Agentic AI Execution

Leena Agarwal

The podcast for TPMs, product managers, and builders shipping real AI systems. No hype, no frameworks — just honest conversations about what it actually takes to move from model to production. Topics include agentic AI, AI program execution, stakeholder alignment, technical roadmaps, and building trust in AI-driven orgs. Hosted by Leena Agarwal, 18-year TPM veteran from Amazon and Meta. New episodes every week. Built for tech leaders who ship.

  1. 4d ago

    Stop Applying Cold: How to Stand Out & Get Hired in the AI Era | Jason P. Yoong | Ep. 34

    In Episode 34 of the Agentic AI Execution Podcast, host Leena Agarwal is joined by Jason P. Yoong (co-founder of Level Up and former Amazon leader) to explore how professionals can navigate market anxiety, AI wash, and the modern job search.Stop sending blind cold applications. Instead, Jason breaks down the tactical mindset shifts required to build real career leverage, become "email forwardable," and use AI as a strategic thought partner rather than a shortcut. ⏱️ Timestamps & Key Topics: 00:01 — Introduction: Navigating career uncertainty and change in the AI era 00:47 — Defining success, life tenets, and balancing parenthood as a "100x dad" 03:08 — Time management, energy management, and being fully present while building05:56 — How to use AI tools (like Claude/Codex) as a rigorous thought partner for first drafts and deep work 08:36 — Real productivity gains vs. corporate chaos: What CXOs and AI-native founders are getting right 12:21 — Stop Applying Cold: Why proof of results is table stakes and how to become "email forwardable" 16:45 — The relationship-building playbook: How Jason built a deep professional partnership with Ethan Evans through high-standards networking 24:21 — The book recommendation strategy and how to genuinely connect with leaders 27:44 — A 5-year outlook on AI, education, human connection, and the rise of anti-AI business playbooks (live sports and community) 🔗 Connect • Connect with Jason P. Yoong: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasonyoong/ • Connect with Leena Agarwal: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leenaagarwal/ #AgenticAI #CareerAdvice #TechLeadership #JobSearch #Networking

  2. Oct 18

    Developer GTM in Agentic Era | Ep 33

    In this episode, Ankit—former engineer, award-winning AI researcher, and DevRel leader at Rime— break down the harsh realities of scaling Agentic AI We cover why AI models excel inside constraints but struggle with enterprise edge cases, how developers should position themselves in the age of LLMs, and why transparently admitting your product’s weaknesses builds ultimate customer trust --- 🎯 KEY TOPICS COVERED :00:00 - Introduction & Ankit's Career Journey 00:36 - From Full-Stack Developer to AI Researcher to DevRel04:55 - How Budding Developers Can Thrive in the Agentic AI Era 05:55 - Will AI Ever Replace Human DevRel? 08:20 - Combating "AI Slop" & Creating Genuine High-Quality Content 09:28 - Behind the Scenes: Lessons from a Financial AI Hackathon 11:12 - The Gap Between AI Demos vs. Real Production Systems 15:13 - First 90 Days: How B2B AI Startups Can Scale Product-Market Fit 18:43 - Why B2B Founders Must Embrace Product Weaknesses to Build Trust

  3. Oct 10

    Let an AI Trade My Money (And It Beat The S&P 500): Evolution in Agentic Commerce | Ep 32

    In Episode 32 of the Agentic AI Execution Podcast, Mitesh breaks down what actually happens when AI touches real money. From connecting Claude to Robinhood's MCP server and building decision journals to beat the S&P 500, to the massive battles in agentic commerce, merchant risk profiles, and session-level fraud—we cover what is breaking and what needs to be solved 📌 TIMESTAMPS 00:00 - Introduction & Mitesh’s Background 00:25 - Building an Autonomous Trading Agent with Robinhood MCP 01:30 - Setting Up Guardrails, Mandates & Stock Selection Rules 02:45 - The Breakthrough: Prompting AI to Keep a "Decision Journal" 04:00 - Daily Monitoring vs. Weekly Rebalancing Agents 04:30 - Beating the S&P 500 & The Real Risks of Agentic Trading 06:15 - Why Enterprises Are Cautious About AI Guardrails 07:45 - The Evolution of Agentic Commerce & Browser Checkouts 09:30 - Merchant Risk Profiles & Session-Level Fraud Scores 11:15 - How Agentic Traffic Will Change E-Commerce Funnels & KPIs 13:30 - Key Skills for PMs: Mastering AI Evals & End-to-End Tracing 15:45 - The Future of Tech Roles: Problem-Solving Over Job Titles --------------------------------------------------- 💡 KEY TAKEAWAYS: • Decision Journals for AI: Forcing LLMs to document their reasoning prevents context loss and random flip-flopping across sessions. • Sandbox First: Never expose your primary trading account to autonomous agents—use dedicated sub-accounts or MCP sandboxes. • Agentic Commerce Shift: Browsers are enabling AI agents to shop directly on merchant websites without waiting for custom API integrations. • Crucial PM Skills: Understanding agent tracing, evaluation metrics, and session-level risk controls is vital for building production-ready AI. 🔗 RESOURCES & LINKS: • Connect with Mitesh Shah: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mitesh-shah-19673039/ • Connect with Leena Agarwal: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leenaagarwal/ #AgenticAI #AI #FinTech #ArtificialIntelligence #Claude #ProductManagement #AITrading #Robinhood #TechPodcast

  4. Oct 4

    AI vs. Human: How to Find Your True Purpose Without Losing Yourself | Ep 31

    In Episode 31 of the show, Leena sits down with Christina, a London-based purpose and career coach, TEDx speaker, and host of the *Eudaimonia Life Show*.With the massive surge of AI and automation, it’s easy to feel lost in the short-term rush. In this powerful conversation, Christina dives deep into what it truly means to find your purpose at a soul level, blending ancient Greek and Japanese philosophies to help us navigate modern career pressures.*Timestamps:* * **00:00** - Introduction: Meet Christina (Purpose & Career Coach and TEDx Speaker) * **00:36** - Redefining Purpose: Why the Corporate Ideal of Purpose is Flawed * **03:40** - Peer Pressure vs. Soul-Level Purpose: How to Make Aligned Choices * **05:35** - The "Mid-Sprint" Trap: Escaping Short-Term Urgency and Shiny Penny Syndrome * **09:47** - Activating Hope and Optimism Through Discipline and Integrity * **12:00** - A Decision-Making Framework: Choosing Who You Need to Be * **14:26** - Accountability as an Act of Love and Constructive Feedback * **17:15** - Knowing When to Walk Away: Preserving Your Mental Peace * **19:07** - What is Eudaimonia? Ancient Philosophy on Human Flourishing * **26:06** - AI vs. Human Authenticity: Why AI Can Never Replace Being Witnessed * **29:56** - Mentorship & Connection: Why Wisdom Requires Heart, Not Just Data * **33:04** - Final Key Takeaways and Where to Find Christina 🔗 RESOURCES & LINKS: * Connect with Christina on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christinagaridi/ * Connect with Leena on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leenaagarwal

  5. Sep 25

    You Got Wings, Now What? Navigating the Agentic AI Wave with Shylaja | Ep 30

    In this episode of Agentic AI Execution, host Leena Agarwal sits down with tech leader Shylaja (ex-Anthropic, Airbnb, Amazon, Meta, Netflix) to explore how artificial intelligence and agentic workflows are reshaping Technical Program Management (TPM) and software development life cycles. **Timestamps:*** **00:00** - Introduction & Shylaja’s Background across Meta, Airbnb, and Amazon * **00:48** - The TPM Spectrum: 0-to-1 Products vs. 1-to-N Scaling * **02:18** - How the Agentic AI Wave is Transforming TPM Workflows * **03:45** - Automating Work vs. Refining Critical Judgment Calls * **05:15** - Setting Up Agents, MCP Connectors, and Model Selection * **06:12** - Defining "Done" & Forcing Functions for Production Readiness * **07:05** - Human-in-the-Loop: Prototypes, Security, and Edge Cases * **08:15** - Managing Risk, Speed Trade-offs, and Evolving SDLC * **09:30** - Practical Steps to Start Using AI Assistants Today * **10:40** - Advice for Organizations Adopting Agentic AI * **11:30** - Mindset for the Future: Embracing Career Inflection Points 🔗 RESOURCES & LINKS: * Connect with Shylaja on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shylajar/ * Connect with Leena on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leenaagarwal/

  6. Sep 20

    Voice AI: Demos vs. Production with Google Developer Expert Akshay | Ep 29

    Welcome to episode 29 of the Agentic AI Execution podcast! In this episode, Leena sits down with Akshay, a Google Developer Expert (GDE) for Android, Developer Advocate, and founder of the Android Engineers Community in India. Akshay shares his journey of building with Agentic AI, starting with a unique digital Ganesh Pandal powered by voice AI and GPT Live 1. The conversation dives deep into the realities of developer relations (DevRel), how to effectively use Gemini inside Android Studio, and the critical differences between a flashy AI demo and a resilient model that survives real-world production edge cases. **Key Topics Covered:** * **00:00** – Introduction and exploring the real gap between a flashy AI demo and one that survives production. * **01:01** – Demo: Building a digital Ganesh Pandal with voice AI so anyone can join the festival virtually. * **03:15** – The path to becoming a GDE and the importance of advocating for developers. * **08:00** – Leveraging Gemini AI in Android Studio for faster coding and documentation. * **10:30** – Protecting developer trust and providing quick-start AI templates via Agora .* **12:50** – Real-world lessons: What to do when your live tech demo breaks. * **22:14** – Navigating latency, background noise, and creating natural human-like voice agents . * **24:45** – Demos vs. Production: Why handling edge cases like low lighting and choppy video matters. * **27:10** – The massive untapped opportunity for Voice AI in children's toys across India. 🔗 RESOURCES & LINKS: * Connect with Akshay on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anandwana001/ * Connect with Leena on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leenaagarwal/

  7. Sep 13

    People Over AI: The Scarce Skills TPMs Need in the Agentic AI Era | Ep 28

    In Episode 28 of Agentic AI Execution, host Leena Agarwal sits down with James (Senior PM, former Staff TPM, and author of The TPM Craft newsletter) to unpack how agentic workflows are reshaping technical leadership roles across startups, mid-sized companies, and large enterprises.James breaks down why human relationships matter more than ever, where trust still breaks down in agentic code generation (security, compliance, quality), and the exact skills TPMs must double down on to stay indispensable. Plus, he shares real-world projects he built using AI—including a short-form content blocker and a virtual bank app for kids! ⏱️ CHAPTERS / TIMESTAMPS: 0:00 – Intro: Setting the Stage for the Agentic AI Era0:45 – Roles, Trust, & The Secret Sauce for Using AI Well21:13 – Scarce Skills TPMs Need as Execution Gets Cheaper35:41 – Closing Thoughts 🔗 RESOURCES & LINKS: Subscribe to James’s Newsletter (The TPM Craft): https://thetpmcraft.substack.com/Connect with James on LinkedIn:   / jamzdayhuff  Connect with Leena on LinkedIn:   / leenaagarwal

  8. Sep 7

    The dark side of AI productivity: burnout, bot-sitting, and survival in tech. | Ep 27

    In Episode 27 of the Agentic AI Execution podcast, host Leena sits down with Technical Program Manager and coach Liudmila to uncover how AI is doubling expected workloads in the tech industry. They dive into the reality of "bot-sitting" (spending hours fixing AI-generated mistakes), practical neuroscience-backed tools to stay grounded under pressure, and how to build sustainable execution systems without sacrificing your mental health. Key Topics Covered: * 00:00 – The hidden reality of AI expectations and tech worker fears * 01:36 – Liudmila’s career journey from test engineer to TPM * 16:45 – Real-time grounding exercises to manage pressure and anxiety * 24:30 – Is AI boosting productivity or creating 6.4 extra hours of "bot-sitting"? * 31:10 – Managing up and reframing career value in the era of AI agents * 35:38– Final advice on prioritizing life outside of work and avoiding burnout Links: * Connect with Liudmila: https://www.linkedin.com/in/liudmila-gishman/ * Connect with Leena: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leenaagarwal/

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About

The podcast for TPMs, product managers, and builders shipping real AI systems. No hype, no frameworks — just honest conversations about what it actually takes to move from model to production. Topics include agentic AI, AI program execution, stakeholder alignment, technical roadmaps, and building trust in AI-driven orgs. Hosted by Leena Agarwal, 18-year TPM veteran from Amazon and Meta. New episodes every week. Built for tech leaders who ship.

Information

  • Creator
    Leena Agarwal
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    34
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Leena Agarwal
  • Show Website
    Agentic AI Execution

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