ProductCamp Conversations

Allison Herbert and Dave Mathias
  • 5.0 (1)
  • Technology

ProductCamp Conversations is a podcast for curious product people. It is hosted by Allison Herbert and Dave Mathias, thinking out loud, with an occasional guest, about the parts of product that don't fit on a roadmap: community, the human element, and the work that happens from casual conversations with other product people. We are Allison and Dave, product friends, that met at a ProductCamp in 2022. As people that enjoy both attending and participating in the ProductCamp community we decided to create a podcast related to the amazingness of this community. Maybe we will see you at a ProductCamp sometime soon, but in the meantime take the opportunity to indulge in some ProductCamp Conversations. Subscribe on your favorite podcast player to get new episodes when they come out. Got feedback or a potential guest? Contact us at productcampconversations@gmail.com.

Episodes

  1. 1d ago

    Why Isn't Everyone Talking About Positioning? (with Erin Miska)

    Hey! I'd love to hear your thoughts, send me a voice note. In this episode of ProductCamp Conversations, Allison Herbert and Dave Mathias sit down with Twin Cities product-turned-PMM consultant Erin Miska to unpack why positioning is still the quiet foundation of everything you ship and sell — and why product people should care as much as marketers do. 📌 Topics Covered: • Erin’s path from technical writer to founding PM at Jamf to independent PMM • ProductCamp Twin Cities: “Why Isn’t Everyone Talking About Positioning?” • April Dunford’s interdependent positioning pieces — category, alternatives, differentiation • Who should own positioning (spoiler: not marketing alone) and how to start when you’re in-house • Champion-first positioning vs. later-stage objection handling across buyer roles • When positioning drifts — and how AI-assisted sales-call review helps you notice -------------------------------------------------- 🔗 CONNECT WITH GUEST ERIN MISKA: • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/erinmiska/ • Website: https://erinmiska.com -------------------------------------------------- 🎙️ CONNECT WITH THE HOSTS: • Allison Herbert: - LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aherbert42 - Website: https://allisonherbert.com • Dave Mathias: - LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davemathias1 - X / Twitter: https://x.com/davemathias - Website: https://gobeyondthedata.com -------------------------------------------------- 📧 GET IN TOUCH: Have thoughts on this episode or want to suggest a topic/guest? Drop a comment below or reach out at productcampconversations@gmail.com! 👍 Like, subscribe, and hit the bell for more conversations on the human side of product management.

    Why Isn't Everyone Talking About Positioning? (with Erin Miska)

  2. Sep 12

    Ship the Feel Before the Feature (with Matt Pacyga)

    Hey! I'd love to hear your thoughts, send me a voice note. In this episode of ProductCamp Conversations, Allison Herbert and Dave Mathias sit down with Twin Cities product leader and community builder Matt Pacyga to unpack vibe coding as play — shipping the feel before the feature — and how that same experimental muscle built Innovate.mn and a satirical merch experiment along the way. 📌 Topics Covered: • ProductCamp Twin Cities “Vibe Coding: Ship the Feel Before the Feature” — play first, outcomes over feature lists • AI compression of product roles, context windows, and why not to blindly trust the model • Poundo / Open to Brand: a LinkedIn joke that became a real agentic e-commerce build • Innovate.mn: capturing “the energy is the product” with free public brainstorming sessions • Always be building — experiment in public, even when the tools keep changing -------------------------------------------------- 🔗 CONNECT WITH GUEST MATT PACYGA: • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattpacyga/ • Email: matt@innovate.mn • Innovate.mn: https://innovate.mn • Open to Brand: https://opentobrand.com -------------------------------------------------- 🎙️ CONNECT WITH THE HOSTS: • Allison Herbert: - LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aherbert42 - Website: https://allisonherbert.com • Dave Mathias: - LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davemathias1 - X / Twitter: https://x.com/davemathias - Website: https://gobeyondthedata.com -------------------------------------------------- 📩 GET IN TOUCH: Have thoughts on this episode or want to suggest a topic/guest? Drop a comment below or reach out at productcampconversations@gmail.com! 👍 Like, subscribe, and hit the bell for more conversations on the human side of product management.

    Ship the Feel Before the Feature (with Matt Pacyga)

  3. Sep 5

    Call It Trust, Not Influence (with Trevor Acy)

    Hey! I'd love to hear your thoughts, send me a voice note. In this episode of ProductCamp Conversations, Allison Herbert and Dave Mathias sit down with product coach and community builder Trevor Acy to explore what it takes to bring product thinking to a place the tech map skips. Trevor came to product through B2B marketing, then moved home to Mississippi to help founders and teams who don't get a flywheel handed to them. The through-line is trust: small non-disruptive wins instead of "influence without authority," and why AI only gets you to the wrong thing faster if you skip the human discovery. 📌 Topics Covered: • Inventing product vocabulary and connections where there is no tech flywheel • Connecting Jackson founders with university and meetup talent • Reframing influence without authority as trust, earned one checker move at a time • Why AI speeds delivery and can speed building something nobody wants • Where to put the time AI actually saves, instead of filling the plate again -------------------------------------------------- 🔗 CONNECT WITH GUEST TREVOR ACY: • Trevor Acy - LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/trevoracy/ -------------------------------------------------- 🎙️ CONNECT WITH THE HOSTS: • Allison Herbert: - LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aherbert42 - Website: https://allisonherbert.com • Dave Mathias: - LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davemathias1 - X / Twitter: https://x.com/davemathias - Website: https://gobeyondthedata.com -------------------------------------------------- 📩 GET IN TOUCH: Have thoughts on this episode or want to suggest a topic/guest? Drop a comment below or reach out at productcampconversations@gmail.com! 👍 Like, subscribe, and hit the bell for more conversations on the human side of product management.

    Call It Trust, Not Influence (with Trevor Acy)

  4. Aug 29

    Building Enabling Tech: Why You're Not Just an Order Taker (with Amy Boland)

    Hey! I'd love to hear your thoughts, send me a voice note. In this episode of ProductCamp Conversations, Allison and Dave sit down with foundation product manager Amy Boland to discuss the unique challenges of building enabling tech and shared services. We explore why internal teams shouldn't act as simple "order takers" and how to strategically align foundational products with actual market needs rather than just the org chart. 📌 Topics Covered: • Transitioning from an "order taker" to a strategic partner for internal stakeholders • The "Three Body Problem" of product dependencies and how to manage complex, top-down roadmaps • Using the "Big Steak Night" dinner party analogy to build scalable solutions that satisfy diverse organizational needs -------------------------------------------------- 🔗 CONNECT WITH GUEST AMY BOLAND: • Amy Boland - LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amy-m-boland/ -------------------------------------------------- 🎙️ CONNECT WITH THE HOSTS: • Allison Herbert: - LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aherbert42 - Website: https://allisonherbert.com • Dave Mathias: - LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davemathias1 - X / Twitter: https://x.com/davemathias - Website: https://gobeyondthedata.com -------------------------------------------------- 📩 GET IN TOUCH: Have thoughts on this episode or want to suggest a topic/guest? Drop a comment below or reach out at productcampconversations@gmail.com! 👍 Like, subscribe, and hit the bell for more conversations on the human side of product management.

    Building Enabling Tech: Why You're Not Just an Order Taker (with Amy Boland)

  5. Aug 22

    Be the Best Learner, Not the Expert (with Marion Cholieu)

    Hey! I'd love to hear your thoughts, send me a voice note. In this episode of ProductCamp Conversations, Marion Cholieu traces a non-linear path into product — from setting up DoorDash promotions to managing cybersecurity software that protects critical infrastructure — and unpacks what actually transfers when you cross from consumer speed to highly regulated, high-trust B2B. 📌 Topics Covered: What transfers (and what changes) from B2C to OT cybersecurity The DoorDash frustration that pulled her into product Building a product community from scratch in Phoenix Localization beyond translation, via The Culture Map Be the best learner, not the domain expert-------------------------------------------------- 🔗 CONNECT WITH GUEST MARION CHOLIEU: LinkedIn: /marion-cholieu -------------------------------------------------- 🎙️ CONNECT WITH THE HOSTS: • Allison Herbert: LinkedIn: /aherbert42 Website: https://allisonherbert.com • Dave Mathias: LinkedIn: /davemathias1 X / Twitter: https://x.com/davemathias Website: https://gobeyondthedata.com -------------------------------------------------- 📩 GET IN TOUCH: Have thoughts on this episode or want to suggest a topic/guest? Drop a comment below or reach out at productcampconversations@gmail.com! 👍 Like, subscribe, and hit the bell for more conversations on the human side of product management.

    Be the Best Learner, Not the Expert (with Marion Cholieu)

  6. Aug 15

    AI Is Holding a Mirror to Your Organization — Are You Ready? (with David Dean)

    Hey! I'd love to hear your thoughts, send me a voice note. In this episode of ProductCamp Conversations, Allison Herbert and Dave Mathias sit down with author, strategist, and product leader David Dean to explore a critical, often overlooked reality: AI isn't just a technical upgrade—it’s an organizational mirror. Drawing from his book An Inbox Between Us and his session at ProductCamp PHX ("AI and the Organizational Mirror"), David breaks down how introducing AI into an enterprise instantly exposes informal workarounds, cultural bottlenecks, and communication gaps. We dive into real-world AI governance, the human dynamics behind technology adoption, and how product leaders can navigate the organizational shifts happening under the surface. 📌 Topics Covered: • The concept of the "AI Mirror" and why it reveals hidden operating systems • Real-world takeaways on AI implementation and governance • Navigating the messy intersection of humans, teams, and automation • Highlights from the inaugural ProductCamp PHX -------------------------------------------------- 🔗 CONNECT WITH GUEST DAVID DEAN: • Book: "An Inbox Between Us" — https://www.davidchristopherdean.com/about/ • Website: https://www.davidchristopherdean.com • Newsletter: "The AI Mirror" (LinkedIn) • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidchristopherdean -------------------------------------------------- 🎙️ CONNECT WITH THE HOSTS: • Allison Herbert: - LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aherbert42 - Website: https://allisonherbert.com • Dave Mathias: - LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davemathias1 - X / Twitter: https://x.com/davemathias - Website: https://gobeyondthedata.com -------------------------------------------------- 📩 GET IN TOUCH: Have thoughts on this episode or want to suggest a topic/guest? Drop a comment below or reach out at productcampconversations@gmail.com! 👍 Like, subscribe, and hit the bell for more conversations on the human side of product management.

    AI Is Holding a Mirror to Your Organization — Are You Ready? (with David Dean)

  7. Aug 8

    Insights from the inaugural ProductCamp PHX Experience

    Hey! I'd love to hear your thoughts, send me a voice note. Allison and Dave discuss Allison's recent experiences at the inaugural ProductCamp PHX in Phoenix, insights on community building, engaging students, and navigating change in the product landscape. Discover practical tips, lessons learned, and inspiring stories to elevate your product practice.

    Insights from the inaugural ProductCamp PHX Experience

  8. Aug 1

    Find your community or build it yourself

    Hey! I'd love to hear your thoughts, send me a voice note. After a week of unconferences, meetups, and community-led conversations, Allison and Dave explore why product people need spaces that stretch their thinking. They discuss how in-person and virtual communities sharpen product craft, AI judgment, and career growth—and why, when the right community doesn’t exist, you might be the person to start it.

    Find your community or build it yourself

  9. Jul 25

    Let's get this PCC started

    Hey! I'd love to hear your thoughts, send me a voice note. In this episode, Allison Herbert and Dave Mathias explore the vibrant world of Product Camps, discussing their history, format, community impact, and how to maximize the experience for personal and professional growth. Whether you're a seasoned attendee or new to the scene, discover how these unconference events foster learning, networking, and innovation in product management.

    Let's get this PCC started
  • 9 Episodes

About

ProductCamp Conversations is a podcast for curious product people. It is hosted by Allison Herbert and Dave Mathias, thinking out loud, with an occasional guest, about the parts of product that don't fit on a roadmap: community, the human element, and the work that happens from casual conversations with other product people. We are Allison and Dave, product friends, that met at a ProductCamp in 2022. As people that enjoy both attending and participating in the ProductCamp community we decided to create a podcast related to the amazingness of this community. Maybe we will see you at a ProductCamp sometime soon, but in the meantime take the opportunity to indulge in some ProductCamp Conversations. Subscribe on your favorite podcast player to get new episodes when they come out. Got feedback or a potential guest? Contact us at productcampconversations@gmail.com.

Information

  • Creator
    Allison Herbert and Dave Mathias
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    9
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Allison Herbert and Dave Mathias
  • Show Website
    ProductCamp Conversations