Over the years, I have had the privilege of coaching hundreds of clients. Their experiences drive me because I know that every person deserves to live a happy, fulfilling life - especially in their career.

Each of my clients has come to me with varying frustration levels and an immense desire to change their outcome.

By now, I have heard almost every problem under the sun: from not knowing what is going wrong during interviews to desiring results that may seem impossible. And from not having enough confidence to feeling overwhelmed. These are not minor problems, and they can be genuine and formidable opponents to conquer. 

The worst part is that when we feel stuck in these frustrations, they can multiply fast. 

However, it is more than possible to get these things right. Those frustrations can be the very things that drive us to make changes. 

Somehow, a six-month plan of promotion can suddenly happen in six weeks. Dream jobs start to appear. The fog clears, and we can see our w...

I have helped hundreds of Product Managers land notable roles. I have had the privilege of celebrating with them and hearing their stories, but it is not without doing the work.

I don’t pretend that the job search is not a difficult feat. It can be daunting and tedious. Not to mention, the fear of not choosing the proper role can be stifling. But, the mindset by which we walk into this process can change it all. So, it’s vital to debunk the myths that are holding us back. 

Your job search should not be stressful. Instead, it should be intentional and give you more clarity than you had before. And most importantly, it should land you the role that will grow you, raise your standards, and make you happy.

Over the years, I have come across seven myths that have continually caused Product Managers to create their own roadblocks. Together, we unravel them.

Here are my seven dangerous myths of the job search:

1. Product Management doesn’t pay as well as other professions
2. Only Product ...

Your mindset determines how you perceive the world, yourself, and the future. It helps you define what is true for you. It is the lens via which we see everything. 

I have had the pleasure of coaching 100s of high performers. When they start working with me, they often just want to know about the right strategy or the right approach to achieve a goal.

More often than not, they need to change their psychology to get to the next level. 

When we do not get our mindset or psychology right, it is a huge struggle. We hit this proverbial brick wall. No matter how hard we try, we cannot seem to break through it and get to that raise, that promotion, or the happy, accomplished life we are after.

But when we do get it right, it’s freeing. We can act without worry. We recognize our valuable work and feel happy and fulfilled. 

At times it can be difficult to gauge our mindset; so here are my seven signs of mindset issues blocking your progress in product management:

1. You give up too soon
...

Countless product managers are working incredibly hard. Their managers and stakeholders are happy, and their product is doing well. 

The problem? They still feel stuck. 

If you are stuck, you often might feel unappreciated. You might think that your work is meaningless, that you have no say or influence in your progress. No matter how hard you try, you cannot get promoted or find that product leader role.

I was speaking with one of my clients the other day who felt stuck. He told me that even time with their three-year-old daughter was becoming strained and not enjoyable anymore. He was struggling to be present because of this constant worry and struggle in his career. He was stuck and had no idea how to fix it. 

The good news is that we can fix this problem. When we start fixing it, we get the appropriate raises and recognition. We don’t even have to fight that hard because our work speaks for itself. Pure magic happens.

Here are my five steps to getting unstuck:

1. Gain clarit...

Roughly four years ago, I decided to get a coach. I realized the importance of having someone who can be a sounding board, someone who challenges my thinking and gets me out of the way.

That’s what good coaching does for your career: Product Management and otherwise.

Most Product Management programs make a fundamental mistake: the emphasis of information over transformation.

I always ask people about what programs they have already done when they come to me and their impact on their careers. I have had over a thousand such conversations. I find that most programs are focused on handing out certificates rather than handing out real-life change. They end up being a waste of time and money.

A Product Management program should transform your mindset and your strategy. It should give you the tools to become great and give you a chance to put those tools into practice. A great program teaches you how to work in various scenarios and, most of all, how to enjoy your job and your life hon...

At this point, I have helped hundreds of clients get jobs they are proud of. Not only are they proud of their jobs, but they are also proud of their lives and persons as a whole. 

Over the last few weeks, the market has made an enormous pivot! This pivot should be exciting!

If I could wish one thing for anyone reading this, it’s that you would take advantage of these trends. Because of this shift in the market, one of my clients went from never having held any formal product titles to a Director, PM job. There are growing opportunities for better jobs and, ultimately, better lives. 

Here are the eight new trends in product management jobs:

1. The market is opening up across the board
2. Senior roles are hiring at a level better than any time in the past year
3. FAANG companies are picking up in hiring
4. Remote work divergence across companies
5. People can level up as they make their transitions
6. More people are transitioning from non-product experiences to product management roles
7. Y...

The truth is that the stagnant product managers are often the ones who are working long hours. Meanwhile, the product managers that are making incredible progress are living more balanced lives. We should not be ignoring this correlation.

When we are working long hours, it begins weighing on us. Not only does it weigh on our careers, but in our personal lives as well. 

We start to feel unappreciated. (Why do we keep putting in all of this work for no recognition?)

We feel like we have no choice. (After all, we have already set a standard for working this way. It would be too hard to stop now, right?) 

Our peers are succeeding, but they must just be lucky. (we could be lucky too, but everything is working against us.)

Over time, our health declines. We worry and stress more. All facets of our lives are related to each other. Our health, sleep, how we interact with loved ones, and our happiness depend on our career satisfaction.

Here’s what happens when you work too much:

1. Burn...

“I feel stuck in my career.”

Those are words that I constantly hear, especially when I speak to product managers. We all feel as though we are stuck at some point or another. The question to ask ourselves is, “what am I going to do about it?”.

A few of my clients have been in this situation as well. After working together to become unstuck, one of them landed a new role with a 30% increase in compensation. They all received more opportunities and expressed that they were happier in their positions.

When we feel stuck, we can get stuck in a mundane routine. We feel unappreciated. We think that we have no choice in our careers. We lose sleep, and our health can decline. Even the people and the circumstances surrounding us genuinely feel like they are all out to get us. 

BUT when we get unstuck, big things change. 

We get the right combination of flow and hustle. We get promotions and raises. We begin getting recognized for excellent work. Recruiters start noticing us. More than al...

Most of us expect competent product managers to have all the confidence in the world. After all, what do they have to doubt themselves? They have all the knowledge, and they are good at what they do. However, this is not always the case. While many are solid and competent, they still lack confidence. 

Confidence is an essential factor in each of our lives and careers. One of my favorite clients to work with was severely lacking confidence. Once we built up his confidence, he grabbed an opportunity he had previously overlooked. Seizing this opportunity led to a promotion in just a few weeks.

Often, product managers know their product needs but do not have the confidence to fight for them. But, a product manager who maintains their competence and confidence does not need to struggle as much. Stakeholders notice them, and recruiters reach out to them. They are delighted with their work and happier in their lives.

Here are the keys to increasing your confidence:

1. How you think...

As a Product Manager and a coach, I have found one sad thing to be true - most Product Managers will do what others tell them to do and consistently avoid conversations related to their careers. They spend 100% of their energy managing their product and none on their career. The only time they are thinking about their career is when they are expressing anger or frustration.

My clients are happy in their careers. They are getting promoted faster than ever. Why? Because they have found extreme value in managing their career like a product. 

When you get this aspect wrong, you feel angry and frustrated. You do everything that is asked of you. You have no roadmap in sight and no career strategy to grasp onto. 

With that, I have one question - if you were the Product Manager of your career, would you be proud of how you run it? 

When we get this right, we get promotions and raises without fighting for them. Recruiters begin noticing you and reach out to you. You get more speaking e...