Productly Speaking: Real Stories for Product Managers

Product Management Stories by Productly Speaking
  • 5.0 (3)
  • Management

Productly Speaking is a podcast about the human side of product management. Hosted by Karl Abbott, the show features candid, story-first conversations with product managers and builders about what the work actually asks of people when things get complicated. Episodes explore judgment, trust, listening, uncertainty, and the emotional reality behind decisions that rarely make it into playbooks or conference talks. This is not a podcast about frameworks or optimization. It’s a space to reflect on how real people navigate product work when clarity is limited and responsibility is real.

  1. 3d ago

    S6E3: What Listening Actually Costs with Stan Slovin

    Have you ever walked out of a meeting convinced everyone was aligned, only to discover weeks later that half the team heard something completely different? Stan Slovin has spent years working with leaders who thought they were listening, until the silence, the turnover, and the failed projects proved otherwise. In this conversation, we dig into the small tells that reveal when someone has stopped hearing you, the moment a CEO's dinner table question changed his relationship with his daughter, and why the impulse to solve instead of listen might be costing you more than you realize. This isn't about communication frameworks or active listening checklists. It's about what actually happens when people feel unheard, and the surprisingly simple shifts that turn surface interactions into conversations that build trust, clarity, and better work. Quotable Moments: "When you talk, you're only repeating what you already know. But when you listen, you actually may learn something." "The number one reason clients leave is never because of performance. It's because they feel that they were not listened to." "Listen more and say less. Because that's really where it comes down to." About the Guest: Stan Slovin works with leaders and teams in high-stakes environments where listening isn't optional. He's the author of a book on better listening and has seen firsthand what happens when the people doing the work feel like their voices don't matter. Call-to-Action: Next time someone on your team starts talking, try this: don't solve, don't respond, don't finish their sentence. Just ask them to tell you more. You might be surprised by what you've been missing. If this episode landed for you, share it with a PM who needs the reminder that listening is still the most underrated skill we have. Resources: "Good to Great" by Jim Collins (referenced in the episode regarding the concept that great leaders are great listeners) - Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap...and Others Don't by Jim Collins | The StoryGraph"Better Listening" by Stan Slovin: https://www.betterlisteningbook.com/

    S6E3: What Listening Actually Costs with Stan Slovin

  2. Jul 14

    S6E2: When the To-Do List Is the Identity with Alex Adamopoulos II

    Have you ever sat through yet another transformation announcement and quietly thought, "here we go again"? Alex Adamopolous II has lived through enough of those moments to know the truth: organizations don't struggle with new processes. They struggle with the humans trying to figure them out. In this conversation, Alex shares what 45% of workers won't tell you in surveys about burnout, the wardrobe app startup that failed because they asked all the wrong questions, and why AI is creating the pressure test that product people have been both asking for and dreading. We talk about the gap between learning something in a training room and actually applying it when the stakes are real, the discomfort of embracing ambiguity when moving from project to product thinking, and what happens when teams suddenly have time for strategic work but aren't sure they can deliver it. This is transformation fatigue, methodology dependency, and the messy truth about change, told by someone who helps teams navigate it every day. Guest Alex Adamopolous II leads product development at Emerge and has spent years helping organizations navigate the human side of transformation. He specializes in work-based learning and building product capabilities in teams transitioning from project-based to product-led thinking. Quotable Moments "We were more obsessed with the shiny object, the idea of an app that could help people manage their wardrobe. Today, looking back, we would have killed the idea sooner if we had recognized those product management challenges more up front." "Transformation fatigue honestly looks like exhaustion with the same initiatives or what appears to be the same initiatives being instituted by leadership over and over again." "Just because AI can get things done at the speed of light doesn't mean that all of our human experience is immediately invalidated. We have to remain critical thinkers in the way that we use AI." "It's now a pressure test. Are we capable of that strategic work that we always wanted more time for? And interestingly enough, I think this is an opportunity rather than a negative." Resources Emergn Reports and Research: Overcoming Transformation Fatigue (white paper by Emerge): Make overcoming transformation fatigue your unfair competitive advantageGlobal Intelligent Delusion Report (2025) - Emergn Survey Report: The Global Intelligent Delusion Tools and Products Mentioned: Praxis - Work-based learning platform by Emerge featuring Stella, an AI assistant for product management work - Praxis by Emergn - EmergnVibe coding tools (referenced in rapid prototyping discussion) Key Concepts Discussed: Work-based learning vs. traditional trainingFive types of transformation fatigue: long wait for value, new change same as old change, methodology dependency, buzzwords that lose impact, and skills/talent retentionProject to product transformationAI-assisted software development and learning

    S6E2: When the To-Do List Is the Identity with Alex Adamopoulos II

  3. Jul 7

    S6E1: Nobody Said No with Richard Abi Chahla

    What happens when you spend eight months building something impressive, only to discover the people who promised to use it actually don't want it? Richard Abi Chahla knows that moment. The deflation. The walk back to the team. The hard conversation about wasted months and sweat equity. In this conversation, Richard shares what he learned from that 2016 failure and how he now uses AI not to build faster, but to learn faster. We dig into the messy reality of validating your riskiest assumptions first instead of the comfortable ones, why having a confident CEO armed with ChatGPT can be dangerous, and the three pillars every startup must stand on before writing a single line of code. If you've ever felt the pull to just keep building because stopping feels too painful, this one's for you. GuestRichard Abi Chahla helps subject matter experts and founders use AI to accelerate product discovery and validation. He has been building startups since 2011 and now uses AI to compress market research from weeks into days, but only after learning the hard way what happens when you skip the uncomfortable questions. Quotable Moments"If it's going to fail, let it fail in the research phase or let it fail in the validation phase. It's better than it failing whenever you have poured a lot of development money on it." "I am not smarter than you. I just tried more times than you've done. I just failed more times than you have tried." "The issue that I've done early on was that I was trying to avoid the riskiest assumption. I was trying to postpone it because I want to hear the good things." Resources MentionedLean Startup Methodology - The framework Richard relies on for validating assumptions through empathy, validation, ideation, prototyping, and building phasesClaude (Anthropic) - AI model Richard uses for research and analysis with large context windowsChatGPT (OpenAI) - Used for prompt engineering and market researchLovable - No-code/low-code tool for rapid prototypingReplit - Platform for building and testing prototypes quicklyCursor - AI-assisted code editorGitHub Copilot - AI coding assistantFunction Health - Referenced as the type of platform a client wanted to replicateSupabase - Backend solution for quick validationFirebase - Backend platform for rapid prototypingCall to ActionIf you've learned something the hard way in product, or you're currently staring down a risky assumption you'd rather not validate, we want to hear from you. Share your story, your question, or just say hello at productly.fm. And if this episode resonated, please share it with another product person who might need to hear it. We're all figuring this out together.

    S6E1: Nobody Said No with Richard Abi Chahla

  4. May 5

    S5E4: Authenticity Over 'Fake It': Lessons in Leadership and Life with Reese Gifford

    At some point in your career, you have to decide who you’re going to be when things are uncomfortable.  In this episode of Productly Speaking, returning guest Reese Gifford joins Karl Abbott to talk about authenticity and humility, not as polished leadership traits, but as choices made under pressure. The kind that cost you something in the moment and only make sense later.  Reese reflects on entering tech in the late 90s as a young woman with no roadmap, learning early that preparation wasn’t about impressing people. It was about survival. She shares what it felt like to be underestimated in public, to carry the weight of always being “ready,” and to unlearn the belief that strength means having it all together.  They dig into the moments product leaders know well but rarely talk about. The pause before responding when someone comes at you hard. The risk of saying “I don’t know” in a room that expects certainty. The quiet judgment call between speaking up and staying silent, and how either choice will be interpreted.  This conversation isn’t about getting it right. It’s about keeping your integrity when the incentives pull you in other directions. About doing your homework, telling the truth kindly, and choosing honesty even when it complicates things.  If you’ve ever wondered whether being thoughtful is read as weakness, or whether slowing down might actually move things forward, this episode will feel uncomfortably familiar in the best possible way.  Quotable Moments  “You’re affecting people in ways you’ll never fully understand.” “Being kind doesn’t mean avoiding hard conversations. It means protecting people’s dignity while having them.” “You don’t have to prove your worth by carrying things silently. Your voice is part of your strength.”   About the Guest  Reese Gifford is a product and technology leader with a career spanning cloud, security, open source, and global platforms. She has led work at the intersection of innovation and real-world impact, and brings a deeply human perspective shaped by decades of learning, unlearning, and showing up with care.    Resources Mentioned  The Wandering Inn by pirateaba https://wanderinginn.com Outfox: The Becoming of Slate Stormheart by Reese Gifford and her son Mentioned in the episode as Reese’s debut science fiction novel co-authored with her son. Availability discussed verbally on the show.   Call to Action  If this episode felt familiar in that quiet, uncomfortable way, you’re not alone. Share it with someone who’s trying to do good work without losing themselves in the process. Subscribe wherever you listen, and pass it along the old-fashioned way. Real stories still travel best by word of mouth.

    S5E4: Authenticity Over 'Fake It': Lessons in Leadership and Life with Reese Gifford

  5. Apr 28

    S5E3: Navigating the Complexity of Product Leadership with Rick Lewis

    What if the moment everything tilts sideways at work could actually make you better at your job? In this episode, Rick Lewis sits down to talk about the messy middle of change, the kind that knocks the wind out of a team long before it becomes one of those polished “growth stories.”  Rick brings stories from big reorganizations, mergers that paired frenemies into one team, and the kind of customer feedback loops that only surface after months of digging. He talks about the small, painfully human moments that happen when people cling to the old way because it feels safer, and the surprising clarity that shows up once you stop trying to control what can’t be controlled.  There is a moment in this conversation where Rick describes two teams who once competed against each other suddenly being told they’re on the same side. The awkwardness, the reluctance, the gradual warmth that followed. If you've ever walked into a room where no one quite trusts the situation yet, this one will land close to home.  And then there’s his simple, grounding ritual: stepping outside, clearing his head, and coming back to the problem with a little less fear and a lot more perspective. It’s the kind of habit product people rarely talk about but quietly rely on.  This episode is for anyone who has ever looked at change and thought, “I know this is supposed to make sense eventually… but right now it just feels like loss.”    Quotable Moments  “Change isn’t something you lose. It’s something you learn how to move through.” “Data is gold dust. Reducing uncertainty is the whole job.” “Once you get past that initial fear, the whole team shifts into a different gear.”   About the Guest  Rick Lewis is a product leader who has navigated startups, acquisitions, global teams and more than his share of thorny restructures. Formerly VP of Commercial Products at Element, he now works on AI solutions at Element Materials Technology. He brings a calm, grounded way of working that only comes from years spent facing ambiguity head on.    Call to Action  If Rick’s stories helped you feel a little less alone in the chaos of product work, stick around. Subscribe, share the episode with someone who’s grappling with change of their own, or reach out if you’ve got a story that deserves some daylight. Product work is rarely tidy, but it goes down easier when we learn from each other.

    S5E3: Navigating the Complexity of Product Leadership with Rick Lewis

  6. Apr 21

    S5E2: Finding Balance in Product Management with Katie Tamblin

    Ever had one of those weeks where the roadmap is bursting at the seams, everyone wants one more thing, and you can practically feel your balance slipping through your fingers? This conversation with Katie Tamblin goes right into that moment.  Katie shares the kind of stories product people don’t usually admit out loud. There’s the time she walked into a team with seventy‑two product “priorities” taped around the room like a horror‑movie timeline and had to help the organization face the truth about impossibility. And the moment she realized she was about to pass along the very harm she was receiving from an overwhelmed manager and had to ask herself, “What kind of leader do I want to be?”  What follows is an honest, funny, and surprisingly comforting look at how balance, empathy, humor, and human limits shape the work we do. Katie talks openly about burnout, unreasonable expectations, why saying no is an act of care, and how creativity survives only when we give ourselves actual space to think.  If you’ve ever felt stretched thin or stuck between competing demands, this one might feel a little too real in the best possible way.    Quotable Moments  “Stressed‑out, burned‑out people in back‑to‑back meetings all day do not have aha moments.” “You can’t compare a release candidate to the car you drive off the lot. You compare it to the first prototype that probably didn’t even start.” “Once a team learns to expect failure, you’ve lost the project. Getting that horse back in the stable is nearly impossible.”   About the Guest  Katie Tamblin is a seasoned data and software advisor with more than twenty years leading product, data science, technology, and marketing teams. She’s also the author of The Lean-Agile Dilemma and someone who has lived through more than a few “how did we get here” product moments.    Call to Action  If this episode made you feel a little more normal in the chaos of product work, you’re in good company. Subscribe, share it with a teammate who’s quietly drowning under too many priorities, or pass it along to the person who needs to hear that saying no is not a moral failing. Real product stories travel best person to person, usually over a much‑needed cup of coffee.    Resources Mentioned  Dr. Todd Rose – Collective Illusions Mentioned in Katie’s discussion about conformity, belonging, and self‑silencing. Collective Illusions — Todd RoseKatie Tamblin’s book – The Lean-Agile Dilemma Discussed in relation to balance, team culture, and the difficulty of saying no. Katie Tamblin | Lean-Agile Dilemma

    S5E2: Finding Balance in Product Management with Katie Tamblin

  7. Apr 14

    S5E1: From Punk Rock to Product Management with Scott McCarty

    Ever wonder how a punk‑rock kid hauling amps through Midwest basements ends up helping steer one of the world’s most widely used pieces of enterprise software?  Yeah… us too.  In this episode, Scott McCarty invites us into the winding, deeply human story behind his career — a life that didn’t unfold in straight lines so much as heartfelt pivots.  Scott shares what it felt like when the band he’d poured his whole identity into began losing steam and what it meant to walk away from a dream with no backup plan except “maybe I should get a computer job.” He talks about the moment he first saw a command execute on a remote machine, a tiny spark of wonder that would eventually pull him into NASA, startups, and finally product management.  Along the way we explore the late‑in‑life discovery that helped him make sense of all those turns, the surprising lessons buried in punk‑rock logistics, and the hard‑won understanding that you don’t need to be a superhero to make a difference. Sometimes your 3 percent of influence is enough.  This is an episode about reinvention, humility, agency, and finding meaning in the mess.  A warm, honest conversation for anyone who’s ever looked at their path and thought:    “How did I end up here… and does it all matter?”     Spoiler: it does. And Scott tells us why.    Quotable Moments  “A song is a product led growth thing. You can’t really force somebody to listen to it.” “You might only have control over three percent of the problem, but if that three percent is impactful, then do it.” “There’s not really a way to hack your way to better. You just learn what you learn.”   About the Guest  Scott McCarty is the Global Senior Principal Product Manager for Red Hat Enterprise Linux. His path from punk‑rock basements to enterprise software leadership is shaped by curiosity, resilience, and a willingness to step into the unknown. After roles in sysadmin work, NASA, startups, sales, and product marketing, he found his home in product management, where he helps guide one of the most widely used Linux platforms in the world.    Call to Action  If Scott’s story rings true to your own winding journey in product work, share this episode with someone who might need that same bit of encouragement today. Subscribe and leave a quick review so more real product stories can find the people who need them. And if you’ve got a messy path or hard‑earned lesson of your own, reach out. Productly Speaking is where stories like yours finally get their space.    Resources Mentioned  Ikigai (concept overview) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ikigai  Red Hat Enterprise Linux (product page) https://www.redhat.com/en/technologies/linux-platforms/enterprise-linux  Podman (official site) https://podman.io/  Podman Desktop (official site) https://podman-desktop.io/  CNCF project listing for Podman Desktop https://www.cncf.io/projects/podman-desktop/  NASA (homepage) https://www.nasa.gov/  American Greetings https://www.americangreetings.com/  Telnet (protocol overview) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telnet  The Power of the Powerless by Václav Havel (StoryGraph) https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/4a76f11a-8ad8-4f9e-976c-3e5e28d1766d  Scott’s writing Educated Confusion: http://educatedconfusion.com/  Crunchtools: https://crunchtools.com/about/  Red Bull Rampage (event page) https://www.redbull.com/int-en/events/red-bull-rampage

    S5E1: From Punk Rock to Product Management with Scott McCarty

  8. Season 5 Trailer

    Season 5 Trailer: The Human Side of Product Management

    Product management gets talked about like it’s all clarity, confidence, and momentum. But most of the time, it’s not. Season 5 of Productly Speaking explores the human side of product work — authenticity, balance, uncertainty, and values. These are conversations about what product management actually feels like when things are unclear, when the roadmap breaks, or when the rules everyone repeats stop making sense. This season features conversations with Scott McCarty, Katie Tamblin, and Rick Lewis, and closes with a conversation about values, integrity, and authenticity in leadership with Reese Gifford. I slowed the show down this season, reworking the sound and flow to make space for more honest, reflective conversations, the kind you usually only have after the meeting ends. No frameworks. No polished PM stories. Just real people talking about what actually happened and what it taught them. Season 5 launches April 14th, with new episodes released weekly.

    Season 5 Trailer: The Human Side of Product Management
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Productly Speaking is a podcast about the human side of product management. Hosted by Karl Abbott, the show features candid, story-first conversations with product managers and builders about what the work actually asks of people when things get complicated. Episodes explore judgment, trust, listening, uncertainty, and the emotional reality behind decisions that rarely make it into playbooks or conference talks. This is not a podcast about frameworks or optimization. It’s a space to reflect on how real people navigate product work when clarity is limited and responsibility is real.

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