Beyond Product Management

In this episode of Beyond Product Management , Heather is joined by Blythe , a client experience designer who describes herself as “Gordon Ramsay meets a Disney Imagineer.” And honestly? It fits perfectly. Blythe helps founders and business owners design backend systems that feel human on the front end—without burning out the people running them. Drawing from her background in medical software, wo...

Founders optimize for speed. Product leaders optimize for longevity. And when those two perspectives collide, tension isn’t just inevitable—it’s costly. In this episode of Beyond Product Management , Heather Miller breaks down the real reason founders and product leaders so often talk past each other. Drawing from years of experience working with both PMs and founders, she explores how well-intent...

PDRM Consulting's mission is to help businesses reduce risk, specifically in the fields of Cybersecurity and Product Management. Heather bridges the professional development gap in the corporate space by empowering growth-driven product managers to transition into strategic, results-oriented leaders. By focusing on enhancing key skills and decision-making capabilities, she helps them accelera...

Everything feels important—but that doesn’t mean everything deserves your energy. In this episode of Beyond Product Management , Heather Miller shares the story that reinforced why she built the Filter Framework in the first place—after a family emergency forced her to step away from work and rethink how she decided what truly mattered. This isn’t an episode about productivity hacks or doing more....

AI is everywhere right now—and depending on who you ask, it’s either going to save product teams or replace them entirely. In this episode of Beyond Product Management , Heather is joined by Behrad , a Berlin-based product and design strategist, startup founder, and studio owner, to cut through the noise. Behrad shares his journey from early-stage startup founder (including a unicorn) to consultan...

This episode is different. Recorded nearly nine months ago and never released, this conversation is real, raw, and deeply personal. It may land differently depending on your experiences — and that’s intentional. In this solo episode, Heather opens up about a question she’s been asked repeatedly as a founder and product leader: “How do you handle not getting the easy yes compared to your male count...

In this episode of Beyond Product Management , Heather Miller sits down with Jennifer Soy Long, founder of Selby Group, LLC, to explore the art and science of leading change within organizations. Jennifer shares her journey from “accidental change manager” to 28 years of guiding leaders through complex technology-driven transformations. Together, Heather and Jennifer dive into: How to handle ineff...

AI is everywhere — but is it actually making products better? In this episode of Beyond Product Management , Heather Miller sits down with Andy Sitison , a technologist, lifelong creator, and product builder with 35+ years of experience working at the intersection of emerging technology, human experience, and product development. Together, they unpack what it really means to use AI well — not as a...

Transformation is more than hiring a consultant or handing over a shiny playbook—it’s about changing human behavior, founder habits, and team dynamics. In this episode of Beyond Product Management , Heather Miller breaks down why so many transformation efforts stall once consultants leave and what real, lasting change truly requires. Heather dives into: Why playbooks often fail: Static documents d...

In this episode of Beyond Product Management , Heather Miller goes deeper into a concept that sits at the core of product leadership and business success: risk-based decision making . Building on the previous conversation about product management as risk management, this episode explores what risk really means, why it’s unavoidable, and how great leaders make conscious, strategic decisions in the...

Product management isn’t about writing tickets, answering quick questions, or being the catch-all for everything unclear. It’s risk management. In this episode of Beyond Product Management , Heather Miller breaks down what’s really happening when teams say, “Let’s just have product handle it.” What sounds harmless often creates serious market, execution, and founder risk —and most teams don’t real...

In this episode of Beyond Product Management , Heather Miller sits down with Makoto Kern , product strategy and UX leader, to unpack what really drives successful products — especially in a world obsessed with speed, AI, and shipping “something” as fast as possible. Makoto shares his journey from electrical and robotics engineering on the manufacturing floor to leading enterprise and B2C product s...

In this episode of Beyond Product Management , Heather Miller sits down with Kerri LaRose , self-leadership coach, counselor, and advocate for intentional living, to talk about the invisible work that shapes everything else — our thoughts, beliefs, and patterns. While we often focus on career strategy, productivity systems, and performance, this conversation goes deeper. Kerri explains why self-le...

So many founders believe they’re moving fast — but what they’re actually doing is starting over again and again. In this episode of Beyond Product Management , Heather Miller digs into a pattern she sees constantly with smart, capable founders and leadership teams: changing direction every week in the name of speed, validation, or momentum — and unknowingly stalling their own growth. From messagin...

This episode wasn’t the one I planned — and that’s exactly the point. A text from my college-aged kid (“I need to call”) turned into a real-time reminder of what founders experience every day: Teams calling them for answers. Teams freezing in uncertainty. Teams unable to move without authorization. Today we’re talking about founder dependency — how it forms, why it’s a risk, and how to shift from...

In this episode of Beyond Product Management , Heather sits down with Radhika Dutt — MIT engineer, serial founder, author of Radical Product Thinking , and upcoming author on why OKRs fail — for a conversation that will completely shift how you approach goals, strategy, and product decisions. Radhika unpacks: Why OKRs inherently incentivize teams to hide bad data How “product diseases” quietly inf...

This Thanksgiving episode is all about gratitude, focus, and the lessons we actually want more of going into 2026. I’m sharing what we learned inside PDRM this year — the moments of second-guessing, the refocusing of our own business, and why letting go of PM coaching created more space to support founders in the way they truly need. You’ll hear: The lesson I’m most grateful for this year Why we d...

Have you ever planned your career perfectly… only to find yourself on a completely different path? In this episode of Beyond Product Management , Heather Miller dives into why product careers are rarely linear — and why that’s a huge advantage. From her early days as a Bioengineering major with plans for medical school, to QA and EMR compliance, to global product management and now fractional CPO...

In this episode of Beyond Product Management , Heather Miller sits down with Steven Puri , founder of The Sukha Company, to explore the fascinating intersection of high performance, flow states, and creative work across industries—from Hollywood blockbusters to consumer tech. Steven shares his unique journey as a senior executive at DreamWorks and Fox, a founder of multiple startups, and a researc...

You’ve been there — waiting for a restaurant table long past the quoted time, convincing yourself it’s too late to leave because you’ve already waited this long. That same logic creeps into our product decisions, our projects, and even our careers. It’s called the sunk cost fallacy , and it quietly drains your resources, energy, and innovation. In this episode of Beyond Product Management , Heathe...

In this episode of Beyond Product Management , Heather sits down with longtime friend and two-time founder Josh Budman to explore how the landscape of building software—and companies—has radically changed over the past decade. Josh shares his journey from co-founding Tissue Analytics , a digital imaging company in the wound care space that successfully exited to Net Health, to launching his newest...

In this episode of Beyond Product Management , host Heather Miller sits down with Nick Cawthon , Product Design Leader and Founder of Gauge.io , to explore the fascinating crossroads of creativity, technology, and AI-driven design. Nick shares how his early roots in visual arts and proximity to Silicon Valley shaped his approach to product design—and how he’s navigated the shift from bespoke, hand...

Most people think product management is something that only happens inside tech companies or startups. But here’s the truth: if you’re improving what you offer, listening to customers, and making your business better over time — you’re already doing product work. In this episode, Heather Miller, CEO and Co-founder of PDRM Consulting, breaks down why product thinking isn’t just for SaaS or software...

Welcome to the first episode in our October cybersecurity series on Beyond Product Management ! I’m Heather Miller, co-founder and CEO of PDRM Consulting, and today I’m joined by my co-founder—and life partner—John. In this episode, we dive into the latest phishing and ransomware trends in 2025, exploring what small and medium-sized businesses need to know to protect themselves. We cover: The rise...

In this episode of Beyond Product Management , I’m back after an unplanned break—and I’ve got some exciting updates to share about the podcast and what’s ahead. September brought a whirlwind of life events—from milestone birthdays to band festivals to a bus accident that turned our world upside down for a couple of weeks. The good news: Josh is on the mend, and we’re finding our rhythm again. The...