What happens when product leaders prioritize profit over long-term value? 

In this episode, Michael Nierstedt shares lessons from more than a decade building payroll and HR technology across companies like Gusto and Paylocity. He explains why product investment drives competitive advantage, why product managers must think like sellers inside their organizations, and how real influence comes from delivering value in production.

The conversation also explores customer research, the realities of building AI-driven products, and why the next generation of product leaders must learn to delegate, coach, and empower their teams. 

Overthinking isn't a liability — it might just be your greatest edge as a product leader. 

In celebration of women's history month, Vidya Dinamani and Heather Samarin sit down with Carmen Palmer, CEO of Women in Product and a veteran CPO with 20 years in the industry. 

Carmen makes the case for why women's "overthinking" is a competitive edge, argues product management isn't going anywhere, and issues a sharp call to action: get in on AI now, before the gap widens. 

She also unpacks the power of the personal board and what Women in Product has planned for 2026. 

How do you drive lasting change in one of the most complex and high-stakes industries—healthcare? 

Vidya Dinamani and Heather Samarin sit down with Nasir Ali, former CPO at CareMetx, to explore how a product mindset can reshape legacy systems. 

From shifting to scalable solutions to outcome-based contracts, Nasir shares real-world tactics and lessons in driving innovation at scale.

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.

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. 

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. 

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.

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. 

What happens when a seasoned sales and engineering leader becomes a CPO? 

Vidya Dinamani and Heather Samarin sit down with Jim Shaw, Chief Product Officer at Acquia, as he shares his journey into product leadership and what he's learned along the way. 

From navigating imposter syndrome to bridging gaps between sales and product, Jim dives into the importance of clarify, mission-driven teams, and cross-functional alignment. A must-listen for anyone leading through influence in complex organizations. 

What does it take to drive product innovation in industries that aren’t traditionally product-led?

Heather Samarin and Vidya Dinamani sit down with Rahul Nath, CPO at Accel, who brings rich experience from Google, Drip Capital, and McKinsey. Rahul shares how he builds product in non-product-led spaces, from redefining onboarding in trade finance to leveraging AI in venture capital. 

Hear Rahul's practical lessons on stakeholder alignment, scrappy experimentation, data-driven decision-making, and why he believes “if there’s no clear strategy—write one.” A must-listen for product leaders navigating ambiguity and driving bold transformation.

What does it take to lead product in complex, regulated industries while driving change from the inside out? 

Vidya Dinamani and Heather Samarin talk to Chad Fenner, CPO at i3 Verticals. Chad shares lessons from decades of experience at Dell, Thomson Reuters, and now the public sector. 

From influencing stakeholders to saying "no" with confidence, Chad unpacks what it takes to build alignment and create lasting customer value—even when it means challenging the status quo. 

Heather Samarin and Vidya Dinamani sit down with Nat Kunes, Chief Product Officer at Ontra. He shares his insights on redefining pricing strategies, replacing assumptions with validated hypotheses, and the impactful strategy he uses to empower his team to balance goals with true user value. 

Nat digs into financial fluency for PMs, market validation practices, and shifting org culture to view product as an asset, not a liability. 

In this special episode of Product Rebels, Vidya Dinamani and Heather Samarin revisit highlights from their recent webinar, AI as a Force Multiplier for Product Discipline, featuring product and AI leader Elena Luneva. After the live session sparked a wave of thoughtful audience questions, they sit down to tackle some of the most pressing ones—from how AI is reshaping product work to why strong product fundamentals matter more than ever.

Heather Samarin and Vidya Dinamani sit down with Priyankka Mani, Global Head of Product at Intuit Mailchimp, for a masterclass on leading with customer obsession, product intuition, and courageous decision-making. 

Priyankka shares stories from Amazon, insights on building empathy into teams, and how to stay close to users even under pressure. 

What does it take to be a truly bold product leader in complex, high-stakes industries like finance? Vidya Dinamani and Heather Samarin find out as they sit down with J. Womack, CPO at SEI. 

He shares how he balances strategy, risk, and customer obsession to drive innovation—whether in scrappy startups or global enterprises. 

J. further talks about co-creation, prioritization, stakeholder influence, and the evolving role of product in owning revenue. 

Heather Samarin and Vidya Dinamani sit down with Verizon Business' Chief Product and Marketing Officer, Iris Meijer, as she shares her bold approach to organizational transformation — merging product and marketing to champion customer experience and commercial impact. 

Iris unpacks what it really means for product leaders to act as CEOs of their product, why shared KPIs are non-negotiable, and how to lead with conviction in the face of resistance. A powerful conversation on grit, alignment, and redefining product leadership at scale. 

How is AI reshaping product management? 

Vidya Dinamani and Heather Samarin sit down with Kene Anoliefo, Co-founder of HEARD by Elis, to explore how AI is accelerating product development, streamlining research, and transforming how teams build and iterate. 

Kene shares insights on leveraging AI for rapid experimentation, the risks of low-quality product output, and why AI-driven tools are redefining how product teams operate.

To celebrate this coming International Women’s Day, we’re bringing you a special episode featuring the voices of awe-inspiring women in product. These female trailblazers share their game-changing insights—mastering the strategic “no,” driving AI-powered innovation, and putting customer needs at the forefront. From breaking industry norms to redefining collaboration, their lessons will inspire and challenge how you think about building products. Join us for a powerful conversation on leadership, strategy, and making an impact.

Vidya Dinamani and Heather Samarin sit down with Kareem Mayan, Founder of Savio, to explore how product teams can effectively leverage customer feedback for smarter decision-making. 

Kareem shares insights from his journey building, scaling, and selling multiple SaaS businesses, including his time at ESPN and MySpace. He also discusses practical strategies for gathering, prioritizing, and acting on user feedback to drive real product growth. 

Vidya Dinamani and Heather Samarin sit down with Vineet Thuvara, Chief Product Officer at Fluke Corporation. Vineet shares his experiences leading high-impact product teams at Amazon, Microsoft, and beyond.

He discusses the art of balancing innovation and risk, how to create trust-driven teams, and why curiosity is a product leader’s superpower. From scrappy experimentation to high-stakes decisions, Vineet offers valuable insights into building transformative products, navigating leadership challenges, and accelerating speed to market.

Vidya Dinamani and Heather Samarin dive into the world of customer-driven innovation with Omada Health's CPO, Randhir Vieira. 

Randhir shares how scrappy research methods, empathy-led design, and outcome-focused metrics shape better products. He also discusses his insights on aligning teams, navigating rapid prototyping, and balancing speed with meaningful results. 

In this special Mailbag episode, hosts Vidya Dinamani and Heather Samarin step out of their usual interview format to address the most pressing questions from their product community. From navigating agile challenges to improving team performance, they share actionable advice, personal insights, and lessons learned over years of product leadership. They also delve into the origins of Product Rebels, their approach to hands-on coaching, and what sets them apart. Tune in for valuable tips and behind-the-scenes stories from seasoned product leaders.

Heather Samarin and Vidya Dinamani sit down with Felipe Castillo, Chief Product Officer of US Information Solutions at Equifax, as he shares his inspiring journey from engineering to product leadership. 

Felipe dives into the importance of customer empathy, ownership, and thought leadership in driving transformation. 

Learn how storytelling builds trust, why bold decisions shape success, and how Felipe navigated Equifax's monumental shift to the cloud - all while redefining what it means to be a product leader. 

Note: As Product Rebels journeys deeper into supporting teams navigating AI, we're resharing this episode featuring Kene Anoliefo who shared some great insights. We hope you enjoy!

How is AI reshaping product management? 

Vidya Dinamani and Heather Samarin sit down with Kene Anoliefo, Co-founder of HEARD by Elis, to explore how AI is accelerating product development, streamlining research, and transforming how teams build and iterate. 

Kene shares insights on leveraging AI for rapid experimentation, the risks of low-quality product output, and why AI-driven tools are redefining how product teams operate.

Heather Samarin and Vidya Dinamani sit down with Archie Mayani, Chief Product Officer at GHX, as she shares her journey transforming healthcare tech during Covid, building the first cloud-native imaging platform, and leveraging design thinking to revolutionize product delivery. 

Archie reveals how AI is reshaping healthcare supply chains and offers actionable insights on customer-centric leadership. 

Join us as she shares invaluable lessons learned in order to drive rapid innovation under pressure. 

Vidya Dinamani and Heather Samarin sit down with Kimberly Bloomston, Chief Product Officer at LiveRamp. 

Kimberly shares her journey from retail operations to leading product strategy at top companies, now driving innovation in data collaboration at LiveRamp. She discusses her "Customer-first" approach to product leadership, emphasizing empathy, listening, and creating solutions that delight users. 

Vidya Dinamani and Heather Samarin sit down with Moliehi "Mo" Weitnauer, Chief Product Officer at MRO. 

Mo shares her dynamic journey from finance to healthcare technology, highlighting her experiences at McKinsey, Cotiviti, and Thrive. Now at MRO, she is revolutionizing healthcare records management with a customer-centric focus. 

Mo discusses her approach to balancing Agile principles with client needs and shares her insights on change management, the importance of understanding real users, and how her unique blend of strategy and product leadership continues to drive success in the healthcare industry. 

In this episode, Vidya Dinamani and Heather Samarin welcome Marianne McPeak-Johnson, EVP & Chief Product Officer at Cox Automotive. Marianne shares her inspiring journey from tech operations to product leadership, emphasizing the power of design thinking, human-centered design, and the jobs-to-be-done framework.

She discusses how she integrates these methodologies to drive innovation at scale, leading cross-functional teams and transforming customer experiences. Marianne also shares her insights on fostering leadership, transparency, and agility within large organizations to create products that exceed customer expectations.

Vidya Dinamani and Heather Samarin chat with Ryan Johnson, Chief Product Officer at CallRail, a leader in AI-powered conversation intelligence. Ryan shares his journey from engineering to product leadership, driving CallRail’s growth to over 200,000 customers and $100 million in recurring revenue.

He offers insights into navigating diverse customer needs across multiple industries and building horizontal solutions that scale. Ryan also discusses his leadership style, emphasizing advocacy for customers and the strategic use of AI.

Heather Samarin and Vidya Dinamani chat with Lauren Chan Lee, Chief Product Officer at Leap Event Technology. 

Lauren shares her journey from StubHub to advising startups like Rebel Girls, and emphasizing the importance of standing up for user needs, even with it means going against the grain. 

She discusses strategies for shifting from feature-based to problem-oriented thinking, the power of collaboration, and how to navigate complex stakeholder relationships. 

Vidya Dinamani and Heather Samarin sit down with Rupali Jain, Chief Product Officer at Optimizely, to explore the intricacies of product leadership. With a storied career spanning Microsoft, Qualtrics, Box, and Tableau, Rupali shares her rebellious approach to driving successful outcomes over rigid processes.  

She discusses her strategies for balancing customer demands with product roadmaps, navigating high-stakes decisions, and leading through change in both startups and tech giants. 

Heather Samarin and Vidya Dinamani meet to chat with Boston Nyer, COO and CPO at Momentum as well as Co-founder of Burn. 

Boston discusses saving users a trillion dollars in fuel costs, the environmental impact of saving 100 million trees, and the challenges of creating physical products. He shares his journey from developing cookstoves in Kenya to scaling operations, emphasizing customer empathy and innovative thinking. 

Boston's reflections on leadership, data-driven decisions, and overcoming challenges offer invaluable insights into product innovation and impactful change. 

Join Heather Samarin and Vidya Dinamani as they dive into a compelling conversation with Julia Stefani, CPO at Treasure Financial.
 
Discover how Julia navigates the unique challenges of B2B research, building trust within her organization through hypothesis-driven insights and agile testing. 
 
Learn about her journey from hypothesis to market success, the pivotal decision to pivot towards API products, and the incredible growth that followed. Julia also shares invaluable tips for product managers on grounding decisions in data, storytelling, and practicing leadership skills.

Join Vidya Dinamani and Heather Samarin as they dive into an inspiring conversation with Zac Hays, Chief Product Officer at Luxury Presence. With nearly two decades of experience, Zac has mastered simplifying product strategy and fostering product-led growth. 

In this episode, he shares his journey from leading teams at Autodesk and Microsoft to innovating in luxury real estate tech. Zac discusses effective decision-making, advocating for user-centric solutions, and creating a culture of healthy disagreement. Gain insights into building intuitive products, coaching "Rebel Leaders", and fostering an environment where challenging ideas leads to better outcomes. 

What does great product leadership look like when you’re asked to go along with a big initiative you don’t believe in? 

In this episode, former CPO at Everway, Timothy Alvis, talks about the tough calls product leaders face when conviction clashes with consensus. 

From telling better stories, to embracing problem obsession over solution fixation, Tim shares hard-earned wisdom from leading at scale and navigating complex orgs. We also hear how he’s now applying AI to rethink product work itself. Whether you’re an aspiring CPO or in the trenches today, this episode offers plenty of gold.

Heather Samarin and Vidya Dinamani sit down with Nupur Srivastava, COO of Included Health. 

From her beginnings at Alivecor to her decade-long tenure at Grand Rounds Health, Nupur has been a trailblazer in leveraging technology and empathy to revolutionize healthcare. 

Nupur dicsusses her innovative approach to enhancing patient outcomes, the importance of a user-centered business model, and the unique challenges of product management in the health tech industry. 

Vidya Dinamani and Heather Samarin engage in compelling conversation with Lexy Franklin, Founder and CEO of Sidebar. 

Lexy illuminates his insightful journey from Facebook to establishing Sidebar - a distinctive community uniting the world's most dynamic leaders in small peer groups to expedite goal achievement. 

He also delves into the influential potential of "Scrappy Research", small experiments, and comprehending customer challenges. 

Furthermore, Lexy discusses Sidebar's groundbreaking approach to leadership development, underscoring the value of peer learning, and the exchange of actionable insights. 

Heather Samarin and Vidya Dinamani chat with Herman Man, Chief Product Officer at Bluevine. 

He shares insights on hiring passionate product managers, leveraging data for customer insights, and leading by example. 

Tune in to learn about Herman's strategies for creating delightful user experiences and scaling product teams, and hear his advice for aspiring product leaders on building grit and intuition. 

Join Vidya Dinamani and Heather Samarin on the latest episode of the Product Rebels Podcast featuring Michael Cerda, CPO of TelevisaUnivision.

Michael talks empowering teams and driving innovation, drawing from his experience at companies like Disney and Live Nation. Learn how he navigates corporate dynamics while advocating for customer-centric strategies.

Michael also discusses his innovative projects, including Super Home, and offers a sneak peek into his upcoming book, ”Build Something."

Join Heather Samarin and Vidya Dinamani for an inspiring conversation with Brian Fugere, Chief Product Officer of Symplr. 

Discover Brian's journey of reshaping organization with a customer-centric approach and explore how he rebuilt a company and led a rapid rebranding in just three weeks. 

Vidya Dinamani and Heather Samarin sit down with Clarissa Riggins, CPO of Experian Health.

Discover the importance of empathy in product management, as Clarissa reflects on her experiences observing end users and what she's learned from them.  From formalizing structures to promoting shared accountability, Clarissa provides invaluable insights into building successful product teams.

Vidya Dinamani and Heather Samarin spark an inspiring conversation with Yue Zhao, a seasoned product leader who has left her mark on marketplaces, social media giants, and healthcare tech. 

From scaling Thumbtack to leading product teams at Meta and Fuzzy, Yue shares her journey of fostering innovation, empowerment, and customer obsession. 

Don't miss Yue's insights on navigating complex challenges and her mission to empower women and minorities through her new initiatives, including releasing her book, "The Uncommon Executive". 

Vidya Dinamani and Heather Samarin are joined by Ha Nguyen, Founder and Managing Partner at NextStep. 

With an impressive 22-year career, ha recounts her start-up experiences at eBay, Betfair, and more, along with the valuable lessons she's learned. 

Uncover her insights into building and scaling start-ups and fostering a people-first approach. 

This week, Heather Samarin and Vidya Dinamani sit down with Karandeep Anand, President at Brex. 

He shares his compelling insights on challenging assumptions, transforming company DNA, and the playbook for innovation. 

Karandeep's experiences at Meta and Microsoft highlight the importance of data, aligning with company values, finding allies, and setting boundaries.

Heather Samarin and Vidya Dinamani sit down with Worldly’s SVP for Product, Rupesh Shah.
 
With product leadership experience gleaned at Simpa, Intuit, and Khan Academy, Rupesh shares his transformative journey as he recounts his early experience at Simpa Energy, a startup with a bold mission to provide accessible renewable energy to millions in India. He shares the challenges of aligning investor expectations with customer needs and the pivotal moment when he discovered the disconnect.
 
Learn how he navigated the shift in business model, employing innovative solutions like pay-as-you-go solar products. Rupesh's story is a testament to the power of on-the-ground insights, collaboration, and strategic thinking in reshaping the trajectory of a mission-driven company.

What happens when you challenge long-held assumptions—and let real data and user behavior lead? 

In this episode, Vidya Dinamani and Heather Samarin sit down with Harish Pandian, CPO at Gravity, to talk about driving product transformation in industries resistant to change. 

From building gamified safety tools to rapid-fire prototype testing on job sites, Harish shares how deep customer empathy, hard data, and cross-functional trust unlock real adoption and lasting impact. 

Vidya Dinamani recently guested on the Product Mastery Now podcast, hosted by Chad McAllister. A fellow rebel and evangelist in the world of Product Management, Chad has also authored the book Turning Ideas into Market-Winning Products.  Listen in as they sit down to discuss what makes a good product team to how to make a good product, and everything in between.

Heather Samarin and Vidya Dinamani interview Sandy Huang, VP of Product for GoodRx. Sandy's incredible journey takes center stage as she shares her transformative work at Amazon, where she led the Alexa team and introduced groundbreaking concepts.  

The conversation delves into her strategies for fostering innovation and diversity, offering valuable insights into product leadership and innovation. Sandy's knack for challenging the status quo and driving paradigm shifts is truly inspirational. 
 
Learn how she redefined Amazon's Echo Show and embraced a holistic approach to Product Management, emphasizing the importance of anticipating issues and promoting cross-team collaboration. 

Vidya Dinamani and Heather Samarin sit down with Dr. Ari Zelmanow, Head of User Experience Research & Communications at Twilio. 

With his previous experience as a former metropolitan police officer, Ari discusses how he combines his detective mindset with UX research to uncover valuable insights that drive successful product strategies. 

Vidya Dinamani and Heather Samarin welcome Ravi Mehta, Co-founder & CEO at Outpace. 

He shares his experience working with industry giants like TripAdvisor and Tinder, highlighting the universal lessons he's learned in consumer-focused industries. 

Ravi also discusses the intriguing similarities between different consumer domains and how the psychology of user-generated content, such as reviews on TripAdvisor or profiles on Tinder, plays a pivotal role in both industries. 

Finally, Ravi talks about his latest endeavor, Outpace, an AI-based coaching experience for product managers and leaders.