Product Rising

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. Don’t forget to follow Women In Product Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Twitter to connect with a community of 30,000+ women PMs.

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. Don’t forget to follow Women In Product Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Twitter to connect with a community of 30,000+ women PMs.

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. Interested in sharing your love of the WIP community? Let us hear from you: https://bit.ly/3EgPATV

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! Take a look at and submit to our Resource Hub here: https://bit.ly/3DiNiTL

Could you imagine starting your company at the age of 13? Well, that’s what our guest Jasmine Lawrence did, and she’s almost at the 20 year anniversary of her natural hair and body care products company. This ability to drive her own path pushed her to step into a product management role right out of college. Jasmine and WIP podcast host, Elizabeth Ames, explore Jasmine’s work history from robotics to entrepreneurship to hardware and back to robotics. Her experience in these various spaces of tech was driven by an authentic desire to take on these new roles, despite the challenges of linking a career path that isn’t traditionally linear. She even shares the framework she uses to manage her (very full) personal and professional life. Bonus: Jasmine shares her tip to entering the PM field from a different area!

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. Find Inclusive Product Design Resources here: https://bit.ly/3qhoqsv Share your favorite inclusive product resources with WIP here: https://bit.ly/3hlnwGn

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.  Check out our Research Report »

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! Don’t forget to follow Women In Product Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Twitter to connect with a community of 30,000+ women PMs.

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. Don’t forget to follow Women In Product Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Twitter to connect with a community of 30,000+ women PMs.

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. She went from not knowing anything about product management to one of the biggest names in product years later. Want to know how she did it? Well — trusting her gut and leveraging a strong community of sponsors and mentors. Still want more? Subscribe to Deb’s Substack to pick her brain and learn from the lessons she notes: https://bit.ly/DebLiu-Perspectives Bonus: Listen to learn what Deb looks for when interviewing a potential PM! Don’t forget to follow Women In Product Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Twitter to connect with a community of 30,000+ women PMs.