In this episode, Fahd Alhattab sits down with Nora Beatty, VP of People Operations at Cohere, to unpack how small, high-trust teams scale in high-stakes environments. Nora shares her journey from Cohere’s 40-person startup stage to its 500-person rocketship rise—and what she’s learned about leadership, mentorship, and risk along the way.
Together, they break down why the “self-made” leader is a myth, how founders can’t outsource culture, and what it really takes to compete for top talent in an AI-fueled market. Nora explains how Cohere built velocity into its DNA, the invisible costs of hypergrowth, and why the most powerful thing a leader can do is let their team take smart risks—and sometimes fail.
Whether you’re building a team or leading one, this episode is packed with real, practical lessons on trust, growth, and showing up for your people.
Find Nora here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nora-beatty-34b73949/
Nora Beatty
Nora Beatty is the VP of People Operations at Cohere, the security-first enterprise AI company. Known for her sharp people instincts and clarity under pressure, she’s built her career on challenging the myth of the self-made leader. Nora credits mentorship — and a refusal to lead through shame — as the foundation of her leadership philosophy. Today, she’s focused on scaling culture without rigidity, mentoring her team through uncertainty, and redefining what psychological safety actually looks like at work.
