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Listen "Lean Experiments for Life: Christina Wodtke on Reinvention, Risk, and Thriving in Tech"
Episode Synopsis
What does it take to reinvent your career again and again without losing yourself in the process?
In this conversation, Stanford University lecturer, bestselling author, and product leader Christina Wodtke opens up about her nonlinear path from art school to Silicon Valley startups, to teaching at Stanford.
We talk about:
The challenges (and joys) of being a woman in tech past 50 and how to reclaim power, voice, and agency when faced with ageism and sexism
How lean experiments are a powerful tool for navigating career and life pivots
The realities of shifting identities from artist, designer, PM, founder, author, and teacher
The role of risk tolerance in opening doors and what “worst-case scenario” thinking really means
Christina’s criteria for ranking the top AI companies from least evil to most evil
Teaching the next generation of product managers in the age of generative AI and what’s at stake if we skip synthesis and product sense
Christina’s story is one of reinvention, resilience, and refusing to be defined by a single label.
Episode Notes:
Find Christina on LinkedIn
Christina's article, I Love Generative AI And Hate The Companies Building It
Christina's article, What You Want Isn't Always What You Want
In this conversation, Stanford University lecturer, bestselling author, and product leader Christina Wodtke opens up about her nonlinear path from art school to Silicon Valley startups, to teaching at Stanford.
We talk about:
The challenges (and joys) of being a woman in tech past 50 and how to reclaim power, voice, and agency when faced with ageism and sexism
How lean experiments are a powerful tool for navigating career and life pivots
The realities of shifting identities from artist, designer, PM, founder, author, and teacher
The role of risk tolerance in opening doors and what “worst-case scenario” thinking really means
Christina’s criteria for ranking the top AI companies from least evil to most evil
Teaching the next generation of product managers in the age of generative AI and what’s at stake if we skip synthesis and product sense
Christina’s story is one of reinvention, resilience, and refusing to be defined by a single label.
Episode Notes:
Find Christina on LinkedIn
Christina's article, I Love Generative AI And Hate The Companies Building It
Christina's article, What You Want Isn't Always What You Want
More episodes of the podcast Lift Up Connections with Christine Perfetti
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From Downturn to Breakthrough: Kyle Soucy on Projective Techniques, Lean Experiments and Being Brave
25/09/2025
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