Episode 5: Unlocking High Performance in People, Process, & VC Partnerships - with Heather Doshay

Welcome to this episode of the People Leader Accelerator Podcast, where we sit down with industry leaders to uncover the real-life insights, strategies, and challenges that shape world-class organizations.

Our guest today is Heather Doshay, the founder of Waypoint Works. Heather joins our hosts, Jess Yuen and Andrew Bartlow, for a thoughtful conversation about her unique journey across tech, VC talent leadership, and organizational development.

Heather shares her insider perspective on the evolving role of VC talent partners, what it’s really like to support hundreds of startup leadership teams, and the lessons she’s carried forward into launching her own independent consultancy. Together, we explore the intersection of people strategy, business fundamentals, and the importance of choosing roles and partners, where you can both thrive and have impact.

We discuss:

• The role of VC talent partners and how in-house HR leaders can work with them

• Building HR foundations for early-stage, high-growth companies and reducing organizational debt

• Navigating sensitive conversations with founders and investors, and practicing discretion as a people leader

• Candid advice on seeking and evaluating jobs for mission, business strength, and alignment with founders

• Heather’s career highlights at Webflow, including scaling through hypergrowth and remote-first challenges

• Practical frameworks for prioritizing HR initiatives - balancing big infrastructure improvements with quick wins

• Strategies for developing empathy and influence as an HR leader, especially when working closely with CEOs

• The pros and cons of formal HR education and alternative paths for professional growth

• How to leverage AI as an HR practitioner, using technology thoughtfully for writing and process improvement

• How community and peer networks can accelerate your effectiveness as a people leader

Heather also announces her new venture, Waypoint Works, and shares her philosophy for building impact through advisory, coaching, and facilitation.

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