The Product Manager

Hannah Clark - The Product Manager
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Successful products don’t happen in a vacuum. Hosted by Hannah Clark, Editor of The Product Manager, this show takes a 360º view of product through the perspectives of those in the inner circle, outer perimeter, and fringes of the product management process. If you manage, design, develop, or market products, expect candid and actionable insights that can guide you through every stage of the product life cycle.

  1. Best of The Product Manager Podcast in 2025

    2D AGO

    Best of The Product Manager Podcast in 2025

    Welcome to 2026! In this special retrospective episode, host Hannah Clark is joined by producer Becca Banyard to unpack the biggest themes, standout insights, and most listened-to moments from the past year. Together, they reflect on what made 2025 such a pivotal year in product—where AI reigned, volatility was the norm, and the role of product leadership was stretched in new directions. This episode is both a reflection and a guide. Hannah and Becca break down what they learned from conversations with CPOs, founders, researchers, and consultants who all shared one thing in common: navigating change while building great products. Whether you’re a seasoned exec, a leader on the rise, or somewhere in between, this wrap-up points you to the episodes you shouldn’t miss—and gives a preview of where the conversation is headed in 2026. Resources from this episode: Subscribe to The CPO Club newsletterReferenced Episodes & Guests to Revisit:Finding Your Unfair Advantage in Product’s Wild West Era with Margaret-Ann SegerHow Did This CPO Pull Off 350% Growth in Two Years?! with Benjamin BerryThe Nuances of Product Leadership No One Talks About with Debbie McMahonHow to Adapt to the New Gold Standard in Product Management with Dr. Maryam AshooriThe Product Leader’s Guide to Buyer Psychology with Chris SilvestriThe New Exec Playbook: Your Most Important First Moves in Your First Executive Role with Yue ZhaoAre We Overpromising and Under-delivering on AI? with Dhruv BatraWhy It’s So Hard to Adopt New Skills with Maxine AndersonThe Systems Thinking Process Used by the Most Adaptable Product Leaders with Sheryl Cababa

    31 min
  2. Are We Overpromising and Under-delivering on AI?

    11/18/2025

    Are We Overpromising and Under-delivering on AI?

    AI can solve Olympic-level math problems... and still fumble basic arithmetic. So what gives? According to Dhruv Batra, the answer lies in the “jaggedness” of intelligence—how AI can excel in some areas while completely breaking down in others. Dhruv, co-founder and Chief Scientist at Yutori, joins Hannah Clark to unpack the cognitive dissonance users feel when a model dazzles one moment and disappoints the next. They explore how user expectations—shaped by decades of intuitive UI patterns and human conversations—often collide with the underlying limits of AI systems. From browser agents and automation to long-term feedback loops and trust-building, this conversation is a candid look at what today’s AI can actually do (and where it’s still bluffing). If you’re building with AI or trying to scope what’s possible, this one will recalibrate your expectations—in a good way. Resources from this episode: Subscribe to The CPO Club newsletterConnect with Dhruv on LinkedInCheck out Dhruv’s website and Yutori

    41 min
  3. The Most Misleading Plays in Product, Unmasked

    10/31/2025

    The Most Misleading Plays in Product, Unmasked

    There’s a lot of smoke and mirrors in product right now—especially when it comes to AI. Shiny tools and slick prototypes are masquerading as production-ready solutions, and teams are feeling the pressure to keep up. But what happens when the hype outpaces the fundamentals? Hannah sits down with Matt Graney, CPO of Celigo, to talk about bad product plays in disguise—from vibe coding and no-code illusions to AI-fueled shortcuts that chip away at real product rigor. With decades in B2B product and a track record scaling teams, Matt offers a sharp, grounded view on what’s actually changing, what’s staying the same, and how to keep your product sense intact through it all. Resources from this episode: Subscribe to The CPO Club newsletterConnect with Matt on LinkedInCheck out Celigo

    21 min
  4. The Product Leader’s Guide to Buyer Psychology

    10/21/2025

    The Product Leader’s Guide to Buyer Psychology

    Every product team faces the same monster: conversion optimization. But in 2025, the game has changed. With AI agents influencing discovery and AEO (Answer Engine Optimization) reshaping how people (and machines) interpret messaging, teams are now marketing to both human and agentic audiences. In this episode, Hannah Clark sits down with Chris Silvestri, founder of Conversion Alchemy, to unpack how product teams can use psychology and UX insights to craft messaging that drives both adoption and retention. A former software engineer turned conversion strategist, Chris explains how understanding human decision-making—and now machine reasoning—can help product leaders turn features into irresistible outcomes. Resources from this episode: Subscribe to The CPO Club newsletterConnect with Chris on LinkedInCheck out Conversion Alchemy

    30 min
  5. Why It’s So Hard to Adopt New Skills (with Maxine Anderson, Co-Founder & CPO at Arist)

    09/16/2025

    Why It’s So Hard to Adopt New Skills (with Maxine Anderson, Co-Founder & CPO at Arist)

    Every product manager obsesses over leadership styles, onboarding flows, and GTM strategies—but what if the biggest differentiator of success comes down to something much simpler? Learning. In this episode, Hannah Clark sits down with Maxine Anderson, Co-Founder and CPO of Arist, a text-based learning platform that flips traditional corporate education on its head. Maxine started her career in rural Oregon classrooms, where she saw firsthand how inaccessible and ineffective most learning environments were. That experience sparked the idea behind Arist: meeting people where they already are, through tools like SMS, Slack, and Teams. What follows is a candid conversation about why more content doesn’t equal more learning, the real barriers that keep employees from growing, and how AI is reshaping not just education—but how organizations function. Resources from this episode: Subscribe to The CPO Club newsletterConnect with Maxine on LinkedInCheck out Arist

    28 min
  6. How American Express 4x Its Experimentation Velocity in 1 Year (with Jean Castanon, VP of Digital Product at American Express)

    09/02/2025

    How American Express 4x Its Experimentation Velocity in 1 Year (with Jean Castanon, VP of Digital Product at American Express)

    Every product leader wrestles with the same tradeoff: move fast and risk breaking things, or move slow and risk irrelevance. But what if the real accelerator wasn’t cutting corners—it was systematizing experimentation? In this episode, Hannah Clark sits down with Jean Castanon, VP of Digital Product at American Express, to explore how his team quadrupled their testing velocity in a year, redefined what “success” in experiments really means, and built a referral program that became Amex’s second-largest global acquisition channel. Jean brings over a decade of experience at Amex across strategy, marketing, and digital, and he shares how his team balances speed, scale, and sustainability in product strategy. From building experimentation muscle to future-proofing digital storefronts, this conversation is packed with lessons for product leaders at every stage. Resources from this episode: Subscribe to The CPO Club newsletterConnect with Jean on LinkedInCheck out American Express

    19 min
  7. How to Navigate “Growing Pains” in Scaling Orgs (with Matthew Wensing, Head of Product and Design at Customer.io)

    08/19/2025

    How to Navigate “Growing Pains” in Scaling Orgs (with Matthew Wensing, Head of Product and Design at Customer.io)

    Startups don’t get easier with age—they just get more complex. Much like teenagers, scale-ups are constantly outgrowing their structures, still figuring out their identity, and not always great at setting realistic goals. But this awkward “in-between” stage isn’t a failure—it’s a rite of passage on the path to becoming a mature company. In this episode, Hannah sits down with Matt Wensing, Head of Product and Design at Customer.io, who has seen scaling from nearly every angle: founder, product leader, and now executive. Matt shares how to bridge the gap between lofty strategy and day-to-day execution, why your org’s real capacity is often higher than you think, and how to turn constant experimentation from chaos into sustainable growth. Resources from this episode: Subscribe to The Product Manager newsletterConnect with Matthew on LinkedInCheck out Customer.io and Matthew’s website

    46 min
  8. How to Balance Speed and Value: The Essential Role of Empathy in the AI Product Era (with Megan O'Rourke, Executive Director of Product at Metalab)

    08/12/2025

    How to Balance Speed and Value: The Essential Role of Empathy in the AI Product Era (with Megan O'Rourke, Executive Director of Product at Metalab)

    The Tin Man’s silk heart in The Wizard of Oz is a perfect metaphor for AI right now—it can convincingly mimic empathy, but it’s not the real thing. In this episode, Hannah Clark sits down with Megan O’Rourke, Executive Director of Product at Metalab, to explore the delicate balance between AI-powered productivity and human-driven resonance. They dive into why empathy and storytelling are irreplaceable in both product development and leadership, and the risks we run if we trade them away for efficiency. Megan shares stories from the field, frameworks for deciding when AI belongs in the workflow, and practical ways leaders can embed human connection into their teams’ processes. From reading the silence in a meeting to designing for emotional moments, this conversation is all about building products—and cultures—that people can truly connect with. Resources from this episode: Subscribe to The Product Manager newsletterConnect with Megan on LinkedInCheck out Metalab

    42 min
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Ratings & Reviews

4.8
out of 5
6 Ratings

About

Successful products don’t happen in a vacuum. Hosted by Hannah Clark, Editor of The Product Manager, this show takes a 360º view of product through the perspectives of those in the inner circle, outer perimeter, and fringes of the product management process. If you manage, design, develop, or market products, expect candid and actionable insights that can guide you through every stage of the product life cycle.

Information

  • Creator
    Hannah Clark - The Product Manager
  • Years Active
    2021 - 2026
  • Episodes
    109
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 The Product Manager
  • Show Website
    The Product Manager

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