Visibility is a superpower for leaders—but building it authentically can feel challenging. On this episode, Surbhi Gupta, host of The Visibility Equation and seasoned product leader, sits down with Lexy Franklin, CEO & Founder of Sidebar, to explore how leaders can own their narrative, amplify their impact, and connect with their authentic selves.
Lexy shares practical strategies on building visibility, overcoming public speaking anxiety, nurturing relationships, and navigating the leadership journey. Together, they dive into inspiring stories, actionable insights, and the realities behind professional growth at leadership levels
🎧 Episode Highlights:
02:28 Key Skills for Success and Visibility
03:26 The Importance of Learning and Mentorship
05:16 Embracing Failure as a Path to Success
08:17 The Power of Asking for Help
18:22 Owning Your Story and Wins
27:00 The Necessity of Visibility
30:52 Embracing Uncertainty and Positive Energy
31:50 The Art of Decision Making
36:56 Building Blocks of Visibility
42:24 The Power of Books and Personal Growth
52:42 Celebrating Success and Leadership
53:55 Final Thoughts and Book Recommendations
Resources
• 🌟 Where to find Surbhi
On LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/surbhi7/
• 💫 Where to find Lexy
On LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/lexyfranklin/
During the conversation Lexy mentioned the following books
Crossing the Unknown Sea, David Whyte
Let My People Go Surfing, Yvon Chouinard
• 🙋♀️ Where to find Women in Product:
On LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/women-in-product/posts/
Website https://womenpm.org/
Join the Community https://womenpm.org/wip-community/
In this episode, we got some straight talk from Teresa Torres, learning how she incorporates her masters in Learning & Development from Northwestern into her design of product learning experiences. Teresa shares invaluable insights about when blogs and podcasts might be enough for your growth—and when training courses may really be what's needed to take you to the next level. Do you know if you have blind spots? Or are you navigating some unique and tricky contexts where a coach can help? This far-ranging episode explores all these concepts with the founder of Product Talk and author of 'Continuous Discovery Habits'.
Teresa discusses the fundamental differences between coaching and training and highlights the importance of deliberate practice in skill development. She offers practical advice on advocating for discovery practices within organizations and provides tips for product leaders to enhance their teams' capabilities. This episode is a must-listen for anyone looking to deepen their understanding of product development and improve their practice through structured learning.
00:00 Introduction to Skill Building and Coaching
00:35 Sponsored Segment: SuperInterviews
01:26 Welcome
01:32 Guest Introduction: Teresa Torres
02:36 The Journey from Coaching to Training
05:06 Understanding the Difference Between Coaching and Training
09:57 The Role of Deliberate Practice in Skill Building
14:54 The Importance of Community and Peer Coaching
21:57 Understanding Business Outcomes
22:23 The Challenge of Opportunity Solution Trees
23:22 Effective Discovery Practices
24:57 Choosing the Right Trainer or Coach
27:29 Reflective Questions for Product Teams
32:50 Advocating for Discovery in Organizations
36:42 The Role of Product Leadership Coaching
40:31 Aligning Sales and Product Teams
45:00 Conclusion and Final Thoughts
📚Resources:
✨Where to find Teresa:
On LinkedIn
💫 Where to find Cassie:
At Cassie Camp - Learn more about product leadership coaching and fractional product leadership
🙋🏻♀️Where to find Women in Product:
Website https://womenpm.org/
Join the Community https://womenpm.org/wip-community/
In this episode, Cassie welcomes Bosky Mukherjee, the prolific founder of PM Dojo and SheTrailblazes, and a veteran product advisor, leadership coach, and trainer. Bosky discusses her journey into product leadership, the formation of PM Dojo, and her mission to support women in product management. The conversation delves into the nuances of product management training versus coaching, the impact of AI on the industry, and strategies for driving cultural shifts within organizations. Bosky also shares insights on balancing humility with confidence and offers practical advice on leveraging coaching to unlock business potential and personal growth.
More about Bosky:
Bosky Mukherjee, an executive tech leader with over 22 years of global experience—spanning early-stage startups to high-growth companies like Atlassian.
She’s the founder of SheTrailblazes and a powerful force for change in how women succeed, thrive, and rise to the top. Through her flagship program, Leadership Edge, Bosky equips women to lead with strategic visibility and executive communication—fast-tracking their path to promotion, all the way to the C-suite, and when the time is right, into entrepreneurship.
Her work isn’t just about career growth. It’s about power, parity, and making sure women aren’t just at the table—but driving the agenda.
Bosky is also the founder of PMDojo, where she helps companies build stronger, more strategic innovation teams—equipping product and technology talent to drive bigger business impact and communicate with executive fluency.
00:00 Introduction and Guest Welcome
00:49 Bosky's Journey into Product Leadership
01:36 Challenges and Realizations in the Executive Room
03:05 Founding PM Dojo and Its Mission
04:50 AI in Product Management
09:41 Training vs. Product Leadership Coaching
11:05 Coaching Styles and Skills Development
15:03 Working with Companies and Teams
18:56 Driving Cultural Shifts in Organizations
23:19 Assigning Dollar Value to Business Transformation
23:33 Navigating Product Leadership Challenges
24:38 Implementing Small Shifts for Big Changes
25:25 Facilitating Business Conversations
26:47 Success Stories and Skill Development
28:39 Working It Out: Lessons from School
30:26 Confidence, Humility, and Curiosity
31:55 Hiring a Coach: When and Why
34:53 Building Community and Networking
38:18 Creative Budget Solutions for Product Teams
44:10 Conclusion and Final Thoughts
📚Resources:
✨Where to find Bosky Mukherjee:
💫 Where to find Cassie:
At Cassie Camp - Learn more about product leadership coaching and fractional product leadership
🙋🏻♀️Where to find Women in Product:
Website https://womenpm.org/
Join the Community https://womenpm.org/wip-community/
Visibility is a superpower for leaders—but building it authentically can feel challenging. On this episode, Surbhi Gupta, host of The Visibility Equation and seasoned product leader, sits down with Lexy Franklin, CEO & Founder of Sidebar, to explore how leaders can own their narrative, amplify their impact, and connect with their authentic selves.
Lexy shares practical strategies on building visibility, overcoming public speaking anxiety, nurturing relationships, and navigating the leadership journey. Together, they dive into inspiring stories, actionable insights, and the realities behind professional growth at leadership levels
🎧 Episode Highlights:
02:28 Key Skills for Success and Visibility
03:26 The Importance of Learning and Mentorship
05:16 Embracing Failure as a Path to Success
08:17 The Power of Asking for Help
18:22 Owning Your Story and Wins
27:00 The Necessity of Visibility
30:52 Embracing Uncertainty and Positive Energy
31:50 The Art of Decision Making
36:56 Building Blocks of Visibility
42:24 The Power of Books and Personal Growth
52:42 Celebrating Success and Leadership
53:55 Final Thoughts and Book Recommendations
Resources
• 🌟 Where to find Surbhi
On LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/surbhi7/
• 💫 Where to find Lexy
On LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/lexyfranklin/
During the conversation Lexy mentioned the following books
Crossing the Unknown Sea, David Whyte
Let My People Go Surfing, Yvon Chouinard
• 🙋♀️ Where to find Women in Product:
On LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/women-in-product/posts/
Website https://womenpm.org/
Join the Community https://womenpm.org/wip-community/
The Visibility Equation is a weekly podcast series that demystifies the art of professional visibility. It is designed to empower ambitious product leaders (and leaders across tech) to own their narratives and amplify their impact. Through in-depth conversations with accomplished leaders in product management, design, and engineering, we'll delve into practical strategies, inspiring stories, and actionable insights to help listeners build visibility without falling into the “humble brag” trap.
This episode is a conversation with Shyvee Shi, Principal Product Manager at Microsoft. Shyvee shares her experience at LinkedIn where she built a large and engaged product community of over 100,000 followers and the more focused building of an AI community at Microsoft. She shares her insight and experience of sharing and building in public, and building spaces for others to share. She touches on how to get started sharing, building visibility inside and outside of your current role, and her passion for learning, sharing with others and supporting people’s learning and growth.
In this episode she shares insight
01:58 Taking Risks
02:09 Overcoming Cultural Barriers
02:49 Career Transition During COVID
03:03 Building a Public Presence
07:20 Choosing the Right Platforms
09:46 Starting the Visibility Journey
18:29 Misconceptions About Professional Visibility
22:25 Nurturing Relationships and Community
27:07 The Myth of Overnight Success
27:19 The Modern Approach to Launching
27:59 Building and Testing Your Ideas
29:09 The Role of a Future of Work Product Builder
30:49 Overcoming Public Speaking Anxiety
32:51 The BRAVE Framework for Public Speaking
38:22 Handling Criticism and Negative Feedback
44:18 Future Plans and Career Reflections
45:40 Advice for Building Professional Visibility
50:15 Conclusion and Final Thoughts
Resources
• 🌟 Where to find Surbhi
On LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/surbhi7/
• 💫 Where to find Shyvee
On LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/shyveeshi/
During the conversation Shyvee mentioned a website that she used early in her journey called, Visualize Value, you can find it here - https://visualizevalue.com
Shyvee also wanted to share a talk from her former VP at Maven on building a personal brand. You can find it here - Lighthouse Lessons on Maven
Shyvee also shared a deep-dive interview she did with a fellow career coach on how we can leverage AI to communicate better: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-To9KdJ9RI8
• 🙋♀️ Where to find Women in Product:
On LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/women-in-product/posts/
Website https://womenpm.org/
Join the Community https://womenpm.org/wip-community/
The Visibility Equation is a weekly podcast series that demystifies the art of professional visibility. It is designed to empower ambitious product leaders (and leaders across tech) to own their narratives and amplify their impact. Through in-depth conversations with accomplished leaders in product management, design, and engineering, we'll delve into practical strategies, inspiring stories, and actionable insights to help listeners build visibility without falling into the “humble brag” trap.
00:00 Introduction to The Visibility Equation
01:25 The Importance of Visibility
02:59 Surbhi's Personal Journey
06:59 Strategies for Building Visibility
11:25 Why Visibility Matters Now
14:55 About the Interviews
18:20 First Episode Preview
Resources
• 🌟 Where to find Elizabeth:
On LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/elizabethames/
• 💫 Where to find Surbhi
On LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/surbhi7/
• 🙋♀️ Where to find Women in Product:
• - Website https://womenpm.org/
• - Join the Community https://womenpm.org/wip-community/
The key to longevity in today’s ever-changing tech landscape? Yes, you’ve heard it before: maintaining a positive outlook and a growth mindset so you can remain as versatile as possible. Easier said than done? Perhaps. But this week’s guest, Japna Sethi, absolutely embodies this. Japna runs the Jira product group at Atlassian, and has turned her origins in physics and materials science into a career that spans hardware design, software development, growth product management, advising, angel investing, even real estate. Hear about her path and be inspired by her advice on networking, lifelong learning, and doubling down on your strengths. Japna encourages us to get to know our authentic selves better, and to engage in regular, healthy bouts of self-reflection.
00:00 Introduction
01:48 An unusual path to product management
06:08 The scientific method works for product, too
09:15 Always be learning
10:13 Double down on your strengths
12:45 Leverage network effects
13:38 How to think about angel investing
15:30 The “Get Sh*t Done” framework
21:00 Why we should be excited about AI
22:50 Save time to explore
24:45 Where to learn more about Japna
📚Resources:
Atlassianhttps://www.atlassian.com/
“Get Shit Done” by Jeffrey GitomerAvailable on Amazon, Kindle, B&N, and bookstores nationwide
Calendlyhttps://www.calendly.com/
Product Boardhttps://productboard.com/
Loopshttps://www.getloops.ai/
Otter.ai
We all want real advice on how to grow a career, right? Meet this week’s guest, Laura Schaffer, Vice President of Growth at DigitalOcean. Laura got her start in sales, and now leads a cross-functional team that includes Growth R&D and Marketing. Prior to DigitalOcean, she built Growth and Product teams at companies like Twilio, Amplitude, and Bandwidth, bringing a depth of experience in product-led growth and experimentation. In conversation with host Shannon Peavey, Laura offers her perspective on making your mark as a product manager, and talks about the power of spending time on validation and fast-fail experimentation.
00:00 Introduction and Sponsor Message
01:48 How a sales job lead to a growth career
06:50 North Star metrics for the win
09:03 How PLG work WITH, not INSTEAD of sales
10:00 Bringing sales “snacks” to yield a “buffet”
18:34 Validation doesn’t have to mean A/B testing
24:00 Experiment fast - and often
27:00 Big wins can come from small changes
30:00 How is product management changing?
33:00 Make time for AI
📚Resources:
Reforgehttps://www.reforge.com/
DigitalOceanhttps://www.digitalocean.com/
Amplitudehttps://amplitude.com/
Bandwidthhttps://www.bandwidth.com/
Twilio
🌟 Where to find Laura:
On LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauraschaffer/
🙋🏻♀️Where to find Women in Product:
On LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/women-in-product/posts/
Website https://womenpm.org/
Join the Community https://womenpm.org/wip-community/
In this episode, Pendo’s senior vice president of product and u/x Nichole Mace talks with host Shannon Peavey about the growth mindset that infiltrates her company’s culture. She illuminates the differences between core product work and product growth work and shares her tips on ways companies can cultivate a collaborative environment, where the spirit of experimentation becomes contagious.
Chapters:
4:05 Why growth needs to be prioritized
6:19 Organizing your mind for pursuing multiple goals
7:50 Cultivating team spirit
9:30 Knowing when the time is right for a growth push
10:50 Why experimentation can be contagious
13:40 Nichole’s path into growth
15:45 Skills for great growth leaders
18:50 How pivots happen: the ZipCar example
21:00 Growth loops are golden
23:00 Nichole’s 6 Core Product Growth Principles
31:00 What’s AI’s impact?
32:15 Life in balance
Where to find Nichole:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nichole-mace-44bb65/
Nichole Mace’s PLG website
https://www.nicholemace.com/
Resources:
Pendo https://www.pendo.io/
Constant Contact https://www.constantcontact.com/
LastPass https://www.lastpass.com/
BevSpot https://bevspot.com/
ZipCar https://www.zipcar.com/
In this episode, product growth leader Sandhya Ganesh talks with host Shannon Peavey about the way Tinder builds product-led growth into its culture and its business strategy. She defines common acronyms for measuring success and shares details of her unique path from engineer to product manager. Sandhya offers advice on developing the right mindset to cultivate explosive success.
Chapters:
1:08: Sandy defines “growth product” and “product-led growth”
5:22 Acronym soup
10:08 Stickiness metrics
11:02 The marketing-product growth partnership
14:14 Sandy’s journey from engineer to growth product manager
19:06 Critical skills and mindset for product growth
21:54 How approaches differ in B2B vs. B2C
26:00 Strengthening relationships with your teammates
28:33 How Tinder tested rewards programs
30:45 The importance of secondary and counter-metrics
33:00 Why to hypothesize when experimenting
34:15 Why failure needs to be part of the culture
Where to find Sandhya:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sandhya-ganesh/
Resources:
Deloitte Consulting https://www.deloitte.com/
Tinder https://tinder.com/
Lending Club https://www.lendingclub.com/
In this episode, host Shannon Peavey welcomes the one and only Elena Verna. But wait, it’s not the illustrious, highly sought-after growth expert herself, but her AI agent, powered by SuperMe. “She” shares deep knowledge from her expansive body of work in growth from Miro to Amplitude to Loveable and shares why company stage matters when thinking through a growth strategy.
Chapters:
1:50: Elena defines PLG
3:45 Skills for aspiring growth PMs
4:20 Choosing the right success metrics
5:58 Why company stage matters to growth strategy
7:10 How companies can get started with growth
8:12 Stories from SurveyMonkey, Miro and Amplitude
10:15 Hitting the ground running at Lovable
11:20 Refining the ICP13:00 Collaborating cross-team
14:00 Personal reflections
Where to find Elena Verna:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elenaverna/
Elena’s SuperMe AI Agent: https://www.superme.ai/elena
Resources:
Elena Verna’s Substack: https://www.elenaverna.com/
SuperMe https://www.superme.ai/
Lovable https://lovable.dev/
Miro https://miro.com/
SurveyMonkey https://www.surveymonkey.com/
Amplitude https://amplitude.com/
Sanity.io https://www.sanity.io/
MongoDB https://www.mongodb.com/
Adobe’s Head of Product-Led Growth shares the joys, challenges and opportunities that come with managing growth efforts at an iconic company. She talks about the power of leveraging a unique customer community and being ready to embrace constant evolution. She lets us in on what she sees as the 3 most valuable skills for product growth managers - and her list may surprise you.Chapters:4:05 Adobe’s proprietary onboarding layer
5:40 Aligning with organizational goals
7:13 Wrangling data across a vast ecosystem
9:48 Critical partnerships: leadership and data science
12:10 How to apply correlation analysis
13:40 Identifying user habits that signal success
15:15 A broad set of funnels
21:30 Deepti’s path to PLG
24:15 Her number-one skill for growth product managers
26:44 AI helps us get to the “so what” faster
31:00 Thinking through the ways your customers want to consume AI
32:40 How product management itself is evolving
Where to find Deepti:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/deeptipradeep/
Resources:
Adobe https://www.adobe.com/
Box https://www.box.com/home
Litmus https://litmus.io/
Deloitte https://www.deloitte.com/in/en.html
AppCues https://www.appcues.com/
Everyone’s talking about GenAI. But adding it to your product isn’t just about chasing what’s new, it’s about making sure it actually makes sense for your users and your long-term strategy.
In this episode, Carmen Palmer, CEO of Women In Product talks with Suba Vasudevan, COO, Mozilla.org and SVP, Mozilla Corp take a look at integrating GenAI into your product roadmap without letting hype override clarity or purpose. Whether you're facing internal pressure to “do something AI,” or you’re genuinely excited by its potential, this conversation will help you avoid common traps like over-scoping, misaligned use cases, or “GenAI theater”, and instead chart a path that’s grounded, scalable, and aligned with your mission.
Suba will be a main stage speaker at the 2025 Women In Product Conference.
00:00 Introduction to Suba Vasudevan
02:08 Early Career Journey and Unique Path
04:07 Pivotal Career Moments and Personal Life
07:45 Dual Role at Mozilla and Strategic Vision
10:49 Incorporating Gen AI into Strategy and Operations
19:15 Thought Leadership and Organizational Transformation
21:44 Practical Advice for Product Leaders
26:44 Challenges and Pitfalls in AI Adoption
35:14 Rapid Fire Questions and Personal Insights
40:28 Conclusion and Final Thoughts
🌟 Where to find Suba:
On LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/subavasudevan/
💫 Where to find Carmen:
On LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/carmengpalmer/
🙋🏻♀️Where to find Women in Product:
On LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/women-in-product/posts/
Website https://womenpm.org/
Join the Community https://womenpm.org/wip-community/
In this episode, well-known product growth advisor and strategist Leah Tharin talks with host Shannon Peavey about the importance of trust in growth team relationships. Leah defines product led growth, discusses the right metrics for measuring success, and shares her view on the impact of artificial intelligence on companies, roles and career development.
Chapters:
1:08: Leah defines “growth product” and “product-led growth”
5:22 Where growth teams generally fit into an organization
11:18 What is “product-led sales?”
16:42 The metrics do growth teams need to measure
20:28 Differences between growth approaches in B2B versus B2C companies
24:16 Growth loops for the win
28:31 Leah’s path into product growth
33:33 Why everybody needs to learn about growth
35:39 Leah’s “controversial” view on AI
42:00 Where to learn more about growth
44:00 Personal reflections
Where to find Leah Tharin:
Leah Tharin’s Substack https://www.leahtharin.com/
Podcast: ProducTea with Leah
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/383QGHr8zIk3K04l3ijk9q?si=de5b7a8f8c474c6b&nd=1&dlsi=4c4a8f84cad7478d
Apple Podcasts:
https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/productea-with-leah-growth-senior-leadership/id1679153573
Maven Course:
https://maven.com/leah-tharin/productledgrowth
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leahtharin/?originalSubdomain=ch
Resources:
Elena Verna’s Substack: https://www.elenaverna.com/
Ben Williams’ PLGeek website:https://www.plgeek.com/
Leah’s favorite conditioner:https://functionofbeauty.com/
SmallPDF https://smallpdf.com/
Jua Jua.ai
Notion Capital https://www.notion.vc/
Get ready for a hot new series on growth product management. Elizabeth and series host Shannon Peavey chat about the genesis of our latest set of conversations about what can be a somewhat mysterious product niche. Guests from Pendo, Adobe, Tinder, Lovable as well as consultants, advisors and yes, an AI agent, let us in on what growth product actually entails. They give us the goods on the challenges and opportunities that come alongside growth product efforts and hear why unconventional thinking is part of the job.
Tune in weekly to hear about the principles behind this discipline as well as tactics, strategies and mindset crucial to explosive success. Whether you’re an individual contributor, leader, founder, or advisor, listen in to hear the truth about growth product and how it fits into an organization, affects team dynamics and can accelerate the pace at which a company moves toward scale.
#ProductGrowth #WomenInProduct
00:00 Introduction by Elizabeth Ames
01:07 Genesis of the series
03:02 Why growth product is misunderstood
04:32 The time for growth product is right now
05:49 Our unconventional guest roster
07:06 Zigzags: never a straight line
07:45 Team tension? Probably
9:00 What to expect from guest #1: Leah Tharin
09:56 WIP’s fall podcast (and conference!) schedule
10:36 Where to get your conference tickets
🌟 Where to find Elizabeth:
- On LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/elizabethames/
💫 Where to find Shannon LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/spmad/ Resources: ThoughtSpot https://www.thoughtspot.com/ Walt Disney Co.
https://thewaltdisneycompany.com/ WIP 2025 Conference Website
🙋🏻♀️Where to find Women in Product:
- On LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/women-in-product/posts/
- Website https://womenpm.org/
- Join the Community https://womenpm.org/wip-community/
Join Carmen Palmer, CEO of Women in Product, as she chats with Cassie Campbell, a fractional CPO coach and founder, about the insights from their powerful podcast series focused on product leadership coaching. This episode delves into the importance of coaching, distinguishing it from training, and its value for product leaders. They discuss key themes from the series, personal experiences, challenges, and the role of community, especially for Women in Product. Cassie also shares her journey and how coaching can uncover blind spots, foster growth, and enhance leadership quality. Whether you're a seasoned product leader or just starting, this episode offers valuable takeaways to navigate your career journey.
00:00 Introduction and Host Transition
00:36 Unpacking the Podcast's Focus on Leadership Coaching
02:09 Themes from Top Coaches
02:34 Customer Discovery and Outcome-Oriented Product Management
04:19 The Importance of Context in Coaching
10:53 Personal Takeaways and Blind Spots
17:58 The Value of Executive Coaching
25:23 Treating Learning and Development as a Product
32:20 Navigating Financial Conversations in Product Leadership
34:14 Behind the Scenes: Building the Podcast Series
35:45 The Importance of Coaching in Product Leadership
36:58 Key Takeaways from Podcast Production
40:00 Addressing Team Challenges and Conflict
47:55 The Role of AI in Product Management
50:58 A Day in the Life of a Fractional CPO and Coach
58:52 The Power of Community and Women in Product
📚Resources:
Book: What Got You Here Won’t Get You There by Marshall Goldsmith and Mark Reiter - We used the saying “what got you here won’t get you there” in this episode and I thought it important to share that was not to refer to this book. However, I’ve started reading the book and can highly recommend to anyone curious about coaching.
Book: Transformed - Moving to the Product Operating Model by Marty Cagan
Book: Reboot - Leadership and the Art of Growing Up by Jerry Colonna
✨Where to find Carmen:
💫 Where to find Cassie:
At Cassie Camp - Learn more about product leadership coaching and fractional product leadership
🙋🏻♀️Where to find Women in Product:
Website https://womenpm.org/
Join the Community https://womenpm.org/wip-community/
This is a must-listen episode for any founders, especially those using “AI Agentic Coding” or “Vibe Coding” to quickly build concepts and now need to think about finding product-market fit. Even if you’re an experienced PM, you’re bound to expand your aperture and understanding of the “path to PMF” with this episode.
In this episode, we sit down with Rob Snyder, a two-time founder and current fellow at Harvard Innovation Lab, to discuss his unique approach to finding product-market fit. Rob shares his journey from McKinsey and Harvard Business School to the realities of startup life, emphasizing the challenges and lessons learned in the 'pain cave.' We delve into the importance of understanding true customer demand, avoiding common discovery pitfalls, and the real meaning of pivoting. Rob also offers insights into his bootcamp and one-on-one coaching for early-stage founders, illustrating how to extract actionable insights from sales calls and get on the same side of the table with potential customers. This conversation is a must-watch for product managers and founders navigating the complexities of the zero-to-one phase of product development.
00:00 Introduction and Guest Welcome
02:39 Rob Snyder's Background and Journey
04:54 The Importance of Product Market Fit
08:42 Understanding Customer Demand
14:55 Discovery and Validation in Startups
19:48 Navigating Pivots and Iterations
23:32 Introduction to Founder Sales
25:02 Challenges Founders Face with Sales
26:45 Effective Sales Strategies
28:31 Bootcamp for Founders
31:38 Coaching and Real-World Examples
35:48 The Role of AI in Sales Discovery
38:00 Finding Product-Market Fit
44:27 Working with Rob and Final Thoughts
📚Resources:
✨Where to find Rob:
💫 Where to find Cassie:
At Cassie Camp - Learn more about product leadership coaching and fractional product leadership
🙋🏻♀️Where to find Women in Product:
Website https://womenpm.org/
Join the Community https://womenpm.org/wip-community/
Join us in this episode with Jessica Nelson Kohel, founder and CEO of PMX Group, a niche product consultancy. Jessica discusses the intersections of product coaching, training, and consulting, and provides insights into the benefits of bringing outside perspectives into product teams. From supporting founder-led companies in scaling their product orgs to aiding new VPs of Product, Jessica shares engaging stories and valuable lessons on effective team dynamics, leadership, and immersive discovery processes. Learn about the importance of trust, the nuances of CEO-product leader relationships, and the power of collaborative coaching for product excellence.
00:00 Welcome and Introduction
00:27 Jessica's Background and PMX Group
00:56 Transitioning to Consulting
02:01 The Value of an Outside Perspective
04:18 Challenges of Being an FTE
05:54 The Rise of Super ICs
09:08 Coaching and Upskilling Product Teams
11:33 Immersive Discovery Approach
17:31 Building Trust and Accurate Diagnosis
20:23 Engaging with Stakeholders
23:31 Supporting New Product Leaders
42:49 Peer Coaching and Team Support
📚Resources:
Peer Coaching & Community Resources Mentioned
✨Where to find Jessica:
💫 Where to find Cassie:
At Cassie Camp - Learn more about product leadership coaching and fractional product leadership
🙋🏻♀️Where to find Women in Product:
Website https://womenpm.org/
Join the Community https://womenpm.org/wip-community/
In this episode of the Women in Product podcast, Meghna Shah of PWC joins Cassie Campbell to discuss the intersection of consulting and coaching in product management. Shah explains the importance of teaching clients how to build product management disciplines, using the analogy of teaching them to fish rather than just delivering the fish. They explore the mindset shifts required to succeed with agile and product management approaches, emphasizing the importance of coaching in making these shifts. Shah shares insights on the 'two in a box' model, where a coach and a product manager work together to ensure skill transfer. The discussion also includes strategies for influencing cross-functional teams, storytelling in product management, and the importance of continuous learning and adapting to technology changes.
00:00 Introduction and Guest Welcome
00:37 Meghna Shah's Background and Role at PWC
01:23 The Importance of Coaching in Consulting
02:09 Mindset Shifts and Agile Practices
03:37 Influence and Stakeholder Engagement
04:09 Technology's Evolving Role in Business
05:24 Coaching for Continuous Improvement
13:42 Success Story: Financial Services Organization
17:45 Roles in Agile and Product Management
21:54 Understanding the Value Chain
26:33 Characteristics of Effective Product Teams
30:57 Conclusion and Final Thoughts
✨Where to find Meghna:
On LinkedIn
💫 Where to find Cassie:
At Cassie Camp - Learn more about product leadership coaching and fractional product leadership
🙋🏻♀️Where to find Women in Product:
Website https://womenpm.org/
Join the Community https://womenpm.org/wip-community/
In this insightful episode of the Product Rising Podcast, host Cassie welcomes Andrew Skotzko – a product leadership coach and strategic advisor. Andrew shares his unconventional journey into product management, starting from growth hacking and transitioning into engineering, before finally becoming a product leadership coach. He emphasizes the critical difference between strategy and planning, introducing the concept of a strategy as a series of bets rather than a rigid plan. Andrew discusses the importance of ongoing strategy development and the avoidance of the 'strategy cave' mentality, preparing listeners for the challenges of strategic planning and product leadership. Throughout the episode, Andrew provides practical advice for product leaders on when and how to hire a coach, the creative and iterative nature of strategy, and how to effectively align product strategy with business goals. His comprehensive approach offers valuable insights for product leaders aiming to elevate their strategic game and navigate the complexities of product development.
00:00 Welcome to the Product Rising Podcast
00:48 Meet Andrew Skotzko: From Growth Hacking to Product Leadership
03:14 The Journey to Becoming a Product Leadership Coach
04:41 The Value of Customized Coaching
06:43 A Success Story: Coaching a CPO in the Energy Sector
10:22 The Challenges and Rewards of Strategy Development
17:15 When to Hire a Product Leadership Coach
23:10 Funding and Frameworks for Coaching
26:09 Writing a Book on Product Strategy
28:50 The Illusion of Control in Business Strategy
31:15 The Concept of Bets in Strategy
32:23 Differentiating Product and Business Strategy
36:30 The Importance of Continuous Strategy Development
38:32 Navigating Strategic Planning and Execution
41:59 Collaborative Strategy Formation
48:06 Avoiding the Strategy Cave Trap
52:35 Final Thoughts and Practical Advice
📚Resources:
Andrew’s Strategy Self Diagnostic Tool
Andrew’s Product Strategy Book Interest Form
Inspired: How to Create Tech Products Customers Love (Silicon Valley Product Group) by Marty Cagan
Good Strategy Bad Strategy by Michard Rumelt
Understanding Michael Porter: The Essential Guide to Competition and Strategy by Joan Magretta
Playing to Win by Roger Martin
✨Where to find Andrew:
On LinkedIn
Andrew’s Leadership Nudges Substack
Andrew’s Make Things that Matter Podcast
💫 Where to find Cassie:
At Cassie Camp - Learn more about product leadership coaching and fractional product leadership
🙋🏻♀️Where to find Women in Product:
Website https://womenpm.org/
Join the Community https://womenpm.org/wip-community/