10,000 Independent Decisions | Oji Udezue (Dad of 2, Author, Typeform, Calendly, Twitter)

Oji Udezue is an AI Product Expert at ProductMind, and a veteran product leader with more than 25 years of experience across Typeform, Twitter, Calendly, Atlassian, Bridgewater, and Microsoft. He’s known for his deep thinking on product craft, leadership, and the future of work. He’s also the co-author (with his wife, Ezinne Udezue)  of Building Rocket Ships, a guide for builders and operators navigating high-stakes decision-making in fast-moving environments.

In this episode, we explore Oji’s philosophy on parenting through the lens of resilience, how it’s shaped, why it matters, and the role adversity plays in preparing kids for the real world. Oji shares a perspective informed by his multicultural upbringing, his frameworks for fostering independence, and the intentional choices he and his wife have made while raising two teenagers in a dual-career household. We discussed:

• Building resilience: What resilience means to Oji and why discomfort and challenge are essential for kids.
• Independence through decisions: How his 10,000-hour framework helps kids practice choice-making and responsibility.
• Learning through mistakes: Why micro-failures matter and how parents can stop rescuing children from small consequences.
• Kids as expanders: How children rise to expectations and adapt when treated as capable from an early age.
• Shepherding, not owning: Why parents should guide their kids’ path rather than shape them as extensions of themselves.
• Balancing careers and family: How he and his wife navigate dual careers and maintain steady routines and connections.

Where to find Oji Udezue

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ojiudezue/ 
• X: https://x.com/ojiudezue
• Website: https://www.productmind.co/
  
  

Where to find Adam Fishman

• FishmanAF Newsletter: www.FishmanAFNewsletter.com 
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamjfishman/ 
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/startupdadpod/ 

In this episode, we cover:

(00:00) Introducing Oji Udezue

(03:12) Starting a family while holding high-pressure, fast-growing careers

(05:26) Early parenting years: maintaining identity and bringing kids into adult life

(07:16) Defining resilience and why modern parenting often gets it wrong

(10:45) The 10,000 hours of independent decisions framework

(13:16) Lessons from Nigerian boarding school and developing early autonomy

(17:15) Letting kids fail safely: micro-failures, consequences, and growth

(19:51) Evaluating resilience through reactions under pressure

(22:31) Kids and career visibility: why children don’t care what you do for work

(24:27) Individuation: why Oji’s teens want their own paths, not his

(26:21) Rituals, routines, and staying connected in a dual-career household

(28:13) Advice for new parents: clarity of purpose, instinct, and overcoming fear

(31:17) Core parenting frameworks: oxygen mask, expanders, and shepherds

(43:10) AI, technology, and raising creative lateral thinkers in a changing world

(50:19) Lightning round: humor, parenting quirks, and closing reflections

Resources From This Episode:

Building Rocket Ships (Book by Oji Udezue & Ezinne Udezue): https://a.co/d/0nMe2WM  

ProductMind (Substack Newsletter): https://productmind.substack.com/ 

ProductMind.co (Website): https://productmind.co/ 

Lenny’s Podcast (Episode featuring Oji & Ezinne): https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/how-ai-is-reshaping-the-product-role

The Time Machine (Book by H.G. Wells): https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2493.The_Time_Machine

Typeform: https://www.typeform.com/

Calendly: https://calendly.com/

Atlassian: https://www.atlassian.com/

Bridgewater Associates: https://www.bridgewater.com/

Microsoft: https://www.microsoft.com/

Amazon Echo: https://www.amazon.com/echo 

Big Hero 6 (Film): https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2245084/

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