All Things Product with Teresa and Petra

By Petra Wille & Teresa Torres

All Things Product with Teresa and Petra – Unfiltered, insightful, and straight to the point.

Join Teresa Torres and Petra Wille as they dive into the world of product management—one topic at a time.... more

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FAQs about All Things Product with Teresa and Petra:

How many episodes does All Things Product with Teresa and Petra have?

The podcast currently has 25 episodes available.

All Things Product with Teresa and Petra episodes:

July 22, 2025Summer Break
Resources & Links:
Follow Teresa Torres: https://ProductTalk.org
Follow Petra Wille: https://Petra-Wille.com
...more
3min
July 15, 2025Go to the Source
Topics Covered:
Why “go find the source” is a crucial product mindset
The danger of relying on second- or third-hand takes
Real examples: OKRs, Jobs to Be Done, North Star Metric, Opportunity Solution Trees
How to identify reputable sources—and red flags to watch for
Tips for curating your own learning journey (books, blogs, podcasts)
How social media can distort ideas (even when people have good intentions)
Key Takeaways:
Primary > Secondary: Always seek out original thinkers or practitioners, not just content repackagers.
Go deeper than LinkedIn tiles: Good frameworks get diluted when simplified for social media. Go back to the original articles, books, or talks.
Read with range: Challenge yourself to find three different sources—especially with diverse backgrounds or perspectives.
Don’t trust content without citations: Like in academia, a lack of references is a red flag.
Practitioner voices matter: Look for people sharing what they’re actually doing, not just what “should” be done.
Resources & Links:
Follow Teresa Torres: https://ProductTalk.org
Follow Petra Wille: https://Petra-Wille.com
Mentioned in the episode:
Radical Focus by Christina Wodtke
Jobs to Be Done Theory by Clayton Christensen
Jobs to be Done: Theory to Practice by Anthony W. Ulwick
The Jobs-to-be-Done Handbook: Practical techniques for improving your application of Jobs-to-be-Done by Bob Moesta and Chris Spiek
STRONG product people: A Complete Guide to Developing Great Product Managers by Petra Wille
Objectives and key results (OKR, alternatively OKRs) by Andrew Grove who introduced the approach to Intel. It was then popularized by Google and John Doerr’s book, Measure What Matters
Amplitude’s North Star Playbook
Opportunity Solution Trees: Visualize Your Discovery to Stay Aligned and Drive Outcomes by Teresa Torres
A Crucial Turning Point: OKRs in Conversation with Rick Klau
How Google sets goals: OKRs / Startup Lab Workshop by GV (Google Ventures)
Some of Teresa and Petra’s favorite original sources:
John Cutler’s The Beautiful Mess
Christina Wodtke
Scandinavian Product Podcast by Afonso Franco
From Endless Growth to Equitable Prosperity by Ronnie Varghese
Shane Parrish’s Farnam Street
Francesca Cortesi (formerly at Hemnet
Product at Heart Video Archive
Mind the Product Blog
The Intercom Blog
Figma Blog
Amplitude Blog
Beauty Shot Newsletter by Tim Leberecht & House of Beautiful
...more
22min
July 08, 2025Red Flags When Choosing A Coach
What We Cover:
The explosion of product coaches — and why it's harder than ever to choose one
Red flags: overpromising results, one-size-fits-all approaches, lack of relevant experience
Green flags: coaching mindset, relevant product and coaching experience, transparency in approach
How to assess if a coach is a good fit for your domain, stage, and style
Why the best coaches won’t tell you what to do — and what they should be doing instead
The difference between coaching and training (and when to look for each)
Chemistry calls: what to ask and how to spot misalignment early
Why coaches need to have had coaching too
Key Takeaways:
Great coaches help you develop your own thinking — they don’t just hand you answers.
Look for relevant domain and coaching experience — not just a shiny title.
A good coach puts you in the driver’s seat and meets you where you are.
Fit > credentials: coaching is personal, and chemistry matters more than a certificate.
Resources & Links:
Follow Teresa Torres: https://ProductTalk.org
Follow Petra Wille: https://Petra-Wille.com
Mentioned in this episode:
Our previous episode on Types of Product Coaches
Product Discovery Training and Product Discovery Courses by Teresa Torres
Product Leadership Coach by Petra Wille
Petra’s blog with coaching success stories
The Prosperous Coach by Rich Litvin (briefly discussed — and gently critiqued)
...more
25min
July 01, 2025Funding Projects Vs. Teams
What we talk about:
Why project funding clashes with discovery work
What CFOs look for in project-based funding
The benefits of shifting to funding teams instead
Step one: Fund the team, step two: Assign an outcome
Helping finance teams make the shift
Role of product ICs vs. product leaders in finance conversations
Translating between product and finance language
Naming conventions and how to make them finance-friendly
VC-style funding for teams: Fund based on learning and outcomes
Case study: Agency using per-iteration funding
Product teams understanding their cost and return
The mismatch between incremental thinking and ROI
Why product teams must aim for exponential outcomes
Key Takeaways:
Funding teams instead of projects supports flexibility, learning, and continuous discovery.
Assigning clear outcomes to teams helps maintain accountability and aligns with finance goals.
Product people (especially ICs!) can be powerful allies in helping finance understand value creation.
Understanding team costs—and expected return—is critical for sustainable product development.
Bridging the language and mindset gap between product and finance is a core leadership skill.
Resources & Links:
Follow Teresa Torres: https://ProductTalk.org
Follow Petra Wille: https://Petra-Wille.com
Mentioned in the episode:
Product vs. Project Operating Models - Teresa and Petra reference their past episode on this foundational concept.
Felix Fichtl: Profitability Unplugged: Navigating Data Gaps While Delivering Financial Insights (Felix is a CFO who spoke at Product at Heart 2024 on bridging finance and product (check out his talk if you can find it).
David Bland, in a conversation with Barry O'Reilly about his book Testing Business Ideas: A Field Guide for Rapid Experimentation, contrasts traditional annual project budgeting with an “internal VC-style” funding approach.
Tristan Kromer discussed alternative funding models that move away from traditional annual project budgeting in his Four Must-Haves in Your Innovation Process
...more
22min
June 24, 2025Leading Or Managing Chaos
What we talk about:
Why Petra created the Product Leadership Wheel
The 3 big buckets of product leadership: People, Product, and Ways of Working
What self-assessment can (and can’t) tell you
Real talk about product leadership overwhelm—and how to manage it
The risk of prematurely splitting leadership responsibilities
How to help your team step up without abdicating leadership
Exclusive Sneak Peek:
This episode includes early insights from Petra’s upcoming email course for product leaders. It’s a behind-the-scenes look before the full framework goes public.
Resources & Links:
Follow Teresa Torres: https://ProductTalk.org
Follow Petra Wille: https://Petra-Wille.com
Mentioned in the episode:
Petra’s The Product Leadership Wheel - A Framework for Defining and Growing Product Leadership at Scale
Petra’s The PMwheel – a Compass for the Product Manager Development Journey
Petra’s book: Strong Product People
Y Oslo - MANAGING UP by Petra Wille
The PMwheel in Action: A Conversation with Arne Kittler, VP Product at XING
Petra’s How and why I decided to create the PLwheel
Previous episode: What is Product Ops?
...more
25min
June 17, 2025AI Prototyping
What You’ll Learn:
Why “free to build” doesn’t mean “no cost”
How AI prototyping tools help with assumption testing
Common pitfalls (and how to avoid them)
Why engineering skills still matter in a no-code world
The types of prototypes that are perfect for AI tools
How these tools change team collaboration and speed
Key Takeaways:
AI tools can help build usable prototypes in hours—not weeks.
These tools are great for fast, interactive assumption tests.
You still need engineering know-how to troubleshoot or guide LLMs effectively.
Product teams benefit most when they build and test together.
Even failed prototypes offer valuable learning.
Episode Quote:
“Even if the cost to build goes to zero, if you keep building the wrong thing, you're still wasting your life.” – Teresa Torres
Resources & Links:
Follow Teresa Torres: https://ProductTalk.org
Follow Petra Wille: https://Petra-Wille.com
Mentioned in this episode:
Large language model (LLM)
ChatGPT
Claude (Anthropic API)
Teresa’s Continuous Interviewing Course (where she introduced a custom chat interface app, allowing students to interact with a ChatGPT-style tool powered by her own prompts and proprietary data)
Petra’s The PMwheel – a Compass for the Product Manager Development Journey
Vibe coding
Teresa’s Assumption Testing Course
Jeff Patton’s drawing of the three people having different pictures in their head about one thing
Replit
V0.dev
Bolt
Lovable
WindSurf
...more
21min
June 10, 2025What is Product Ops?
Key Topics Covered:
What product ops is not—and why the role is often misunderstood
Different models of product ops across organizations
Product ops vs. product leadership: where’s the line?
When to hire a product ops person (and when not to)
The enabling team model from Team Topologies
Why Teresa and Petra are wary of “methodology police” in discovery
How product ops can support skill building, analytics, and communication standards
The shipyard metaphor: keeping the environment healthy for empowered teams
Coaching as a product ops responsibility—helpful or risky?
Key Takeaways:
Product ops isn't a checklist hire—it’s a strategic move to fill specific gaps
The best product ops folks blend a product mindset with another core strength (e.g. analytics, L&D, change management)
Not all gaps should be filled by product ops—sometimes it’s about enabling HR, data, or leadership to step up
Product ops is a great career path for senior PMs who don’t want to move - into people leadership but still want to shape the organization
Resources & Links:
Follow Teresa Torres: https://ProductTalk.org
Follow Petra Wille: https://Petra-Wille.com
Mentioned in the episode:
Product Operations by Melissa Perri and Denise Tilles
Strong Product People and Strong Product Communities by Petra Wille
Learning and development (L&D)
Team Topologies by Matthew Skelton and Manuel Pais
Petra’s Coaching Cards (DIY Edition) / Purchase the DIY kit
Petra’s related blog posts on leading effective one-on-ones: - Struggling to Find the Time to Develop Your Product Managers? Start Here, - The Ultimate Coaching Question: What Are You Going to Do Differently?, and - The Product Leader’s Guide to Giving Feedback
A note from Petra: “In case people own my first book, 'Strong Product People, ' these chapters talk about 1:1s and coaching: Chapter 6: Identifying and Closing Product Manager Gaps, Chapter 7: The Power of Coaching, Chapter 8: Monitoring Performance and Giving Feedback (a good read for one-on-one prep), Chapter 10: Building Individual and Team Alignment, and Chapter 11: How to Find the Time? (especially helpful for busy leaders)."
...more
23min
June 03, 2025Measurable Outcomes
Key topics we cover:
Why not all outcomes need to be measurable—especially on day one
Teresa’s story: shifting from “applications” to “hires” as a more meaningful outcome
How to work toward measurable outcomes over time
Petra Wille explains how the HEART framework can help teams track value, not just numbers
The difference between metrics, signals, and goals
How to define outcomes when you're pre-product or pre-metrics
Why focusing on value creation moments leads to better product strategy
What most people get wrong about “finding product-market fit”
Resources & Links:
Follow Teresa Torres: https://ProductTalk.org
Follow Petra Wille: https://Petra-Wille.com
Mentioned in the episode:
Teresa’s blog post: Shifting from Outputs to Outcomes: Why It Matters and How to Get Started
Google’s HEART Framework
Teresa’s blog post: How Continuous Discovery Works (and Doesn’t) in Early-Stage Startups
Product/Market fit survey by Sean Ellis and GoPractice
...more
14min
May 27, 2025Giving and Taking in a Community
Topics Covered
The Trend That Sparked This Episode: Petra flags a shift she’s noticing: more folks joining communities asking, “What can I get?” instead of, “How can I help?”
Why Communities Matter: The unexpected long-term benefits of engaging in a community—and how the payoff often comes years down the road.
The Origin Story of Petra & Teresa’s Connection: A short, enthusiastic conference interaction leads to years of collaboration and friendship.
What Giving Actually Looks Like: The difference between offering value and unsolicited advice. (Spoiler: one builds trust, the other breaks it.)
Behind the Scenes of Conferences & Course Communities: How Petra and Teresa handle entitlement, scholarship requests, and volunteering—and why the approach matters.
Online Community Behavior: From Slack spamming to thoughtful sharing: how to show up well in digital spaces.
Choosing Where to Engage: Why less is more when it comes to online communities—and how to pick the right ones for deeper involvement.
Mentorship, Giving at Any Level, and the Power of Small Gestures: Even a thank-you note or recipe can go a long way. Giving isn’t transactional—it's relational.
Key Takeaways
Give before you ask. Community thrives when people contribute without - expecting immediate returns.
Quality > quantity. You don’t need to be everywhere—just pick a few communities and show up consistently.
A little effort goes a long way. Whether it's sharing your learnings or offering to help, even small contributions can lead to big connections.
Be mindful of timing and tone. Offering value is great—unless it’s delivered like a sales pitch or advice no one asked for.
Communities remember generosity. Years later, people still remember who offered help, not who just wanted the mic.
Resources & Links:
Follow Teresa Torres: https://ProductTalk.org
Follow Petra Wille: https://Petra-Wille.com
Mentioned in this episode:
Meetup
ProductTank
Slack
LinkedIn
Mind the Product San Francisco 2019
Petra’s Coaching Cards
Petra’s Books
Teresa’s Book
Barry O’Reilly’s book, Unlearn: Let Go of Past Success to Achieve Extraordinary Results
Teresa’s Product Discovery Courses
Teresa’s CDH Membership Community
Lenny’s Newsletter Slack Community
...more
34min
May 20, 2025Product vs. Project Operating Models
Topics Covered:
The Big Question: Can product and project models run side by side?
Defining the Operating Models: Breakdown of product vs. project models. Why outcomes vs. outputs matter.
Why the Shift Happened: How the history of software delivery shaped our current challenges.
When Project Models Still Make Sense: Examples like GDPR, accessibility, and other one-off initiatives.
Gray Areas and Edge Cases: Accessibility, internal compliance, and examples from Petra’s course work.
Framing Work as Product or Project: Why even product teams need to think in project terms sometimes.
Working Cross-Functionally: How to collaborate with HR, Finance, and other departments still in project mode.
Dual Lenses, Not Rival Camps: Seeing your work through both frameworks, depending on context and constraints.
Pattern Recognition Over Time: Learning when to switch models based on repeating challenges.
Feedback Loops and “Done-ness”: How feedback loops reveal whether work is actually finished—or just paused.
Key Takeaways:
Don’t get dogmatic: models are tools, not rules.
Project models work well for one-time, compliance-driven work.
Product models shine with evergreen challenges and durable teams.
You can—and often should—use both lenses.
Feedback loops help determine whether something is truly done.
Resources & Links:
Follow Teresa Torres: https://ProductTalk.org
Follow Petra Wille: https://Petra-Wille.com
Mentioned in the episode:
The Product Operating Model by Marty Cagan
General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)
Product Discovery Courses by Teresa
Okta
Outlook
...more
15min

FAQs about All Things Product with Teresa and Petra:

How many episodes does All Things Product with Teresa and Petra have?

The podcast currently has 25 episodes available.