In this PM Spotlight episode of Product Pals, Charlotte and Kiet sit down with Dipa Rao, Senior Product Manager at Culture Amp, for a refreshingly honest conversation about what product management really looks like behind the job title.

With a career spanning Agile coaching, software delivery, consulting, and product leadership,

Dipa shares a grounded view of the PM craft - from the difficult shift between delivery and strategy, to how great PMs build trust, create space for deep thinking, and stay genuinely close to customer needs.

She also brings a thoughtful perspective on how context shapes product work, including the differences between B2B and B2C environments, team dynamics, and the growing expectations placed on PMs as the role continues to expand.

This is a candid and reflective episode for PMs at any stage — especially those navigating senior roles, complexity, and the future of the product craft.

🎧 Listen to the full episode of Product Pals — available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube.

🍪 Knowledge Snacks (Mentioned in the Episode)

• 🎙 Nikhil Suresh — AI Skeptic & Writer

🔗 Substack: https://nihils.substack.com

• 📚 John Cutler — Product Evanglist and thought leader

🔗 CutleFish Newsletter: https://cutlefish.substack.com

• 🧠 Richard Feynman — Physicist & Educator

🔗 Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Feynman

• 🎬Geeta (Documentary) — Co-produced by Dipa Rao

An award-winning documentary exploring gender and social justice.

🔗 https://www.geetafilm.com/

• 🤖 AI Tool Glean — Internal search and knowledge tool connected to Slack, Confluence, and GitHub, used to quickly answer product and organisational questions.

🔗 https://www.glean.com/