What does it take to drive product innovation across cultures, languages, and business units? Heather Samarin and Vidya Dinamani sit down with Chris Pasley, former VP of Product at 17Live, as he shares lessons from scaling product at a global live-streaming platform. From managing incentives in a “whale economy” to aligning cross-country OKRs, Chris shares stories of stakeholder wrangling, cultural empathy, and staying true to the customer. He also offers a practical framework for defining MVPs and driving impact through problem-cause-solution thinking.
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When Structure Sparks Innovation
What does it take to build products that transform not just classrooms, but the entire education space? Heather Samarin and Vidya Dinamani sit down with a product leader who's done just that—Rachel Stack, Chief Humanities Officer at Great Minds. From navigating complex nonprofit-to-for-profit transformation, Rachel shares how her teams embraced continuous learning, prioritized with discipline, and preserved the "special sauce" of mission-driven education. Explore real talk on product structure, educator-led development, value stream mapping, and how to lead with curiosity while staying grounded in purpose.
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Design Beyond The Obvious
What does it take to push back against the status quo—and win? Vidya Dinamani and Heather Samarin sit down with Colt Stander, CPO at Presence, as he shares what it means to be a true product rebel. From tackling overlooked customer problems to navigating leadership resistance, Colt reveals how his teams tested controversial ideas and drove innovation in hardware and healthcare. He offers honest insights on product storytelling, user obsession and why the best PMs challenge assumptions.
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Building with Radical Candor
How do you scale product impact while keeping customer trust at the center?Heather Samarin and Vidya Dinamani sit down with Ismail Elshareef, CPO at CarGurus, as he shares his bold approach to leading with empathy, optimism, and integrity.From standing up against revenue-first tactics to cultivating teams that challenge norms with courage and candor, Ismail brings tactical advice from hard-earned wisdom. Tune in to hear how he develops customer-obsessed teams, asks the right questions, and stays relentless curious—even in high-stakes environments.
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Mission-driven Product Leadership
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.
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.
New Zealand