In this episode, I sit down with Theresa Gschwandtner, an Austrian-born product marketing powerhouse who built her career across cities like London, Boston, New York, Dublin, and Paris. From scaling LinkedIn’s product marketing to founding Kundra, a startup tackling parental leave, Theresa shares how diverse cultural experiences, authentic leadership, and structure have shaped her career.We dive into:Global product marketing & cultural localizationStructuring and scaling PMM teamsBuilding in public as a founderPublic speaking and leadership as learnable skillsThe unseen challenges of parental leave in the workplaceKey TakeawaysWorking Across CulturesThe US work culture promotes recognition and efficiency but struggles with localization (e.g. German recruiter message formats at LinkedIn).European companies require hyper-localization, especially in regulated spaces like FinTech and real estate.Career at Big Brands: Help or Hype?Big companies offer structure, credibility, and mentorship.Theresa’s time at LinkedIn accelerated her skills and gave her the confidence to grow Conto’s PMM team from 0 to 20+.Public Speaking & LeadershipOriginally aspired to be an actress—naturally drawn to storytelling.Developed public speaking skills through structured training (LinkedIn), Toastmasters, and ongoing event speaking.Filming and self-review were crucial to improvement.Hiring & Building a PMM TeamAt Conto, PMMs were deeply embedded in product development and go-to-market—functioning almost like mini-founders.Prioritized hires based on customer readiness, revenue impact, and educational effort required (e.g., interchange revenue vs. new invoicing tools).Split team into Product PMMs (deep product understanding) vs. Market PMMs (go-to-market execution by region/segment).Operational ExcellenceUsed GEMBA sessions (Japanese: “go and see”) for real-time coaching and skill development.Created living standards (not rigid processes) to streamline product launches every 2 weeks.Weekly updates, structured milestones, and continuous learning helped maintain high execution speed.Founder MindsetProduct marketing = founder training. PMMs already wear hats of storytelling, user research, influencing, and strategy.Started Kundra to address the silent crisis of parental leave mismanagement—not a parent herself, but uses that neutrality as a strength.Personal Branding & Building in PublicShares her startup journey openly on LinkedIn, Substack, and her own podcast.Combines personal storytelling with data-driven insights to build credibility and connection.Believes people buy from people, not companies.Notable Quotes“Public speaking is a skill you can learn—and should. Especially in Europe, we don’t emphasize it enough.”— Theresa Gschwandtner“A good PMM should think like a founder. You own the narrative, the research, the launch, the customer.”“People don’t buy from companies. They buy from people.”“Kundra is me, and I am Kundra. That’s why I decided to build in public.”Timestamps00:00 – Intro and Theresa’s journey: Salzburg to Paris04:00 – Cultural learnings from global companies08:10 – Big brands: stepping stones or distractions?11:00 – Public speaking: nature vs. nurture17:00 – Getting into top companies: strategy over pedigree26:00 – Building and scaling Conto’s product marketing team34:00 – GEMBA & managing larger teams efficiently36:30 – Launching products every 2 weeks using “standards”41:00 – Why product marketers are future founders44:00 – LinkedIn + personal brand building47:00 – The emotional trigger behind Kundra50:00 – Why there’s no modern parental leave solution53:00 – How Kundra works and why it’s needed57:00 – Most surprising part of building a startup59:00 – Where to find Theresa and KundraConnect with TheresaLinkedIn: Theresa GschwandtnerWebsite: kundra.aiPodcast: Kundra (on Spotify & Apple Podcasts)Substack: Kundra NotesInstagram: @kundra.aiIdeal for Listeners Who Are:Aspiring or current product marketersFounders exploring go-to-market strategiesHR professionals dealing with parental leaveWomen in tech and business leadershipAnyone navigating international work environments

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