Blog

I now have a substack account, which I have been regularly contributing to. I hope you will check it out and support my work there!

CLICK HERE TO VIEW MY Substack

All my old content will still remain below. Enjoy!

Newsletters

This series of updates are on my latest projects, insights, and adventures in product management for sustainable and eco-friendly businesses. This newsletter is my way of staying connected with you all, sharing valuable experiences, and growing together.

December 2024 – Completing my fellowship and reflecting on a year of many changes
November 2024 – Achieving a less-than-desired milestone but taking the fight to climate
October 2024 – Hitting the ground running in my fellowship and providing citizen science insights
September 2024 – Starting a new journey in sustainability and turning 40!
August 2024 – Enjoying some much needed time off, getting huge news in my climate career goals, and what Drives us
July 2024 – My recent attendance of “Create the Future”, Building a sustainable business, and AI/ML learnings
June 2024 – Up close and personal with a hungry bear, wine tasting, and the power of “Win-Wins”
May 2024 – Birds, Climate Week, and ballpark outings with my son
April 2024 – Networking at Bioneers Conference, presenting on birds, and more!
March 2024 – Season of Growth: Embracing Change and Discovery
February 2024 – Charting a Sustainable Future in Tech and Nature
January 2024 – 2023 reflections, productivity tips, and promoting my bird talk

Building a Product Management Career

Breaking into Product Management

How I got started – The story of my humble beginnings breaking into the PM field.
The first 90 Days – There is a lot to do and learn starting out. In this post, I lay out a few frameworks for quickly ramping up in the PM role

CORE Skills

Stakeholders – A Product Manager’s Best Allies for Creating Lasting Impact – These key people will ensure the success (or failure) of your product launch and subsequent performance of said product. As a PM you must work hard to cultivate these relationships
Decisions, Decisions…: A Product Manager’s Decision Guide to Sustainable Outcomes – PMs have to make a lot of decisions on a daily basis. This post identifies some of the basics behind decision making in developing your product and how to manage the communication of them
Into the Unknown: Navigating Uncertainty Using Citizen Science as Your Guide – We deal with a lot of ambiguity in this role. I write about a few useful tips to strengthen your position when faced with uncertainty.
Creating a Vision in Sustainability: A PM’s Guide– Before any great visionary is made, they must deeply understand their customers and the problems they are trying to solve.
Sustainable Product Development: Crafting Strategies with Purpose – Your product’s goals cannot be reached without specific objectives surrounding that goal. In this post I try to put it in its simplest of terms using a lemonade stand as an example

Advanced Skills and Resources

How Sustainability will Make or Break Your Company – Companies that want to “Go Green” requires a lot of planning and considerations. I examine some of the approaches they can take
Mindfulness Product Management Practices – Product management is not just about delivering products but doing so with intention, focus, and self-awareness. In this post, I advocate for blending mindfulness into the decision-making process to drive better outcomes and more meaningful work.
Recommended Reading – Ongoing contributions of Product Management books I have read and recommend to the aspiring PM.

My Birdwatching Journey

Summer 2002 – I share some memories of my beginnings as a birder, much of which I can attribute to my mom
Taking a chance to start a business – With very little experience in my career and being in-between jobs, I decided to take a big swing combining my passion for birds with what I knew about technology
Becoming a “Master” Birdwatcher – I summarize the yearlong course I took to give me the moniker I proudly wear today
The New Gateway Drug – Say what? Using this analogy, I discuss the beautiful world of birds
Ornith-angelism – Huh? What does that mean? I write about encouraging others to get involved and spread the love for birds
Change and Finding New Paths: Lessons From Winter Migration – In this post, I reflect on our own personal personal and professional journeys in the same way birds migrate during the winter.
A Layman’s Guide to Birdwatching in the Age of Artificial Intelligence – I wrote a paper for my Master Birdwatching class around the applied uses of AI in the world of birding. This is that abbreviated paper.
Eco-Friendly Birding – In this post, I write about thinking about the many different environmental considerations when birding. This includes the dos and don’t dos of being outdoors, and travelling considerations for birding.
Go Birdwatching Anywhere From the Comfort of Your Home– In this post, I write about the latest streaming technologies that allow the casual viewer/birder feel like they could go birding anywhere on the planet!
Feathered Friends and the Memorable Stories of (Some) of the Birds behind my Life List – In this post, I write about how each bird on my “life list” ends up becoming a memorable story. I share some of these memories as well as the bonding experience nature can have in one’s own life.
Mindful Birdwatching: Finding Peace and Wonder in a Chaotic World – I write about the power of using mindfulness practices to connect with nature and of course, my feathered friends.
Where to go Birding – If you live in the SF Bay Area, these are some of the best places to go birdwatching
‘Tis the Season to Count Birds – In this post, I write about participating in my most recent Christmas Bird Count, what it is all about, and notable highlights from a wonderful day out birding

Tech Meets Nature

Reflections on the transformative journey of my Climatebase fellowship – I write about my recent completion of my 12 week fellowship program where I did a deep dive on a wide variety of climate focused topics to help mobilize my career in this space.
How Technology Can Revolutionize Our Connection to the Outdoors – In this post, I write about the amazing capabilities of apps like Merlin and eBird and how their technology can create the connection we so desperately need to the world.
Rediscovering My Neighborhood: A Journey with My Dog and iNaturalist – In this post, I write about a recent dog walk I went on where I catalogued all the trees in my neighborhood to get closer to the nature.
Reflections on the 2024 Bioneers Conference
Attending “Create the Future Summit”