Hey! I'd love to hear your thoughts, send me a voice note.

In this episode of ProductCamp Conversations, Allison Herbert and Dave Mathias sit down with Twin Cities product-turned-PMM consultant Erin Miska to unpack why positioning is still the quiet foundation of everything you ship and sell — and why product people should care as much as marketers do.

📌 Topics Covered:

• Erin’s path from technical writer to founding PM at Jamf to independent PMM

• ProductCamp Twin Cities: “Why Isn’t Everyone Talking About Positioning?”

• April Dunford’s interdependent positioning pieces — category, alternatives, differentiation

• Who should own positioning (spoiler: not marketing alone) and how to start when you’re in-house

• Champion-first positioning vs. later-stage objection handling across buyer roles

• When positioning drifts — and how AI-assisted sales-call review helps you notice

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🔗 CONNECT WITH GUEST ERIN MISKA:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/erinmiska/

• Website: https://erinmiska.com

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🎙️ CONNECT WITH THE HOSTS:

• Allison Herbert:

- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aherbert42

- Website: https://allisonherbert.com

• Dave Mathias:

- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davemathias1

- X / Twitter: https://x.com/davemathias

- Website: https://gobeyondthedata.com

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📧 GET IN TOUCH:

Have thoughts on this episode or want to suggest a topic/guest?

Drop a comment below or reach out at productcampconversations@gmail.com!

👍 Like, subscribe, and hit the bell for more conversations on the human side of product management.

Hey! I'd love to hear your thoughts, send me a voice note.

In this episode of ProductCamp Conversations, Allison Herbert and Dave Mathias sit down with Twin Cities product leader and community builder Matt Pacyga to unpack vibe coding as play — shipping the feel before the feature — and how that same experimental muscle built Innovate.mn and a satirical merch experiment along the way.

📌 Topics Covered:

• ProductCamp Twin Cities “Vibe Coding: Ship the Feel Before the Feature” — play first, outcomes over feature lists

• AI compression of product roles, context windows, and why not to blindly trust the model

• Poundo / Open to Brand: a LinkedIn joke that became a real agentic e-commerce build

• Innovate.mn: capturing “the energy is the product” with free public brainstorming sessions

• Always be building — experiment in public, even when the tools keep changing

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🔗 CONNECT WITH GUEST MATT PACYGA:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattpacyga/

• Email: matt@innovate.mn

• Innovate.mn: https://innovate.mn

• Open to Brand: https://opentobrand.com

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🎙️ CONNECT WITH THE HOSTS:

• Allison Herbert:

- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aherbert42

- Website: https://allisonherbert.com

• Dave Mathias:

- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davemathias1

- X / Twitter: https://x.com/davemathias

- Website: https://gobeyondthedata.com

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📩 GET IN TOUCH:

Have thoughts on this episode or want to suggest a topic/guest?

Drop a comment below or reach out at productcampconversations@gmail.com!

👍 Like, subscribe, and hit the bell for more conversations on the human side of product management.

Hey! I'd love to hear your thoughts, send me a voice note.

In this episode of ProductCamp Conversations, Allison Herbert and Dave Mathias sit down with product coach and community builder Trevor Acy to explore what it takes to bring product thinking to a place the tech map skips. Trevor came to product through B2B marketing, then moved home to Mississippi to help founders and teams who don't get a flywheel handed to them. The through-line is trust: small non-disruptive wins instead of "influence without authority," and why AI only gets you to the wrong thing faster if you skip the human discovery.

📌 Topics Covered:

• Inventing product vocabulary and connections where there is no tech flywheel

• Connecting Jackson founders with university and meetup talent

• Reframing influence without authority as trust, earned one checker move at a time

• Why AI speeds delivery and can speed building something nobody wants

• Where to put the time AI actually saves, instead of filling the plate again

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🔗 CONNECT WITH GUEST TREVOR ACY:

• Trevor Acy

- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/trevoracy/

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🎙️ CONNECT WITH THE HOSTS:

• Allison Herbert:

- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aherbert42

- Website: https://allisonherbert.com

• Dave Mathias:

- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davemathias1

- X / Twitter: https://x.com/davemathias

- Website: https://gobeyondthedata.com

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📩 GET IN TOUCH:

Have thoughts on this episode or want to suggest a topic/guest?

Drop a comment below or reach out at productcampconversations@gmail.com!

👍 Like, subscribe, and hit the bell for more conversations on the human side of product management.

Hey! I'd love to hear your thoughts, send me a voice note.

In this episode of ProductCamp Conversations, Allison and Dave sit down with foundation product manager Amy Boland to discuss the unique challenges of building enabling tech and shared services. We explore why internal teams shouldn't act as simple "order takers" and how to strategically align foundational products with actual market needs rather than just the org chart.

📌 Topics Covered:

• Transitioning from an "order taker" to a strategic partner for internal stakeholders

• The "Three Body Problem" of product dependencies and how to manage complex, top-down roadmaps

• Using the "Big Steak Night" dinner party analogy to build scalable solutions that satisfy diverse organizational needs

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🔗 CONNECT WITH GUEST AMY BOLAND:

• Amy Boland

- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amy-m-boland/

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🎙️ CONNECT WITH THE HOSTS:

• Allison Herbert:

- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aherbert42

- Website: https://allisonherbert.com

• Dave Mathias:

- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davemathias1

- X / Twitter: https://x.com/davemathias

- Website: https://gobeyondthedata.com

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📩 GET IN TOUCH:

Have thoughts on this episode or want to suggest a topic/guest?

Drop a comment below or reach out at productcampconversations@gmail.com!

👍 Like, subscribe, and hit the bell for more conversations on the human side of product management.

Hey! I'd love to hear your thoughts, send me a voice note.

In this episode of ProductCamp Conversations, Marion Cholieu traces a non-linear path into product — from setting up DoorDash promotions to managing cybersecurity software that protects critical infrastructure — and unpacks what actually transfers when you cross from consumer speed to highly regulated, high-trust B2B.

📌 Topics Covered:

• What transfers (and what changes) from B2C to OT cybersecurity
• The DoorDash frustration that pulled her into product
• Building a product community from scratch in Phoenix
• Localization beyond translation, via The Culture Map
• Be the best learner, not the domain expert

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🔗 CONNECT WITH GUEST MARION CHOLIEU:

LinkedIn: /marion-cholieu

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🎙️ CONNECT WITH THE HOSTS:

• Allison Herbert:

LinkedIn: /aherbert42

Website: https://allisonherbert.com

• Dave Mathias:

LinkedIn: /davemathias1

X / Twitter: https://x.com/davemathias

Website: https://gobeyondthedata.com

--------------------------------------------------

📩 GET IN TOUCH:

Have thoughts on this episode or want to suggest a topic/guest?

Drop a comment below or reach out at productcampconversations@gmail.com!

👍 Like, subscribe, and hit the bell for more conversations on the human side of product management.

Hey! I'd love to hear your thoughts, send me a voice note.

In this episode of ProductCamp Conversations, Allison Herbert and Dave Mathias sit down with author, strategist, and product leader David Dean to explore a critical, often overlooked reality: AI isn't just a technical upgrade—it’s an organizational mirror.

Drawing from his book An Inbox Between Us and his session at ProductCamp PHX ("AI and the Organizational Mirror"), David breaks down how introducing AI into an enterprise instantly exposes informal workarounds, cultural bottlenecks, and communication gaps. We dive into real-world AI governance, the human dynamics behind technology adoption, and how product leaders can navigate the organizational shifts happening under the surface.

📌 Topics Covered:

• The concept of the "AI Mirror" and why it reveals hidden operating systems

• Real-world takeaways on AI implementation and governance

• Navigating the messy intersection of humans, teams, and automation

• Highlights from the inaugural ProductCamp PHX

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🔗 CONNECT WITH GUEST DAVID DEAN:

• Book: "An Inbox Between Us" — https://www.davidchristopherdean.com/about/

• Website: https://www.davidchristopherdean.com

• Newsletter: "The AI Mirror" (LinkedIn)

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidchristopherdean

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🎙️ CONNECT WITH THE HOSTS:

• Allison Herbert:

- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aherbert42

- Website: https://allisonherbert.com

• Dave Mathias:

- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davemathias1

- X / Twitter: https://x.com/davemathias

- Website: https://gobeyondthedata.com

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📩 GET IN TOUCH:

Have thoughts on this episode or want to suggest a topic/guest?

Drop a comment below or reach out at productcampconversations@gmail.com!

👍 Like, subscribe, and hit the bell for more conversations on the human side of product management.

Hey! I'd love to hear your thoughts, send me a voice note.

Allison and Dave discuss Allison's recent experiences at the inaugural ProductCamp PHX in Phoenix, insights on community building, engaging students, and navigating change in the product landscape. Discover practical tips, lessons learned, and inspiring stories to elevate your product practice.

Hey! I'd love to hear your thoughts, send me a voice note.

After a week of unconferences, meetups, and community-led conversations, Allison and Dave explore why product people need spaces that stretch their thinking. They discuss how in-person and virtual communities sharpen product craft, AI judgment, and career growth—and why, when the right community doesn’t exist, you might be the person to start it.