Tysha Tolbert is the Founder & CEO of pondHR (formerly Pause & Ponder), an AI-powered B2B SaaS platform dedicated to transforming workplace wellbeing, belonging, and retention. After more than a decade at the forefront of tech sales at Microsoft and Cisco, Tysha recognised that while companies were scaling fast, employee burnout, exclusion, and disengagement were quietly eroding teams from within. So, she created a solution where technology serves people, not the other way around.
With a foundation in computer science and fourteen years of tech industry experience, Tysha made the bold leap into entrepreneurship, combining her expertise in workplace strategy, coaching, and HR analytics to build pondHR. The platform blends certified coaches, licensed counsellors, generative AI, and analytics to help organisations identify what’s working and what’s silently pushing talent away.
A Halcyon Incubator and EquityTech Fellow, Tysha credits the fellowship with accelerating her mission: offering companies a more empathetic, data-informed approach to retention and employee experience. She is also a Certified Executive & Leadership Coach, named a Cloud Technologist Visionary nominee by Women in Cloud, and a featured speaker across platform, including Her Career Ladder and PositiveHire’s speaker series.
Under Tysha’s leadership, pondHR is redefining what it means to thrive at work. The platform has launched pioneering workplace belonging programs, built early traction with enterprise, nonprofit, and local government clients, and continues to support executive leaders with coaching rooted in purpose and performance. With a focus on measurable well-being, AI-powered insight, and scalable innovation, Tysha’s work proves that human-centered leadership and business growth can—and must—coexist.
Driven by a belief that people flourish when seen, heard, and supported, Tysha is reimagining the future of work. One where AI augments connection, not replaces it, and where talent doesn’t just survive, but truly belongs.
Tysha Tolbert is the Founder & CEO of pondHR (formerly Pause & Ponder), an AI-powered B2B SaaS platform dedicated to transforming workplace wellbeing, belonging, and retention. After more than a decade at the forefront of tech sales at Microsoft and Cisco, Tysha recognised that while companies were scaling fast, employee burnout, exclusion, and disengagement were quietly eroding teams from within. So, she created a solution where technology serves people, not the other way around.
With a foundation in computer science and fourteen years of tech industry experience, Tysha made the bold leap into entrepreneurship, combining her expertise in workplace strategy, coaching, and HR analytics to build pondHR. The platform blends certified coaches, licensed counsellors, generative AI, and analytics to help organisations identify what’s working and what’s silently pushing talent away.
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A Halcyon Incubator and EquityTech Fellow, Tysha credits the fellowship with accelerating her mission: offering companies a more empathetic, data-informed approach to retention and employee experience. She is also a Certified Executive & Leadership Coach, named a Cloud Technologist Visionary nominee by Women in Cloud, and a featured speaker across platform, including Her Career Ladder and PositiveHire’s speaker series.
Under Tysha’s leadership, pondHR is redefining what it means to thrive at work. The platform has launched pioneering workplace belonging programs, built early traction with enterprise, nonprofit, and local government clients, and continues to support executive leaders with coaching rooted in purpose and performance. With a focus on measurable well-being, AI-powered insight, and scalable innovation, Tysha’s work proves that human-centered leadership and business growth can—and must—coexist.
Driven by a belief that people flourish when seen, heard, and supported, Tysha is reimagining the future of work. One where AI augments connection, not replaces it, and where talent doesn’t just survive, but truly belongs.
