• Books,  Uncategorized

    Hans Rosling’s Factfulness: a famous researcher combats your 2020 existential dread by placing this terrible year into perspective

    I’m definitely stating the obvious here, but 2020 has really sucked. For starters, we continue to live through a pandemic that has taken the lives of so many worldwide, and dramatically altered life for all of us lucky to still be alive. Wildfires ravaged the state of California this summer. In the best case scenario, one couldn’t step outside for coffee or a short walk around the block for weeks on end. In the worst case scenario, your house and all your property was burned to the ground. We woke up to ORANGE SKY as our state burned (over 4,359,517 acres): In case a pandemic and wildfires weren’t quite enough,…

  • Career,  Uncategorized

    Guidance on the transition from management consulting to product management

    In January 2019, I left my job in management consulting at the Boston Consulting Group to begin a new journey as a Product Manager in Facebook’s Rotational Product Manager (RPM) program. While looking to switch jobs, I leaned heavily on my product manager friends. I asked them what their days entailed, how they prepared for interviews, and why they decided to become product managers. I also took them up on generous offers to mock interview me. Of course, not everyone lives in San Francisco and has ready access to friends who are PMs. Knowing how lucky I was to have their support, and in the interest of paying it forward,…

  • Career,  Relationships,  Self-Development,  Uncategorized

    Take account of your year through this reflection exercise

    Every day in December, a friend of mine writes down one accomplishment in the last year that makes her proud. By the end of the year, she creates a list of 31 accomplishments. What a brilliant idea! I’ve heard of many “Year in Review” type activities, but always shy away from them…they usually involve copious amounts of self-flagellation, and many of us are too good at that already. New Years doubles as an opportunity for self-reflection and change for the better, but it can also be a lovely time to simply smile at oneself and say, “well done!”. In the spirit of self-acceptance, I’m sharing a partial list of my…