Women In Product

Data shows that the demands of professional work put an unrealistic burden on women. We spend this episode with Sally Thornton, digging into common causes of burnout for women in the workforce and the burdens they carry. Sally urges us to be our own Behavioral Scientists and to track what sparks joy in our lives, then prioritizing this work.

Today we have two Women In Product community members ready to discuss Melissa Perri's book, Escaping the Build Trap: How Effective Product Management Creates Real Value. Sparkle Joy Meadows and Marie Chaisson join and share how this book resonates in the Product work they do daily.

Martina Lauchengco joins to discuss her new book, Loved: How to Rethink Marketing for Tech Products. Listen as she outlines the stages of a product marketing career and the differences between traditional marketing, product marketing, and product management.

Bosky Mukherjee interviews Tessa West, author of “Jerks at Work.” The two explore what goes into the making of jerk-like behavior at work and consider common reactions of those who are targeted.

JJ Rorie interviews Radhika Dutt, author of Radical Product Thinking. Listen as the two discuss what it takes to build products.

Deb Liu just released her new book! She and our host discuss a central theme of the book: power. Listen in to learn how Deb was able to build and leverage power throughout her career — and how you can do the same.

Being an ally is a journey. It takes practice to unlearn biases and to be intentional about advocating for marginalized individuals. Lucky for us, Karen Catlin is here to discuss steps we can take in our own lives to be better allies. Her best advice? Seek common ground and educate.

Learn more about Better Allies here: twitter.com/betterallies

Data shows that the demands of professional work put an unrealistic burden on women. We spend this episode with Sally Thornton, digging into common causes of burnout for women in the workforce and the burdens they carry. Sally urges us to be our own Behavioral Scientists and to track what sparks joy in our lives, then prioritizing this work.

Another Women In Product Conference in the books! We were joined by over 3,000 women in product, all connecting for two days. Want to get a glimpse of some of the highlights? Listen for words from this year's keynotes: Tulsee Doshi, Deboshree Dutta, Jennifer Lopez, Deb Liu, Mamuna Oladipo, and Sally Thornton.

Curious about what's in store for the Women In Product Conference 2022? Learn from seven influential product leaders who hold key leadership positions in product management. Tulsee Doshi, Deboshree Dutta, Deb Liu, Jennifer Lopez, Mamuna Oladipo, and Sally Thornton will be taking the stage to share their knowledge in the field and share their advice on May 10-11.

Heather Conklin and Aubrey Gavin join host Elizabeth Ames as guests on this episode. The tree discuss what it was like founding and taking part in Salesforce’s APM program from the perspectives of both executive and PM newbie. Hear how establishing the program proved beneficial for various teams across the company and the human-side by embracing authenticity.

This episode is a special one! Tickets are officially available for this year’s Women In Product Conference. We're celebrating with a handful of speakers who will be on stage at the conference in May. Guests today are six exceptional women: Melika Hope, Srujani Kamineni, Susan Liao, Mallika Gargeya, Grace Young, and Christina Puder.

If you’re like most people negotiating your pay can be an intimidating experience. Guest Jordan Sale joins this episode and pulls the curtains back from this process. Jordan is the Founder & CEO of 81cents, an organization that works to help job seekers feel confident and prepared for negotiations with data and a group of advisors to guide them through.

She and host, Elizabeth Ames, discuss alternative forms of compensation that job seekers should consider and offer a glance into what a negotiation might look like and how to best prepare.

Ever wanted to know what recruiters at Google look for in candidates? Well, here’s your chance. This episode features Michele Turner — Sr. Director, Google Smart Home Ecosystem — and Diana Coardos — Product Manager Recruiter. Tune in if you’d like to know what they look for in product management talent, resumes, and in interviews.

The two give guidance on how to master the first sets of interviews through storytelling, practice, and a genuine desire to understand company culture.

WIP Podcast host, Elizabeth Ames, chats with Andrew Shearer and Jenny Cu from BravePath, a coaching and recruiting partner firm that focuses on product management, user experience design, and software engineering for product companies.

This episode is loaded with tips you can use to improve your resume today, so you can stand out as a candidate. The group spends time walking through the process companies use when reviewing resumes, where automation comes into play, and how resumes compare to LinkedIn profiles.

For those seeking higher level positions, listen in for guidance on expressing thought leadership and strategy in resumes.

As we settle into this new year, thoughts around one’s career are likely to arise. Women In Product CEO and podcast host, Elizabeth Ames, and Senior Director of Product Management, Strava, Tara King-Hughes, define a framework to actively drive your career forward and dive into the work a product leader for a team entails.

Tara shares experiences and tips that are endlessly useful, but most importantly she reminds listeners to advocate for themselves and truly recognize their contributions at work. And, no, this doesn’t have to sound like bragging.

On this episode, WIP Podcast host Elizabeth Ames speaks with two formidable Latina product managers — Pamela Roux Castillo and Paola Rios Schaaf. The guests reveal why they love the product space, what got them to keep working in the industry, and what makes them stay at particular companies.

The three discuss some challenges Latinas face as an underrepresented group in product management, including the hardship of enduring the interview process, investing in skill building, and navigating work relationships with a different background.

We’re spending some time reflecting on the power of the WIP community on this episode. WIP Podcast host, Elizabeth Ames, talks with board members and our HQ team. Join as we explore the most important things each of us have received by being a part of Women In Product and what we’re looking forward to giving the community in the next year.

The Women In Product Podcast is excited to host Ronke Majekodunmi on this episode. Cyronne Counts, Director of Programs at Women In Product, has a conversation with Ronke about how she got her start in the Product space and how the WIP community has influenced her career path.

The two discuss the importance of representation within the Product and what makes Ronke passionate about sharing her wisdom and experiences with beginning product managers. Ronke has contributed amazing resources via our Resource Hub and maintains her own blog and podcast to share her learnings.

p.s. You can read Ronke’s blog post about imposter syndrome on our Resource Hub!

Life can sometimes feel like it’s divided between the personal and the professional, but this week’s guest Prashanthi Ravanavarapu explains how she fused the two while entering PM roles.

Prashanthi’s awareness of systemic inequality and dedication to inclusive work brought her to reframe what “leveling the playing field” means for Product. The result was the creation of justice by design, something that calls individuals to go beyond simply being inclusive and instead offering more tools to those who are disadvantaged.

Founder of Women In Product’s Toronto Chapter — Stacey Feero — joins on this episode. Stacey shares the story of how she found her way into tech and later joined the world of Product. Spoiler alert: she created a community of people and sponsors to support her journey.

Although Stacy realizes the importance of interpersonal connections, she’s also a self-proclaimed bad networker. She and host, Elizabeth Ames, consider how to network while being an introvert. Listen to gain some tips on balancing networking to support yourself and others. 

Our host Elizabeth Ames had the pleasure to speak with not one but two accomplished women this week! Elizabeth is joined by Anna Auerbach and Michaëlle Gocko from Egon Zehnder who work in executive search. The two share the “sparks of potential” they find makes a great candidate and a few tips on how to help position oneself for their next role and advance to the executive level.

Their focus on product leadership is fueled by the emergence of product management in every industry and recognizing that product leadership is now a viable pathway to the C suite including CEO. Listen in to enjoy their conversation on what the future holds for the burgeoning space of product management and the work they are doing to define success in product roles.

Michaëlle Gocko will also join our Product Blender on October 14!

Did you know that 93% of people working in product have professional backgrounds in other industries? Today’s guest Kasha Stewart joined the PM world with a post-production background and studies in fine art.

For Kasha, building her career as someone with a unique professional experience and voice proved a lonely challenge at times. Even in these hard moments, she found the strength and persistence to continue growing and learning within her role.

We are constantly inspired by Kasha’s drive and ability to craft her career on her own terms. Curious to know how she does it? Tune in to hear her story, tips on building teams that work, and some career-progressing inspiration.

This episode, Deb Liu reveals what made her love her first PM job and how she advanced her career in an industry that was brand new. Deb shares how she “stumbled” into product management, at a time when she had no clear vision for her career and when the world of PM was very different from its current state.