The Hardest (and Best)Thing I Did in 2023

Let me tell you an interesting story.

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In 2023, I was working as a growing product manager at a fast-paced startup. It was one of those roles where the calendar was constantly full; standups, sprint reviews, feature requests, stakeholder calls and deadlines that felt like they were racing each other.

From the outside, I was doing well.

But inside?

I had this quiet realisation: I wasn’t really growing. At least not in the way that felt meaningful.

I was learning on the job, sure. But I wasn’t taking ownership of my own growth and that scared me a little.

Because if the startup was growing that fast, and I wasn’t, it wouldn’t take long before I started falling behind.

And the truth? I wanted to be able to show up better, for myself and for my team.

So I made a decision. A hard one.

I committed to doing one thing that would force me to grow every single week.

No, not a course.
Not another book I’d only half-finish.
I decided to start writing.

Not because I thought I was good at it, I wasn’t.
In fact, I hadn’t written anything publicly before.
But I figured: if I could explain something in writing, it meant I truly understood it.

And so I wrote. Every week. 52 weeks. 52 topics.

It became the hardest and best thing I did that year.
Writing kept me accountable.
It deepened my understanding of product concepts.
It made me a better researcher, a clearer thinker, and—surprisingly—it opened doors: I gained visibility, built community with fellow learners, and stayed deeply connected to the craft of product management.

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Now, why am I sharing this? Because it’s time to start writing again.

I’ve just stepped into a new role as a Senior Product Manager, and the landscape has changed.

Lately, I’ve been getting really curious about areas like:

• Product strategy & market expansion

• Fintech mechanics, payments & APIs

• Integration workflows, system and infrastructural design

• The evolving role of AI in product development and so much more..

But know that while I’ll be writing about these more advanced topics, I’ll also be writing about beginner-friendly ones too.

Because whether you're just starting out or figuring out your next level, we all need reminders of the fundamentals.

So this newsletter is evolving.
Less of a monologue, more of a shared journey.

And to kick things off, I’ll end with a question I’d love for you to answer:

What’s the hardest thing you’ve had to do in your personal or professional growth journey and why?

Leave a comment, or just sit with the question for a bit.

I’ll see you next week, with more reflections, more lessons, and maybe a few stumbles too.

Here’s to doing the hard, worth-it things.