What does it take to go from astrophysics to running operations at one of the fastest-growing AI companies in the world?
In this Fan Favorite episode, Cameron Herold sits down with Victoria Weller, former Chief of Staff and now Lead of Operations at ElevenLabs, to revisit one of the show’s most fascinating conversations. Victoria’s path is rare: astrophysics, space medicine, quantum encryption, and Palantir, before landing at the AI voice company reshaping how the world listens.
She breaks down what a Chief of Staff really does at an early-stage startup, how she cleared SOC 2 compliance in seven weeks, and why ElevenLabs grew so fast. They also get into voice cloning, deepfake safeguards, and surprising use cases across hospitals, transit, and accessibility.
Whether you want a COO seat or you are building functions from nothing, Victoria’s story is a masterclass in figuring it out fast. Listen now.
Sponsored by:
Redirect Health – Affordable healthcare benefits designed to make traditional insurance optional, with 24/7 access to primary care and Rx support that helps businesses reduce costs while keeping employees covered.
Learn more: http://www.redirectcoo.com/
Timestamped Highlights
[00:00:44] – The ElevenLabs mission, and why an EPUB can become an instant audiobook
[00:02:55] – Munich to Edinburgh to Berlin to New York: a career across four countries
[00:04:06] – What actually happens to an astronaut’s blood in zero gravity
[00:07:54] – Lasers, quantum encryption, and the pivot toward tech
[00:13:06] – Cameron asks the big ones: aliens, and are we living in a simulation?
[00:19:12] – What ElevenLabs is really building, explained simply
[00:20:50] – How context lets an AI voice sound genuinely sad or genuinely happy
[00:28:12] – The accessibility use cases the team never saw coming
[00:31:03] – Cloning a late loved one’s voice, and the compliance behind it
[00:33:16] – Stopping deepfake voice scams: watermarks and the AI Speech Classifier
[00:38:31] – What a Chief of Staff actually does, and why it feels like a SWAT team
[00:40:32] – Does a great Chief of Staff work themselves out of a job?
[00:47:07] – The advice Victoria would give her 21-year-old self
About the Guest
Victoria Weller is the former Chief of Staff and now the Lead of Operations at ElevenLabs, the AI voice company behind lifelike text-to-speech and voice cloning, where she owns internal operations, compliance, and hiring. She cleared the company’s SOC 2 process in seven weeks. Before ElevenLabs she was a reliability engineer at Palantir Technologies in New York and London. Her background spans astrophysics at the University of Edinburgh, space-medicine research in Berlin, and a master’s in applied physics from Columbia University.
Resources & Mentions
- Palantir
- Columbia University
- Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics
- OpenAI (ChatGPT)
- Midjourney
- There’s An AI For That
- TED
Important Links
- Connect with Cameron: Website | LinkedIn
- Explore the COO Alliance – The World’s Leading Community for Seconds in Command
- Get Cameron’s book: Second in Command: Unleash the Power of Your COO Book
- Claim your FREE copy: Second in Command: Unleash the Power of Your COO Book
- Take his course: Invest In Your Leaders Online Course (Use promo code PODCAST10 before the end of the month for 10% off)
- Chat or video call with AI Cameron via Delphi
Note: This Fan Favorite episode is a recast of one of our most impactful interviews, still packed with insights for second-in-command leaders. Whether it is your first listen or a revisit, there is timeless value inside.
The Second in Command Podcast is an original production hosted by Cameron Herold. Brought to you by COO Alliance. Production and editing by Podcast Your Brand.
Sponsored by:
Redirect Health – Affordable healthcare benefits designed to make traditional insurance optional, with 24/7 access to primary care and Rx support that helps businesses reduce costs while keeping employees covered.
Learn more: http://www.redirectcoo.com/
