The Product Science Podcast

In this mini-episode of the podcast, Holly introduces team members Dina Levitan and Mark Enache, who share some stories about working with Product Science Group clients. Holly also tells us about changes coming for Season 6 of the Product Science Podcast - video, shorter episodes, and a new Lab Notes section. Subscribe for the full episode on Apple, Google Play, Spotify, YouTube, and more. Love what you hear? Leave us a review, it means a lot. Fill out our course interest survey and get notified about upcoming courses on Maven here: www.productsciencegroup.com/maven And check out our new homes on the web: https://www.productsciencegroup.com https://www.instagram.com/productsciencegroup/ https://www.tiktok.com/@productsciencegroup https://www.linkedin.com/company/product-science-group https://www.youtube.com/@productsciencegroup

Holly Hester-Reilly is the Founder and CEO of H2R Product Science, a product management coaching and consulting firm that teaches the principles and practices of high-growth product development, and the host of the Product Science Podcast. Holly is a former Columbia University research scientist and has spent over 15 years leading product initiatives at startups, high-growth companies, and enterprises like FalconX, MediaMath, Shutterstock, The Lean Startup Co, Unilever, Capital One, and Weight Watchers. Holly also teaches at NYU Stern School of Business as well as public and private workshops and has spoken about building high-growth products for events such as Lean Startup Summit Europe, the Women in Product Annual Conference, ITX Product + Design Conf, Parsons School of Design, and INDUSTRY: The Product Conference. In this episode of the Product Science Podcast, we share Season 5 excerpts as we cover the product discovery loop, a tool to break down the components of achieving product market fit. Read the show notes to learn more: www.h2rproductscience.com/post/season-5-highlights-the-product-discovery-loop

Jeff Patton helps companies adopt a way of working that’s focused on building great products, not just building stuff faster. Jeff blends a mixture of Agile thinking, Lean and Lean Startup Thinking, and UX Design and Design Thinking to end up with a holistic product-centric way of working. Jeff is author of the bestselling O’Reilly book User Story Mapping which describes a simple holistic approach to using stories in Agile development without losing sight of the big picture. In this episode of the Product Science Podcast, we cover common challenges to product discovery, what tools and techniques Jeff teaches, which ones he’s changed over the years, and why. Read the show notes to learn more: URL: www.h2rproductscience.com/post/the-jeff-patton-hypothesis-successful-teams-focus-on-the-who-before-the-what

Christian is a partner at Silicon Valley Product Group. Christian has been a product leader for over 15 years, building teams and developing enterprise and consumer products that have shaped companies such as CareerBuilder and Merrill Corporation as well as clients such as Microsoft, Starbucks, and Squarespace. Christian teaches product management and innovation at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, VA. He also gives back to his local product community each year by supporting and advising two student-led startups from conceptualization to product delivery. In this episode of the Product Science Podcast, we cover the importance of humility in product management, the benefits of diverse thinking, and how a contest kick-started Christian’s career in product management. Read the show notes to learn more: URL: www.h2rproductscience.com/post/the-christian-idiodi-hypothesis-great-product-management-starts-with-admitting-i-dont-know

Peter Voss is a Pioneer in AI who coined the term ‘Artificial General Intelligence’ and the CEO and Chief Scientist at Aigo.ai. For the past 15 years, Voss and his team at Aigo have been perfecting an industry disruptive, highly intelligent and hyper-personalized Chatbot, with a brain, for large enterprise customers. In this episode of the Product Science Podcast, we cover career opportunities in AI development, the potential of AI to be personal and an assistant, and how embracing a future with AI means focusing on critical thinking skills. Read the show notes to learn more: URL: www.h2rproductscience.com/post/the-peter-voss-hypothesis-we-will-soon-need-to-embrace-ai-to-be-effective-in-the-world

Matt LeMay is the author of Product Management in Practice (now in its second edition) and product leader and consultant who has worked with companies like Google, Spotify, Mailchimp, and Audible. In this episode of the Product Science Podcast, we cover how constraints can be helpful in product, the effects of getting promoted without being ready, and why great product managers don’t need to say yes or no. Read the show notes to learn more: URL: www.h2rproductscience.com/post/the-matt-lemay-hypothesis-great-product-managers-never-have-to-say-yes-or-no

Risa Stein is a Director of Product, Integrity leading teams focused on protecting customer safety, privacy, and security. Risa and her team are responsible for setting and enforcing policy, investigating and stopping bad actors who try to abuse Slack, and developing new product features to protect Slack's customers. Prior to joining Slack, she led Transparency and Safety Experience products at LinkedIn and worked in Trust & Safety and product at Twitter. Risa received her JD from Stanford Law School, an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business, and her honors BA from Brown University. Risa lives in her hometown of San Francisco with her husband and two dogs, Noodle and Pancakes. In this episode of the Product Science Podcast, we cover what it means to be a product manager of Integrity, what key areas are involved, and how Risa works with PMs across Slack. Read the show notes to learn more: URL: www.h2rproductscience.com/post/the-risa-stein-hypothesis-trust-is-a-crucial-component-of-a-successful-product

Paul Orlando helps organizations unlock new revenue and partnership opportunities, getting companies to solve problems that they couldn't in other ways. He has built startup programs around the world (Hong Kong, Los Angeles, Rome, and remote). Paul also teaches at the University of Southern California. In this episode of the Product Science Podcast, we cover how to know when to pivot, answering the Why Now question as a startup, and building startup incubators and accelerators. Read the show notes to learn more: URL: www.h2rproductscience.com/post/the-paul-orlando-hypothesis-great-product-strategy-answers-the-why-now-question

Based on more than two decades of enterprise product management experience, including a stint managing a product for product managers, Nils Davis has lots of knowledge and wisdom. In his podcast, the Secrets of Product Management he shares powerful ways for product managers to create more value by ensuring every product is a solution to a meaningful market problem. And that every team creating and selling products is as effective and motivated as they can be. In this episode of the Product Science Podcast, we cover how to tell a good story, why ROI calculations hurt innovation, and the 5 questions every PM should be able to answer. Read the show notes to learn more: URL: www.h2rproductscience.com/post/the-nils-davis-hypothesis-a-good-story-comes-from-solving-a-real-problem-for-real-people

Andrew Skotzko is a product discovery & strategy advisor to tech companies who has built products and led teams for 13 years. By day, he advises companies on product leadership & strategy to make products which find traction in the market and help people thrive in the process. By night, he picks up the mic on his podcast, Make Things That Matter, and explores how product innovation, cognitive science, and org design are creating the future of work. Before discovering product management, Andrew worked in both engineering and marketing, and has worked in a wide range of spaces: consumer web, consumer hardware, decentralized communities, human performance, open-source software, mental health, ocean science, and agriculture/aquaculture. He’s worked with all stages of companies, from nascent startups to the Fortune 100. In this episode of the Product Science Podcast, we cover the importance of distribution to product success, creating a culture of experimentation on product teams, and the role cognitive science plays in product management. Read the show notes to learn more: URL: www.h2rproductscience.com/post/the-andrew-skotzko-hypothesis-if-youre-going-to-try-and-change-somebodys-behavior-you-better-understand-it

Driven by a passion to replace pain points with user delight, Dean Peters has provided product management expertise across a variety of domains and technologies for nearly two decades. From large enterprises such as IQVIA and Citrix to startups such as Dude Solutions and Seven Lakes Technologies, to merged and acquired companies such as Aprimo and McClatchy, Dean has helped teams self-organize, and businesses deliver on the promise of highly usable and valuable outcomes. In this episode of the Product Science Podcast, we cover moving from solution space to problem space, the importance of building relationships with other departments, and what makes a great work environment for product managers. Read the show notes to learn more: URL: www.h2rproductscience.com/post/the-dean-peters-hypothesis-the-best-products-are-created-from-problem-focused-conversations

Roman Pichler is a leading product management expert specialized in product strategy, leadership, and agility. He has advised product leaders and he has taught product managers and product owners for more than 15 years. Roman has pioneered agile product management practices, and he has developed a range of models, methods, and tools to help organizations create successful products. Roman shares his knowledge through his training courses, his four books, his popular blog, podcast, and talks, and his product management tools, including his widely used Product Vision Board. In this episode of the Product Science Podcast, we cover agile and product transformations, what’s wrong with the focus on features, and saying no. Read the show notes to learn more: www.h2rproductscience.com/post/the-roman-pichler-hypothesis-establishing-an-effective-agile-product-management-organization-takes-time

Andrew Michael is an entrepreneur with 14 years of experience in digital growth companies as a founder or senior manager with a focus on customer retention, data analytics, product, and growth. In this episode of the Product Science Podcast, we cover the mistakes Andrew made early on in his startup career and at what points in the development process he focuses on quantitative vs qualitative research. Read the show notes to learn more: www.h2rproductscience.com/post/the-andrew-michael-hypothesis-mixing-qualitative-and-quantitative-research-methods-leads-to-better-product-decisions

Lisa is the Founder of Conscious Product Development. Her purpose is to help product teams solve the right problems for the right reasons and develop products (and careers) more consciously - in ways that are inclusive, holistic, ethical, accessible, and sustainable - and that makes people's lives measurably better. She previously worked at Google, several wearable tech startups, and with Bauer Hockey's stick development team. She is also a three time national hockey champion. In this episode of the Product Science Podcast, we cover Lisa’s philosophy of Conscious Product Development, and how her personal life helped guide towards wanting to solve problems in a more compassionate way. Read the show notes to learn more: www.h2rproductscience.com/post/the-lisa-marie-zane-hypothesis-conscious-product-development-is-building-a-better-future-for-tech

Shane Zilinskas has worked on many product launches for companies ranging from startups to Fortune 500. He started off as an engineer before finding his way to product management, when a book and a one-way ticket to Europe led him, together with his wife Kara McGehee, to build ClearSummit, an agency that has helped 100s of companies take their products from 0 to 1. In this episode of the Product Science Podcast, we cover how Dan got started in tech, why he built an agency of his own, and how they practice product discovery. Read the show notes to learn more: www.h2rproductscience.com/post/the-shane-zilinskas-hypothesis-user-research-and-empathy-drive-products-from-0-to-1

Christina is a product manager at Slack, focused primarily on improving the accessibility of both Slack and Quip (the collaboration tool, not the toothbrush company!) for people with disabilities.Previously to working in product, Christina was an ethnographer focused on how people incorporate technology into their lives, with over a decade of experience in observing and orchestrating social interactions on the internet and in offline subcultural spaces in China and the U.S. In this episode of the Product Science Podcast, we cover how Christina’s team makes sure that accessibiilty needs at Slack are addressed and how we can help the industry do more for disabled users. Read the show notes to learn more: URL: www.h2rproductscience.com/post/the-christina-xu-hypothesis-accessibility-is-a-critical-aspect-of-product-design

Jason Keramidas is always thinking about how to build products that will make people’s lives better. He has over 25 years experience working with a range of companies from early stage startups to driving growth at public companies. He lives just north of NYC with his wife and two children. In this episode of the Product Science Podcast, we cover Jason’s early days in product management, what is different about product in B2B, why Jason argues that the sales team is your greatest asset, and what his experience at a nonprofit was like. Read the show notes to learn more: www.h2rproductscience.com/post/the-jason-keramidas-hypothesis-with-enterprise-products-the-sales-team-is-your-biggest-asset

Tosin Onibon-oje is a highly skilled Product Lead with 15 years of experience in the industry. She is customer-focused and outcome-driven, with a proven track record of leading cross-functional teams in developing and launching innovative and successful products. She is an effective communicator who excels at building strong relationships with stakeholders at all levels. Additionally, Tosin is passionate about fostering kindness and a human-centered culture in the workplace. In this episode of the Product Science Podcast, we cover how Tosin has experienced product management both outside and inside the software world, how to utilize kindness and empathy to be strong product leader, and how to balance business and human needs fairly at the workplace. Read the show notes to learn more: www.h2rproductscience.com/post/the-tosin-onibon-oje-hypothesis-kindness-is-a-strength-for-product-managers

Jackie Bavaro has over 15 years of product management experience, most recently as Head of PM at Asana. During her tenure, she grew the PM team to over twenty people, helped Asana's go from 0 to more than $100 million in annual recurring revenue, and launched Asana's associate product manager program. She has worked as a PM for Google and Microsoft as well, and in a diverse set of PM roles—consumer, B2B, platform, mobile, and growth. She has been a manager and manager of managers. She has written two books: Cracking the PM Interview and Cracking the PM Career. You can find her on Twitter at https://twitter.com/jackiebo and substack at https://jackiebavaro.substack.com/. In this episode of the Product Science Podcast, we cover why Jackie wrote books about PM interviews and careers, how product organizations evolve as a company grows, and what great product leadership looks like. Read the show notes to learn more: www.h2rproductscience.com/post/the-jackie-bavaro-hypothesis-cracking-the-pm-career-means-leading-with-the-right-questions

Dan Balcauski is the founder and Chief Pricing Officer at Product Tranquility, based in Austin, TX. He focuses on helping high-volume B2B SaaS CEOs define pricing and packaging for new products. Over his career, he has worked in both B2C and B2B companies ranging from startups to publicly traded enterprises. In this episode of the Product Science Podcast, we cover Dan’s SVCS model for working through pricing and packaging, how to figure out what different customers value, and how to use the 3 common pricing orientations. Read the show notes to learn more: www.h2rproductscience.com/post/the-dan-balcauski-hypothesis-the-most-important-part-of-product-pricing-is-who-and-how-you-charge