Every product manager knows the feeling: standing in front of a slide deck that’s full of facts but empty of feeling. You’ve got the data, the details, the deadlines — yet somehow, your message still misses the mark. The roadmap reads right, but no one’s moved by it.

That’s where your journey begins.

You’ve been the quiet architect — building, balancing, and bridging ideas — but now it’s time to become the storyteller. The one who doesn’t just ship features, but shapes futures. The one who can make people care.

This episode is your call to adventure. Todd and Ryan are the porch-side mentors who hand you the torch — the tools and tales to help you turn dry updates into vivid narratives. You’ll learn how to trade metrics for meaning, and roadmaps for revelations.

Through story frameworks, laughter, and lived experience, they show you how to move hearts before you move numbers. Because great products don’t just solve problems — they tell stories people believe in.

By the end, you’ll start to see it: every backlog is a plotline, every sprint is a scene, and every user is a character waiting for you to lead them to something better.

Your product isn't just a plan. It’s a journey. And you’re the hero holding the pen.
So pull up a chair on the porch. This is where your next great story begins.

Chapter 1: The Monsters Inc. Story

• [00:00] A playful start — monsters, laughter, and why stories stick.
• [00:41] The theme: storytelling as a must-have product skill.

Chapter 2: The Prince Story

• [02:00] A lesson in audience — the wrong story at the wrong time.
• [03:21] How a good story can turn insight into impact.

Chapter 3: Facts vs. Stories

• [05:16] Turning facts into meaning and connection.
• [07:00] Why adults still learn best through story.

Chapter 4: Storytelling for Product Managers

• [07:51] Using stories to motivate without authority.
• [08:40] Real use cases: vision, empathy, and change management.

Chapter 5: Empathy and Emotion

• [12:00] How stories build connection across teams.
• [13:14] Storytelling isn’t a soft skill—it’s a learnable craft.

Chapter 6: Storytelling Frameworks

• [17:04] The Hero’s Journey and the “three Cs.”
• [25:23] The “What Is vs. What Could Be” structure.
• [27:00] The Story Spine and other storytelling models.

Chapter 7: Practice and Presence

• [31:00] The difference between designing and delivering a story.
• [33:00] Practice, pacing, and reading the room.
• [35:41] Enthusiasm is contagious—model the energy you want.

Chapter 8: Go Tell Stories

• [38:23] Pick a framework and start small.
• [39:53] The only way to learn storytelling is by doing it.
• [40:08] Closing reminder: stories are fun—enjoy the process.

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Ever been caught between wanting to show your boss you’ve got it handled and realizing later you probably should have checked in sooner? In this episode, the Porch crew dives into the often-overlooked skill of managing up.

Joe, Ryan, and Todd share stories about times they got it wrong, what they learned from it, and how managing up is not about politics. It is about clarity, trust, and communication. They unpack how to balance initiative with alignment, how to navigate difficult managers (and their managers), and why humility might be the most underrated leadership skill of all.

If you want to build better relationships with leadership or make your boss look good without feeling like a sellout, we can’t wait for you to join the conversation on the porch.

Introduction and Opening Remarks
[00:00] Humility and grit – The crew opens with humor and sets the stage for the theme of managing up.

Why Managing Up Matters
[01:56] Joe’s early career lesson – A failed project teaches him that not engaging leadership can erode trust.
[03:00] Defining “managing up” – It’s more than updates; it’s about aligning expectations and maintaining visibility.

Common Missteps
[07:19] The “yes person” trap – Blindly following direction without alignment leads to frustration and missed goals.
[09:00] Balancing confidence and humility – How to ask for feedback without seeming weak.

How to Manage Up Effectively
[10:30] Communication rules – Ask questions instead of making assumptions.
[11:30] Bottom-line-up-front approach – How to check alignment and communicate clearly with your boss.
[12:30] One-on-ones done right – Use them to look forward, not backward.
[13:36] Write things down – Use documentation to confirm goals, deadlines, and assumptions.

Dealing with Difficult Managers
[15:00] When your boss isn’t great – How to set expectations and coach upward.
[17:30] Push for clarity – Encourage managers to align on goals and outcomes even when they don’t naturally do it.

Managing Up Across the Organization
[20:26] Beyond your boss – Managing up means managing across departments and leadership tiers.
[22:49] “Make your boss the hero” – How supporting leadership can help your own career.

Recovering from Mistakes
[25:31] How to rebuild trust – Admit errors early and commit to doing better.
[26:41] Humility and grit – Why these two traits matter more than almost anything else.

Key Takeaways and Closing Thoughts
[27:30] Align expectations to avoid frustration.
[36:08] Final reflections – Managing up as an essential skill for every product professional.

Help keep the Product Porch lights on by giving at https://www.patreon.com/TheProductPorch

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What does product-market fit actually look like in the real world?

Everyone’s heard it. A leader slaps the table and says, “Go get product market fit.” But what does that even mean?

In this episode, Ryan and Joe sit down with Shardul Mehta, founder of Street Smart Product Manager, to unpack one of the most overused yet misunderstood phrases in product management. They dig into what PMF actually looks like in practice, how to validate real problems worth solving, and why it’s not a one-time milestone but an ongoing process of alignment.

Shardul brings three decades of experience across startups, enterprises, and everything in between. He shares grounded, no-fluff advice for PMs trying to prove traction without falling for vanity metrics or corporate buzzwords.

If you’ve ever been told to “get PMF” without an explanation, join us on the porch for a discussion about what product market fit really means, how to recognize it when you see it, and how to build it without the buzzwords.

Follow Shardul at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shardulmehta/
Subscribe to Shardul's Newsletter at: https://streetsmartproductmanager.com/

Intro: The Product Porch Opens
[00:00] Porch banter and setup – Ryan and Joe introduce Shardul Mehta and tee up the topic of PMF.
[00:01:30] Meet Shardul Mehta – Shardul’s background, career highlights, and his “Product Jedi” reputation set the stage.

Chapter 1: The Myth of Product Market Fit
[00:03:00] Defining the problem – Shardul explains why “go get PMF” is one of the least helpful phrases in product.
[00:05:15] The illusion of metrics – Why chasing a single magic number never proves real market traction.
[00:07:00] PMF as alignment – Reframes PMF as a continuous process, not a one-time milestone.

Chapter 2: Testing for Real Demand
[00:10:30] Validation over vision – How to replace assumptions with small, testable experiments.
[00:13:45] The demo test – Why showing a clickable prototype can reveal whether customers actually understand and want it.
[00:16:00] The only real proof – Early commitments, prepayments, or budget allocation beat any engagement metric.

Chapter 3: The Leadership Disconnect
[00:19:30] The PMF pressure cooker – Leaders demand traction without defining what it means.
[00:22:00] Bridging the gap – How PMs can align stakeholders by translating validation into business outcomes.
[00:25:30] Documenting assumptions – Using hypothesis-driven roadmaps to protect PMs from arbitrary goals.

Chapter 4: Internal PMF and the Non-SaaS World
[00:29:00] Inside the enterprise – How to measure “fit” when your customers are internal teams.
[00:32:15] Currency beyond dollars – Using adoption, efficiency, and reallocated budget as signs of success.

Chapter 5: Lessons from the Street Smart Product Manager
[00:36:00] Shardul’s Street Smart rules – Simplicity, storytelling, and listening to signals over vanity metrics.
[00:38:45] Improv and product – How improv training sharpens curiosity, communication, and decision-making in product work.

Outro: Wrapping Up the Porch Talk
[00:42:00] Final reflections – Why PMF is a journey of constant learning and recalibration.
[00:43:30] Porch close – Ryan and Joe reflect on takeaways and invite listeners to subscribe and share their own PMF stories.

Help keep the Product Porch lights on by giving at https://www.patreon.com/TheProductPorch

Join our email list and never miss an episode at theproductporch.com