Black Epics
By Gemma
Black EpicsApr 27, 2021
23. Ronke Majekodunmi - How to build strong coalitions
Ronke Majekodunmi has had an impressive career in Product working in the legal, eCommerce, and finance industries all leading up to her current role at Paypal. In this episode, we chat about a key product skill, coalition building and why that skill is so important for PMs to develop. You can learn more about Ronke on her website and I recommend you tune in to her podcast, Product Magic.
22. Brylan Donaldson - Raising a $2.5 Million Seed Round for his startup 7th Ave
Brylan is one of the cofounders of 7th Ave, a knowledge-sharing platform for Black professionals, creatives, entrepreneurs, and students. Brylan has a background in Product Management and has used the skills he developed as a PM, building 7th Ave. In this episode, he shares so many gems on entrepreneurship, product development, and funding. You can learn more about 7th Ave at http://www.pullupon7th.com/.
Download 7th Ave in the app store today: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/7th-ave-learn-share-grow/id1550600474
21. Laide Olambiwonnu - How to Distill Signal from the Noise
Laide is a Product Management consultant with a wealth of experience. She has a background in Electrical and Computer Engineering and worked as a Product Leader developing consumer audio technology. We discuss her recent article, "Power Users: Distill Signal from the Noise."
Season 2 Teaser - We're Back
Black Epics Season 2 is kicking off this week. Stay tuned for more exciting interviews with amazing Product Managers.
20. Tonya Edmonds - How to Successfully Navigate Career Transitions
Tonya is currently a Senior Product Manager at MongoDB. We discuss her career path from Computer Science teacher to Product Manager. Tonya recently made a career transition to a new Product Management role so we discussed in-depth how she prepared for her career transition.
19. Vince Aidoo - The Value of Learning from Failure
Vince is currently a Product Manager at Mcdonald’s Corporation. Prior to his current role, he studied at Central Saint Martins, University of the Arts London, and founded his own company. We discuss turning failure into a positive, building kiosks for Mcdonald’s, and his recommended product resources.
18. Rafael Balbi Jr. - Key Learnings in Becoming a Principal PM
Rafael Balbi Jr. is a Principal Product Manager at Vimeo. Prior to his current role, he’s worked in Product at Squarespace and LiveAuctioneers, empowering creators and small businesses. We discussed key learnings in becoming a Principal Product Manager. We also chatted about his preferred Product Development process.
17. Ayo Omojola - Fighting Covid and Pushing Healthcare Forward
Ayo Omojola is currently the VP or Product at Carbon Health. Prior to his current role, he built core capabilities for Cash App and founded several companies. We discuss how he knew it was time for his startup to pivot, quick product feedback loops in the healthcare space, and his personal approach to investing.
16. Sasha Kai Parker - Incorporating Innovation into Product Strategy
Sasha Kai Parker is currently the Head of Product at Seed&Spark. She’s worked at startups, agencies, and large corporations on a variety of types of products so we chatted about how she approaches product strategy, what a good strategy looks like, and creating space for innovation.
15. Darrel Frater - Building TheClub, an Entertainment Tech Startup
Darrel Frater is an entrepreneur building TheClub. TheClub is a livestreaming platform for live djs and virtual parties. We discuss his path to building multiple products and what’s up next in his founder journey. If you would like to chat with Darrel online, you can reach out to him at Darrel Frater on Linkedin.
14. Kasha Stewart - Head of Product at Disney Shares Her Career Journey
Kasha Stewart is currently Head of Product at The Walt Disney Company where she’s focused on their Movies Anywhere product. Kasha studied fine arts at Howard University and has a MFA from Chapman’s film program. She began her career working in Post Production but later transitioned into Product. We discuss overcoming imposter syndrome in the midst of career transitions, how she developed her career roadmap, and reshaping struggling product teams.
13. Jammal Dorsey - Having Impact as a PM in Healthcare
Jammal Dorsey is currently working on the Covid-19 response for a nonprofit organization, Resolve to Save Lives. Jammal has many years of healthcare experience so we discuss what it’s like to be a PM working in healthcare, some of his favorite product experiences, and the different tracks available to people interested in being a PM in healthcare. If you would like to chat with Jammal online, you can reach out to him at Jammal H. Dorsey on Linkedin or on Twitter at @JammalD_06.
12. Quadri Oshibotu - The PM with a Black Belt
Quadri Oshibotu is currently a Senior Product Manager at eCompliance. In today’s episode, we discuss how his martial arts background has helped him as a Product Manager and his teaching experience at General Assembly and the Bootcamp he developed, Product Hall. In addition, we chat about the launch of his book, Product Management - A complete guide on creating products that people love. If you would like to spark a conversation with Quadri online, you can reach out to him at hello@producthall.com and you can check out his products here:
Product Management - A complete guide on creating products that people love
11. Jeremy Browning - “The world needs products that are healthy”
Jeremy Browning is a Product Manager focused on the Notifications experience at Twitter. We discuss his path from Pre-law to Product and walk through a problem his team is currently tackling. In addition, we chat about some of the skills that are fundamental to working in Product and potential pathways into Product. If you would like to spark a conversation with Jeremy online, you can reach out to him on Twitter at @jeremyabrowning.
10. Sefunmi Osinaike - Launching a PM Book and Community
Sefunmi Osinaike is a Product Manager, author of How to Product, and Co-founder of Co.Lab. We discuss how aspiring PMs can overcome the challenge of getting that first role in Product. We also chat about writing and successfully launching his first book on Product Hunt and building a community where PMs, Designers, and Developers can collaborate on building a product to grow their skills together. If you would like to spark a conversation online, you can reach out to Sefunmi on twitter at SefunmiOshy and you can check out his products here:
9. 5 Resources for PM Interviews - Mini Episode
Here are 5 of my favorite resources that I used to prepare for recent Product Management (PM) interviews. In this episode, I wanted to experiment with a different format. This is a mini episode where I’ll quickly cover a single PM topic. The topic for this episode is PM interview resources. You can access links to all of the PM interview resources mentioned in the episode at https://bit.ly/be-interview.
8. Adam Thomas - A Discussion on Biases in Product Management
Adam Thomas is a Product leader based in Harlem, New York with a passion for social justice. Adam has founded several companies, worked as a director of product, and writes and speaks about Product. In this episode, we read an excerpt from his article, “Identifying and Addressing Common Biases in Product Management” and chat about three biases that play a huge role in Product Management. To dig deeper into this topic, make sure you check out Identifying and Addressing Common Biases in Product Management and another piece Adam recently wrote, Great Product Manager’s Leverage Cognitive Bias. If you would like to spark a conversation online, you can reach out to Adam on twitter at @TheHonorableAT or via email at adam@theadamthomas.com.
7. David Hooker - From 10 Minute Coffee Chats to Working in Product
David Hooker is a transplant in a lot of ways. He’s from the east coast and has a background in Theater Arts and Education. He transitioned to working in QA for Disney’s mobile games and is now working as an Associate Product Manager for Disney’s Web and Fan Branded Products. We discuss how his background comes to play in Product Management, how Disney approaches privacy, and the work he’s doing in his company's Business Employee Resource Groups. Follow us on Twitter at @blackepics and send us a voice message at https://anchor.fm/blackepics/message.
6. Breana Jones - Preparing for Product leadership
Breana Jones is currently a Director of Product, Web at VICE Media. We discuss how Breana prepared for Product leadership, learning how to lead people when you don’t yet have direct reports, and how working in Product Leadership is different from working as an individual contributor. Follow us on twitter @blackepics and send us a voice message at https://anchor.fm/blackepics/message.
5. Sherika Wynter - “I want to be the Black Procter & Gamble”
Sherika is currently a Manager of Product and Strategy at Covalent Solutions, a Product Management instructor, and the CoFounder and Managing Partner of Thomas & Wynter R&D. We discuss how Sherika got into Product Management, cofounding an R&D company that manufactures physical products, and what lessons from Product Management have carried over into her business. Follow us on twitter @blackepics and send us a voice message at https://anchor.fm/blackepics/message.
4. Amber Kearney - Developing tech fluency
Amber Kearney is a Product Manager at Capital One. We talk with Amber about how she developed technical fluency to transition from business consulting to Product Management. We also discuss how she prioritizes personal development and the launch of her new site. Follow us on twitter @blackepics and send us a voice message at https://anchor.fm/blackepics/message.
3. Justin Maddox - From Founder to PM
Justin Maddox is a Product Manager at Google on a team responsible for all of the crawling at Google. If that sounds like a big responsibility it's because it is. We discuss his path from finance and startup founder to Product Management. We also chat about what skills he’s built as a founder that have been beneficial in his PM roles. Follow us on twitter @blackepics and send us a voice message at https://anchor.fm/blackepics/message.
2. Shantell Williams - “Being the steward for the product”
Shantell Williams is a Product Manager in the Facebook RPM Program. We discuss her path to product, how studying economics has been helpful in her product thinking, and her exciting rotation in AR/VR. Follow us on twitter @blackepics and send us a voice message at https://anchor.fm/blackepics/message
1. Cassandra Lewis - “Be a Brand”
Cassandra Lewis is a Product Leader at Open Table. Prior to working at Open Table she built products at Amazon, LivingSocial, and Microsoft. We talk with Cassandra about the importance of developing your personal brand, building products that billions around the world use, and navigating the various priorities that pop up throughout the day as a Product Manager. Follow us on twitter @blackepics and send us a voice message at https://anchor.fm/blackepics/message.
Welcome to Black Epics
Black Epics is a podcast dedicated to sharing the stories of successful Black Product Managers. Hear the inspiration behind the show in this Welcome and subscribe to get updates on future episodes. You can also follow along our journey on twitter @blackepics and via our mailing list.