🎄 A Special Holiday Episode to Wrap Up 2024 🎁

In the final episode of Practical Product Management Season 1, Leah Farmer and Marilyn McDonald celebrate the year with a thought-provoking conversation featuring Toni Dos Santos, a B2B product consultant and AI expert. Toni shares his remarkable journey from economics and the music industry to entrepreneurship, offering insights into how startups can find product-market fit faster and build sustainable business models.

This festive season, we reflect on how AI is transforming the world of product management, why solving real problems matters more than chasing trends, and how visionary leadership can light the path for future innovation. Join us as we unwrap the lessons of 2024 and look ahead to a bright, innovative 2025.

Key Takeaways:

1. AI as the Gift That Keeps Giving: Use AI to streamline your workload and focus on what matters most—creating meaningful, human-centered solutions.
2. MVPs: The Perfect Stocking Stuffer: A well-crafted MVP is like the best holiday gift—thoughtful, practical, and exactly what the recipient needs.
3. Visionary Leadership: The North Star: Just like Santa's sleigh, a strong vision guides teams through challenges and keeps innovation on course.

🎅🎄✨

🍂 In this special Thanksgiving episode of Practical Product Management, hosts Leah and Marilyn dive into how product management skills transcend the workplace and enrich everyday life. From communication and prioritization to empathy and feedback loops, they explore how these principles help navigate challenges and build stronger connections outside of work.

The episode features 7 inspiring stories from the PM community, showcasing real-life applications of product thinking. Whether it’s managing family dynamics, planning a garden with a Kanban board, or organizing a dinner party using MVP principles, these stories illustrate how product management skills create clarity and drive results in personal life.

🎙️ Key Highlights:

➡️ Communication builds stronger relationships.

➡️ Prioritization helps focus on what matters most.

➡️ Feedback loops create growth in personal and professional contexts.

➡️ Gratitude for PM skills fosters intentionality and connection.

This Thanksgiving-themed episode is a celebration of the ways product management transforms lives. Tune in to hear practical insights, heartfelt stories, and inspiration for applying PM principles beyond work.

In this episode of Practical Product Management, Leah and Marilyn sit down with Jil Berning, founder of Femote, to discuss her journey from product manager to entrepreneur in healthcare tech. Jil dives into her motivations for creating a company focused on remote gynecological solutions and shares the challenges she’s encountered along the way. The conversation touches on building a supportive company culture, the role of vulnerability in leadership, and the importance of addressing the gender gap in healthcare. Together, they explore themes of resilience, the power of open communication, and why having a strong “why” is crucial for founders. Jil’s story offers valuable insights for anyone passionate about making a difference in tech and healthcare.

Key Takeaways

• From Product Manager to Purpose-Driven Founder: Jil's transition from product management to founding Femote showcases how PM skills like iteration, MVP thinking, and empathy apply in entrepreneurial roles.
• Vulnerability and Culture-Building: Open, honest conversations are essential in fostering a healthy team environment, particularly when navigating the pressures of a startup.
• Championing Women’s Health: Jil’s focus on femtech highlights the need for women’s health to be prioritized in healthcare and research, given longstanding gender biases.
• Embracing Discomfort as Growth: Jil emphasizes that courage in entrepreneurship means stepping into discomfort and valuing growth, even when outcomes are uncertain.

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