Building Community & Becoming a Super Connector

In this episode Ha Nguyen, Founder and Managing Partner of NextStep Advisory & Consulting, shares the work and life experiences that have led her to being an exceptional community builder and super connector. She joins host, Surbhi Gupta, to share the value of being a go-giver, and how visibility and being able to speak up has powered her career and can do the same for yours. 

🎧 Episode Highlights:

01:47 Ha’s Product Origin Story: eBay in 2000 to Product Leadership

03:00 From Introvert to Speaking Up: HBS & Finding Your Voice

05:20 Becoming a Super Connector: Community Building & VC Brand

08:49 Visibility Isn’t Automatic: Ask for What You Want (Promotion Stories)

14:05 When Leadership Isn’t Moving Fast Enough: Timing, Titles & Leaving

17:12 Create Your Own Luck: Habits, Confidence, and Taking Risks

20:58 Build a Personal Board of Directors (and Nurture Relationships)

25:19 Finding Sponsors in Big Companies: Skip-Level Relationships & Persistence

27:19 Make Better Asks: Follow-Ups, Value, and Time-Bound Requests

28:29 Make the Ask Easy: Be Specific and Respect Their Time

28:51 Add Value First: The Go-Giver Mindset (and Why Karma Works)

30:13 Building Relationships with Your Skip: Do Great Work + Lead with Empathy

33:40 Create Visibility Beyond Your Role: Coaches, Boards, and Career “Hacks”

36:04 Personal Brand That Pays Off: Writing, Speaking, and Staying Top-of-Mind

39:53 The Hidden Cost of Visibility: Too Many Asks & Setting Boundaries

42:56 Who You Are Outside Work: Mission Alignment, Family, Hobbies, and Health

45:55 Balancing It All: A 2x2 Framework for Goals vs. Joy + Daily Habits

49:47 Visibility Skills That Scale: Speak Business/Finance + Customer Obsession

52:19 Resources, Recommendations, and How to Connect (Final Wrap)

Resources

📚Resources:

• Books

• Go-Giver book - https://thegogiver.com

• Seven Habits of Highly Effective People - https://www.franklincovey.com/courses/the-7-habits/

• Podcasts

• 20VC - https://www.youtube.com/@20VC

• This Week in Startups - https://thisweekinstartups.com

🌟 Where to find Surbhi 

• On LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/surbhi7/

💫 Where to find Ha 

• On LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/hanguyen-spero/

• NextStep Advisory & Consulting Website https://nextstepfwd.com

🙋‍♀️ Where to find Women in Product:

• On LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/women-in-product/posts/

• Website https://womenpm.org/

• Join the Community https://womenpm.org/wip-community/