Welcome to Growthmates with Kate Syuma — Growth advisor, previously Head of Growth Design at Miro. I’m building Growthmates as a place to connect with inspiring leaders to help you grow yourself and your product. Here you can learn how companies like Dropbox, Adobe, Canva, Loom, and many more are building excellent products and growth culture. Get all episodes and a free playbook for Growth teams on our brand-new website — growthmates.club, and press follow to support us on your favorite platforms.

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In this episode: We’re wrapping up this incredible season with a special twist! For the first time, host Kate Syuma switches roles and becomes the guest. Kate is interviewed by her friend and former colleague, Lana Kul, in an honest and vulnerable conversation about her first year as a solopreneur.

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Brought to you by Command.ai — a user-focused platform offering an alternative to traditional popups or chatbots. Their AI “Copilot” answers questions, performs actions, and simplifies complex tasks. Use “Nudges” to guide users with timely, relevant messages, all within a no-code platform. Perfect for Product, Support, and Marketing teams to positively influence user behavior while respecting their needs:

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Key highlights from this episode 👇

Reflections on a Transformational Year:

* Recognizing the importance of building social capital and meaningful connections.

* Taking time for reflection by blocking off two weeks to recharge and reassess priorities.

* Acknowledging gratitude for support amidst challenges and moments of rejection.

* ⭐️ “End of Year” Reflection framework: https://growthmates.notion.site/End-of-Year-Reflection-framework-15fadc80326980178cbff3754b6932b1?pvs=4

This reflection framework includes five elements: Results, Gratefulness, Goodbyes (limiting beliefs), Dreams, and Priorities. Use it to structure your reflections and create a meaningful plan for the year ahead.

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👉 Plan your 2025 with us — Join with 150$ discount before 31 Dec 🎁

How do you decide where to grow? IC vs. Manager, in-house or solo? For 6+ years, we have supported career growth and hired 10+ people at Miro, helped with coaching and mentorship people from Loom, Intercom, Mentimeter, and more. Now, we want to share these practices with everyone who are on a cross-way in planning the next career step. For that, we created a special 1-week Design Career Accelerator (promo “endofyear”, valid by 31 December): https://maven.com/lena-kul-kate-syuma/product-design-career-accelerator?promoCode=endofyear

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Embracing Creativity and Personal Growth:

* Creativity stems from making space, allowing boredom, and trusting intuition.

* Identifying limiting beliefs through self-reflection and aligning personal interests with professional goals.

* Recognizing the importance of courage, consistency, and commitment in personal and professional endeavors.

Navigating Professional Aspirations:

* Combining growth advising and user experience to align with authentic goals.

* Revisiting and redefining dreams regularly while accepting the evolution of aspirations.

* Creating a structured approach to prioritize focus, recovery, and sustained creativity.

Building Community and Expanding Horizons:

* Building meaningful connections through community-driven initiatives.

* Enhancing cultural understanding through conscious traveling experiences.

* Leveraging platforms like podcasts to create unexpected opportunities and broader impact.

Balancing Professional and Personal Priorities:

* Prioritizing personal growth alongside professional aspirations for a well-rounded life.

* Emphasizing recovery and self-care to sustain long-term productivity and creativity.

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⭐️ Some exciting plans for Growthmates’ next season:

“In the Company of Women,” premiering in January 2024. This season will spotlight amazing women leaders, like Elena Verna, Marie Martens, Jennifer Phan and explore their journeys in building groundbreaking products and organizations.

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Follow Growthmates updates on:

* Growthmates website with “The Holistic Growth Playbook”: https://growthmates.club

* Substack Newsletter (for instant inbox delivery):

https://www.growthmates.news/p/what-4-years-of-advising-35-companies

* LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/growthmates-podcast/

* X (Twitter): https://twitter.com/kate_syuma

* Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/growthmates_/

Where to find Kate Syuma, Growth Advisor (ex-Miro):

* LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ekaterina-syuma/

* Growthmates website: https://growthmates.club/

* Newsletter: https://www.growthmates.news/

Where to find — Lena Kul:

* LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lena-kul/

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What we covered:

[00:00] Introduction & Reflection on GrowthMates[03:02] One Year as a Solopreneur[06:12] Building Social Capital & Unlocking Creativity[09:49] Planning for the Future[13:11] Support Systems and Gratitude[15:06] Lessons Learned from Challenges[18:06] Embracing Courage and Consistency[21:14] Turning Negatives into Positives[34:04] Dreams and Aspirations: A Year in Reflection[38:55] The Impact of GrowthMates: Stories of Connection[45:04] Overcoming Limiting Beliefs and Embracing Change[54:01] Prioritizing Personal and Professional Growth [01:03:38] Exciting Announcements and Future Directions

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📕 Useful Resources:

* ⭐️ “End of Year” Reflection framework: https://growthmates.notion.site/End-of-Year-Reflection-framework-15fadc80326980178cbff3754b6932b1?pvs=4

This reflection framework includes five elements: Results, Gratefulness, Goodbyes (limiting beliefs), Dreams, and Priorities. Use it to structure your reflections and create a meaningful plan for the year ahead.

* Women Who Run With the Wolves by Clarissa Pinkola Estés – A powerful guide on reconnecting with intuition and creativity. https://www.amazon.com/Women-Who-Run-Wolves-Archetype/dp/0345409876

* In the Company of Women by Grace Bonney – A collection of stories from 100 inspiring creative women. https://www.amazon.com/Company-Women-Inspiration-Artists-Entrepreneurs/dp/1579655971

* Slow Productivity by Cal Newport – Insights on balancing work and intentional living. https://www.amazon.com/Slow-Productivity-Accomplishment-Without-Burnout/dp/0593544854

* The Art of Accomplishment Podcast – A favorite for personal development and building a supportive system. https://www.artofaccomplishment.com/podcast

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💫 Before the new season — check our featured 2024 episodes:

* The Role of Design in PLG: Embracing Quality and Non-Linear Paths with David Hoang (ex-Webflow, VP at Replit): https://www.growthmates.news/p/the-role-of-design-in-plg-embracing

* Top 1% Talent Tactics: Navigating Startup & Scale-up Hiring | Tom Scott, Founder at Verified: https://www.growthmates.news/p/top-1-talent-tactics-navigating-startup

* How to Get Your Dream Job and Stand Out in the Crowd | Lena Kul (ex-Miro): https://www.growthmates.news/p/how-to-get-your-dream-job-and-stand

* Unpacking a New Growth Playbook with Andrew Capland (Growth Coach, ex-Wisia): https://www.growthmates.news/p/unpacking-a-new-growth-playbook-with

* Making Decisions with User Research from Startup to Scale-up | Behzod Sirjani (Advisor & Partner at Reforge, ex-Slack): https://www.growthmates.news/p/making-decisions-with-user-research

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Thank you for listening! Subscribe to the show on growthmates.club and get the free playbook with frameworks and insights. If you find this valuable, please share it with your friends and colleagues, and subscribe to this show on your favorite platforms to get new episodes. Let’s keep growing together, and see you back in 2025!

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