Why I started writing (and why I’m still here)

👋 Hey friends,

Happy New Year!

I’ve been off work for the holidays, and I’ve been thinking a lot about this newsletter.

Over the past few weeks, I’ve gotten some really kind messages from readers. One person I’m mentoring sent me a Christmas note that made me tear up a little. Another person from my networking group told me she appreciates the “human-ness” of my content - that it’s refreshing when everyone’s trying to shove AI down our throats.

Those messages mean more than I can explain.

Because if I’m being honest, I still have moments where I think: “Who am I to be writing about product management? I’m still figuring this out myself.”

But… that’s exactly why I started.

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About a year ago, I was at an event for Monday Girl, a women’s networking group I was a part of.

The event was full of incredible speakers. Women with 20+ years of experience. Entrepreneurs who’d built successful businesses 15+ years ago. People who had clearly “figured it out.”

Their stories were inspiring. Their accomplishments were amazing.

But I got to talking with a handful of other women there, and we all felt the same disconnect.

These speakers had already succeeded. Their wins had already happened. And while their advice was well-intentioned, it didn’t feel relevant to what the workforce or economy looks like now.

We collectively felt like: “Okay, but what about people who are still figuring it out and making progress? What about hearing from someone with the same title as me, or maybe one level above, so their learnings are recent and actually apply to my day-to-day?”

I felt this especially in product management.

All the top PM voices, the ones with massive audiences and frameworks named after them, haven’t been PMs in years. Some of them haven’t done hands-on product work in a decade.

Their content is valuable. But it’s not always relatable.

After that event, our little group of five started meeting monthly.

We’d just talk about life and careers. Share advice. Vent about the messy middle of trying to grow professionally while also just trying to keep up with everything else.

And they kept encouraging me to start posting.

“You should write about this stuff,” they’d say. “Other people need to hear it.”

I was hesitant. What made me think I was so special that my experience was worth sharing?

Who was I to write about product management when I’m still learning? When I make mistakes every week? When I don’t have it all figured out?

But then I saw a video online that said something like: “What’s the worst that can happen? People don’t read it?”

And I thought: You know what? That’s fair.

So I started.

Writing this newsletter has been one of the most clarifying and humbling experiences of my career.

It’s exacerbated my impostor syndrome in some ways. Putting my work out publicly makes me hyper-aware of everything I don’t know. Every week I hit publish, there’s a little voice that says, “What if someone calls you out? What if you’re wrong? What if people think you’re positioning yourself as more of an expert than you actually are?”

But it’s also helped lift that impostor syndrome in ways I didn’t expect.

Because when I write about the messy parts, the projects that didn’t go as planned, the feedback that stung, the moments I second-guessed myself, people respond.

Not with judgment. With relief.

“Oh my god, I thought I was the only one.”
“This is exactly what I’m going through right now.”
“Thank you for being honest about this.”

There’s something really powerful about learning out loud.

When I share what I’m working through in real-time, it doesn’t just help other people. It helps me. It forces me to clarify my thinking. It makes me reflect on what I’m learning. It reminds me that growth isn’t about having all the answers, it’s about showing up and figuring it out as you go.

Last week, I met up with one of the women from that original Monday Girl group.

She told me she’s been reading the newsletter, and she appreciates the human approach to my content. That it feels refreshing when everyone else is trying to shove AI down our throats in our industry.

That hit me.

Because that’s exactly what I was looking for when I started. Content that felt real. Content from someone who was still in the trenches, not someone who’d moved on to the next thing.

I also got a Christmas message from someone I’m mentoring that was incredibly sweet. They told me that my content helped them feel more confident about transitioning into product.

Those messages remind me why I’m doing this.

Not because I’m an expert. But because my learnings might help people who are interested in becoming a product manager understand what they’re actually getting into, and maybe even get ahead faster.

As we head into 2026, try this:

You don’t need to have everything figured out. You just need to be willing to share what you’re learning along the way.

I started this newsletter because I wanted to create the thing I wished existed when I was breaking into product.

Content from someone who’s still in it. Who’s still learning. Who doesn’t have all the answers but is willing to share what’s working and what’s not.

A year in, I’m still figuring it out. I still have impostor syndrome. I still question whether I’m “qualified” to write about this stuff.

But I also know that every time I hit publish, someone out there feels a little less alone. A little more capable. A little more confident that they can do this too.

And that’s worth it.

So here’s to 2026. To learning out loud. To staying human in an industry that sometimes forgets to be. To helping each other figure it out as we go.

Thanks for being here.

See you next Friday,

– Stef

💬 Want to talk product? I’m mentoring on ADPList! If you’re thinking about starting your own content journey, transitioning into product, or just want to talk through what you’re working on, you can book a free session with me right here.

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