What does it take to challenge the convention and rebuild from scratch? Heather Samarin and Vidya Dinamani find out as they sit down with Sara Xi, CPO at Rubicon Carbon. Sara shares her journey leading product, engineering, and design to reshape the voluntary carbon market. From scrapping legacy platforms to scaling lean teams, Sara talks risk, trust, and mission-driven leadership.Hear her insights on empowering teams, taking smart risks, and building products that make climate impact—and business sense. An inspiring listen for rebels building bold solutions.
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Building Value—Not Just Features
What happens when a seasoned sales and engineering leader becomes a CPO? Vidya Dinamani and Heather Samarin sit down with Jim Shaw, Chief Product Officer at Acquia, as he shares his journey into product leadership and what he's learned along the way. From navigating imposter syndrome to bridging gaps between sales and product, Jim dives into the importance of clarify, mission-driven teams, and cross-functional alignment. A must-listen for anyone leading through influence in complex organizations.
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When Product Leads The Shift
What does it take to drive product innovation in industries that aren’t traditionally product-led?Heather Samarin and Vidya Dinamani sit down with Rahul Nath, CPO at Accel, who brings rich experience from Google, Drip Capital, and McKinsey. Rahul shares how he builds product in non-product-led spaces, from redefining onboarding in trade finance to leveraging AI in venture capital. Hear Rahul's practical lessons on stakeholder alignment, scrappy experimentation, data-driven decision-making, and why he believes “if there’s no clear strategy—write one.” A must-listen for product leaders navigating ambiguity and driving bold transformation.
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Customer Truth > Internal Noise
What does it take to lead product in complex, regulated industries while driving change from the inside out? Vidya Dinamani and Heather Samarin talk to Chad Fenner, CPO at i3 Verticals. Chad shares lessons from decades of experience at Dell, Thomson Reuters, and now the public sector. From influencing stakeholders to saying "no" with confidence, Chad unpacks what it takes to build alignment and create lasting customer value—even when it means challenging the status quo.
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Think Financial, Act Customer
Heather Samarin and Vidya Dinamani sit down with Nat Kunes, Chief Product Officer at Ontra. He shares his insights on redefining pricing strategies, replacing assumptions with validated hypotheses, and the impactful strategy he uses to empower his team to balance goals with true user value. Nat digs into financial fluency for PMs, market validation practices, and shifting org culture to view product as an asset, not a liability.
Twice monthly, Vidya Dinamani and Heather Samarin talk to battle-hardened product leaders about building phenomenal products. Their guests are industry experts, people who have pioneered remarkable careers at companies like Netflix, Intuit, Khan Academy and Infusionsoft. Making customer-driven product choices is the right move. But it’s not always the popular one. If advocating for your customers has you feeling like a lone wolf, hosts Vidya and Heather—product rebels in their own right, with 20 combined years of experience—are here to help you learn from the best, so you can pave your way confidently.
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