaping organisational effectiveness and people strategy. Brad’s background bridges academic research with on-the-ground leadership, advisory, and program delivery for high-growth companies. His understanding of team dynamics, leadership development, and organisational behaviour equips him to pinpoint the real challenges people leaders encounter, including those intrinsic to scaling teams, driving alignment, and navigating executive decisions. This episode centres on the realities of building and leading high-performing teams. The discussion dives into what leaders consistently get wrong about teamwork, the critical design elements of effective teams, and the essential (but often misunderstood) balance between clarity, empowerment, and control. Brad and the hosts, Jess Yuen and Andrew Bartlow, unpack the “messy middle” where most organisations and leaders operate and share tangible approaches for aligning people and business priorities. Listeners will gain actionable insights into diagnosing team effectiveness, optimising goal setting for clarity and alignment, and approaching empowerment in complex environments. Brad’s advice is grounded in research but always tailored to the practical realities of leadership, offering new ways for people leaders to support executives, make better trade-offs, and accelerate their own impact. Discussion highlights: Why HEC Paris is a leading business school and how global experience shapes HR and leadership practice The origins of Scaling for Success and the development of People Leader Accelerator Realities of partnership and collaboration between business and academia Bridging the academic-practice gap: why thoughtful, evidence-based leadership is essential and practical Common myths about teamwork and the overlooked importance of team design versus “feel-good” factors Understanding and balancing the “collaboration tax” with collaboration gains in teams Leadership archetypes: the “prophet” versus the “mule driver” and the dangers of extremes How complexity and context should determine leadership style and team decision-making Practical frameworks for increasing team clarity, alignment, and effectiveness Why effective goal setting requires meaningful trade-offs, not just standard outcomes like “increase revenue” The two-sided problem of empowerment and the challenges leaders face when letting go Strategies for HR leaders to align with CEOs and drive purposeful conversations about priorities and personal growth This conversation offers people leaders a grounded look at what it actually takes to foster effective teams and drive organisational performance. Brad’s practical frameworks and coaching stories clarify how leaders can apply academic insights without overcomplicating their approach - and why clear alignment and the right strategic bets matter most. For HR executives, founders, and those supporting high-growth businesses, these lessons offer actionable prompts to elevate leadership, influence strategy, and empower teams. For show notes and bonus resources, visit www.PeopleLeaderAccelerator.com/podcast. About The People Leader Accelerator Podcast Our goal with this podcast is simple: to help people leaders navigate the messy, complex, and deeply rewarding work of leading teams and organizations with more clarity, confidence, and community. Whether you’re the first HR hire at a startup or an experienced executive at a company with scale, you’ll find actionable insights you can use right away. We can’t w
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  Episode 27: Transforming HR Through Community and Innovation - with Stephen Huerta from the Modern People Leader Podcast 31.03.2026 44min

  Welcome to the People Leader Accelerator Podcast, the show where we dive into the realities of building effective organisations and accelerating the careers of people leaders. Our guest today is Stephen Huerta, co-founder of The Modern People Leader Podcast, founder of Huertonomics, and an experienced HR entrepreneur. With a career spanning HR consulting, corporate roles at Goldman Sachs, and multiple ventures in HR tech and media, Stephen brings a seasoned perspective about both the operational and strategic sides of people leadership. His work as a podcaster and advisor has connected him with hundreds of leaders across startups, scaling companies, and enterprise organisations, making him uniquely positioned to comment on the evolving landscape of HR, leadership, and organisational culture. In this conversation, we explore how HR leaders can expand their impact, adapt to shifting trends in people strategy, and navigate the challenges of building meaningful community - both within organisations and across the wider HR ecosystem. We discuss the practicalities of career development, entrepreneurship in HR, and why community-driven approaches are reshaping how leaders learn, build networks, and make decisions. Listeners will gain actionable insights on advancing their own leadership careers, building engaging workplace cultures, and responding strategically to new challenges such as AI adoption and shifting stakeholder expectations. Stephen’s candid reflections offer guidance for people leaders looking to grow their network, refine their skills, and exert greater influence inside their organisations. Discussion highlights: The accidental career path into HR - and why curiosity drives lasting impact Lessons learnt from corporate HR and entrepreneurial ventures in services, SaaS, and media The origin story of The Modern People Leader podcast and its evolution from a side project to a thriving community Why communication and PR skills are increasingly essential for HR executives Observations on how remote-first and AI-forward companies are shaping new operating models for people functions How HR leaders can synthesise market trends and adapt to evolving organisational needs The importance of intentional event design in fostering meaningful professional connections What makes Modern People Leader live events distinct from traditional HR conferences Strategic advice for HR tech founders on go-to-market challenges, including the critical role of peer communities How vendor outreach has shifted - with buying decisions now driven by trusted HR networks rather than cold calls Making tech stack decisions: frameworks for assessing buy, build, borrow, and bot options Practical tips on upskilling, reskilling, and building a network for career acceleration This episode offers a grounded look at the realities of navigating an HR career, expanding your influence, and adapting to new forms of organisational and community leadership. Stephen’s experience highlights both the power of network and the urgency of embracing new skills in today’s environment. For senior HR leaders and executives, the discussion provides a roadmap for cultivating professional connections, making strategic decisions, and investing in your own career growth. For show notes and bonus resources, visit www.PeopleLeaderAccelerator.com/podcast. About The People Leader Accelerator Podcast Our goal with this podcast is simple: to help people leaders navigate the messy, complex, and deeply rewarding work of leading teams and organizations with more clarity, confidence, and community. Whether you’re the first HR hire at a startup or an experienced executive at a company with scale, you’ll find actionable insights you can use right away. We can’t wait to share these conversations with you. Welcome to the journey! Listen, learn, and connect: 🎧 Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts (Apple, Spotify, YouTube). 💡 Find show notes and bonus resources at peopleleaderaccel