Christian Idiodi sits down with executive coach and author Kate Leto to discuss how psychological safety drives high-performing product teams. Through concrete examples, they demystify the concept and show how deliberate acts of trust, candor, and shared accountability unlock real-world results.–Today’s discussion unpacks:What psychological safety is and why it mattersSigns your team does or does not have psychological safetyThe relationship between psychological safety, trust, and accountabilityCommon misconceptions around this topicTactical advice for leaders and team members–References:Emotional Self Control Probably Doesn’t Mean What You Think: https://www.kateleto.com/articles/emotional-self-control-probably-doesnt-mean-what-you-think-but-its-an-essential-skill-for-leadersGoogle’s Project Aristotle: https://psychsafety.com/googles-project-aristotle/Hiring Product Managers: Using Product EQ to Go Beyond Culture and Skills: https://www.amazon.com/Hiring-Product-Managers-beyond-culture/dp/B09RFYCGL9Self-Awareness Revisited: https://www.kateleto.com/articles/what-the-heck-is-self-awareness-and-why-should-you-care-part-2What is Self-Awareness and Why Should You Care? https://www.kateleto.com/articles/what-is-self-awarenessWhat People Get Wrong About Psychological Safety: https://hbr.org/2025/05/what-people-get-wrong-about-psychological-safety–Where to find SVPG:SVPG’s new book, TRANSFORMED: https://www.svpg.com/books/transformed-moving-to-the-product-operating-model/Other books: https://www.svpg.com/books/Articles: https://www.svpg.com/articles/Workshops: https://www.svpg.com/Videos: https://www.svpg.com/videos/–Where to find Christian Idiodi:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cidiodi/–Where to find Kate Leto:Books and insights: https://www.kateleto.com/books-and-insightsLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kateleto/Website: https://www.kateleto.com/–Timestamps:(00:00) Intro(00:42) What is psychological safety(02:11) Why psychological safety matters in work environments(03:16) How psychological safety enables diverse perspectives(05:12) Google's research on high-performing teams(06:13) Differentiating trust from psychological safety(08:04) Diagnosing the root cause of low psychological safety(10:48) How leaders can create psychological safety(13:04) Overcoming the hero complex as a leader(16:23) How leaders can share ideas without creating directive(17:31) Achieving psychological safety and accountability(19:22) Can you have too much psychological safety?(23:29) How teams can create psychological safety(27:00) Modeling vulnerability authentically as a leader(29:27) Closing thoughts and key takeaways–Disclaimer:While this podcast is named “Product Therapy,” it is not hosted by licensed therapists or mental health professionals, and it is in no way a substitute for professional mental health services. We recognize the importance of mental well-being and encourage anyone facing personal difficulties to seek support from qualified professionals. See https://findahelpline.com/–Production:Production by supermix.io
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31:22
Coaching Vision
In this episode, Christian Idiodi sits down with SVPG partner Jon Moore to coach product visions. They define what product visions are, why they’re important, and practical steps for creating one for your team. Learn how to drive more clarity and direction by harnessing the power of product visions.–Today’s discussion unpacks:What a product vision isExamples of great product visionsThe ingredients of a great product visionHow to balance inspiration and realismWhat to do if your org lacks a product vision or has too many–SVPG blog posts relating to product visions: Product Vision Examples: https://www.svpg.com/examples/Product Vision FAQ: https://www.svpg.com/product-vision-faq/Product Vision vs. Mission: https://www.svpg.com/product-vision-vs-mission/The Power of Visiontypes: https://www.svpg.com/the-power-of-visiontypes/Vision vs. Strategy: https://www.svpg.com/vision-vs-strategy/–Where to find SVPG:SVPG’s new book, TRANSFORMED: https://www.svpg.com/books/transformed-moving-to-the-product-operating-model/Other books: https://www.svpg.com/books/Articles: https://www.svpg.com/articles/Workshops: https://www.svpg.com/Videos: https://www.svpg.com/videos/–Where to find Christian Idiodi:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cidiodi/–Where to find Jon Moore: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathonmoore/–Timestamps:(00:00) Intro(00:39) What is a product vision?(05:05) Common misconceptions when it comes to product visions(08:42) Who should own product vision?(10:11) Is it okay to have multiple visions?(12:28) The ingredients of a great product vision(14:42) Balancing inspiration and realism(21:49) How to assess the quality of a product vision(24:31) What to do if your company lacks a vision(28:18) It's not a vision if no one knows about it(34:44) Examples of great product visions(37:20) Resources for getting better at vision(38:52) Where to learn more from SVPG–Disclaimer:While this podcast is named “Product Therapy,” it is not hosted by licensed therapists or mental health professionals, and it is in no way a substitute for professional mental health services. We recognize the importance of mental well-being and encourage anyone facing personal difficulties to seek support from qualified professionals. See https://findahelpline.com/–Production:Production by supermix.io
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39:45
Coaching AI: The Impact on Product Teams
In this episode, Christian Idiodi sits down with SVPG founder Marty Cagan to explore how AI is changing product teams. They dive into the relevant context from tech history, what they’re seeing in the industry today, and where they think things could go next.–Today’s discussion unpacks:How AI could slash delivery workload and shrink team headcountProduct skills that are growing in importanceThe challenges AI won’t solveHow product management, engineering, and design are changingMarty’s biggest hopes and concerns for the future–References:AI Engineering by Chip Huyen: https://www.oreilly.com/library/view/ai-engineering/9781098166298/The End of Programming as We Know It by Tim O’Reilly: https://www.oreilly.com/radar/the-end-of-programming-as-we-know-it/–SVPG blog posts on AI and Product:A Vision For Product Teams by Marty Cagan: https://www.svpg.com/a-vision-for-product-teams/AI Product Management 2 Years In: https://www.svpg.com/ai-product-management-2-years-in/INSPIRED in the Generative AI Era by Marty Cagan: https://www.svpg.com/inspired-in-the-generative-ai-era/Product, Design and AI by Marty Cagan and Bob Baxley: https://www.svpg.com/product-design-and-ai/Team Autonomy and AI by Marty Cagan: https://www.svpg.com/team-autonomy-and-ai/–Where to find SVPG:SVPG’s new book, TRANSFORMED: https://www.svpg.com/books/transformed-moving-to-the-product-operating-model/Other books: https://www.svpg.com/books/Articles: https://www.svpg.com/articles/Workshops: https://www.svpg.com/Videos: https://www.svpg.com/videos/–Where to find Christian Idiodi:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cidiodi/–Where to find Marty Cagan:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cagan/–Timestamps:(00:00) Intro(00:17) Some caveats(05:42) How AI will impact product’s four key challenges(11:36) Discovery vs delivery: How AI flips the balance(15:03) Why product management will become more difficult and more essential(20:37) New must-have skills(25:50) The role of design(28:37) How AI changes product leadership(32:07) Remote work: Can AI tools rebuild collaboration & trust?(37:45) What excites and worries Marty about AI’s impact(42:28) Direct advice for product leaders(44:00) Where to learn more from SVPG–Disclaimer:While this podcast is named “Product Therapy”, it is not hosted by licensed therapists or mental health professionals, and it is in no way a substitute for professional mental health services. We recognize the importance of mental well-being and encourage anyone facing personal difficulties to seek support from qualified professionals. See https://findahelpline.com/–Production:Production bysupermix.io
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45:20
Coaching Decision Making
In this episode, Christian Idiodi welcomes back SVPG partner Martina Lauchengco to coach decision making. They break down what good decision making looks like in empowered teams and common mistakes that hold people back. Learn how to harness data, gut instinct, and contextual information to make better decisions.–Today’s discussion unpacks:The role of gut instinctWhere AI can and can’t aid decision making Being data-informed, not data-driven The shortcomings of decision frameworks The link between strategy, priorities, and decisions –References:Product Sense Demystified by Marty Cagan: https://www.svpg.com/product-sense/Amazon's “Disagree and Commit” principle: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BtjBkf8qDW4&ab_channel=InsideAmazonGarbage Can Model: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garbage_can_model Consensus vs Collaboration by Marty Cagan: https://www.svpg.com/consensus-vs-collaboration/ –Where to find SVPG:SVPG’s new book, TRANSFORMED: https://www.svpg.com/books/transformed-moving-to-the-product-operating-model/Other books: https://www.svpg.com/books/Articles: https://www.svpg.com/articles/Workshops: https://www.svpg.com/Videos: https://www.svpg.com/videos/–Where to find Christian Idiodi:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cidiodi/–Where to find Martina Lauchengco:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/martinalauchengco/–Timestamps:(00:00) Intro(00:29) What defines a "good decision"?(05:50) The role of frameworks in decision making (07:45) Collaboration vs consensus(15:37) The role of gut feel(22:04) How to identify dogmatic or stubborn thinking(25:06) Why you shouldn't delegate decision making to AI(29:27) The link between strategy, priorities, and decisions (31:53) Where to learn more from SVPG –Disclaimer:While this podcast is named “Product Therapy”, it is not hosted by licensed therapists or mental health professionals, and it is in no way a substitute for professional mental health services. We recognize the importance of mental well-being and encourage anyone facing personal difficulties to seek support from qualified professionals. See https://findahelpline.com/–Production:Production by supermix.io
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32:43
Coaching Change Management
In this episode, Christian Idiodi is joined by SVPG partner Lea Hickman to break down what it really takes for organizations to navigate change effectively. From shifting mindsets to avoiding common leadership traps, this conversation dives into the human side of transformation—and how to lead through it.–Today’s discussion unpacks:Why change is about mindset not just process The biggest anti-pattern in change management How to decide between incremental change and a “big bang” approachWhat makes change so hard (and how to make it easier)The key role of trust, communication, and proving early success–References:Start with Why by Simon Sinek: https://www.amazon.com/Start-Why-Leaders-Inspire-Everyone/dp/1591846447–Where to find SVPG:SVPG’s newest book, TRANSFORMED: https://www.svpg.com/books/transformed-moving-to-the-product-operating-model/Other books: https://www.svpg.com/books/Articles: https://www.svpg.com/articles/Workshops: https://www.svpg.com/Videos: https://www.svpg.com/videos/–Where to find Christian Idiodi:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cidiodi/–Where to find Lea Hickman:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leahickman/–Timestamps (00:00) Intro(00:33) Why change is hard(04:59) The biggest anti-pattern in change management(06:35) Big bang vs. incremental change(10:45) Harnessing the "why" behind change(14:40) How to build a compelling case for change(17:27) The silent resistance of middle management(18:41) The power of pilot teams(22:46) Measuring success of organizational change(24:56) Advice for individual contributors reacting to change(28:48) How leaders can catalyze change(30:09) Outro –Disclaimer:While this podcast is named “Product Therapy”, it is not hosted by licensed therapists or mental health professionals, and it is in no way a substitute for professional mental health services. We recognize the importance of mental well-being and encourage anyone facing personal difficulties to seek support from qualified professionals. See https://findahelpline.com/–Production:Production by supermix.io
Christian Idiodi goes behind the craft of great product work, to the topics that usually aren’t talked about. He discusses behavioral, mindset, and cultural issues with fellow SVPG partners.
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