00:00 Welcome to the Founders Foyer
01:45 Embracing Joy, Connections, and Discovery
05:35 The Power of Building Genuine Networks
10:00 Creating a Personal Board of Directors
16:10 Building a Networking Flywheel
29:56 The Roller Coaster of Startup Life (Moving from Big Tech)
31:48 The Power of Storytelling in Business
36:13 Lessons from Poker: Risk and Confidence
42:39 Embracing Fractional Roles
53:24 Building Authentic Communities
In the fast-paced world of tech and products, finding joy and building meaningful connections can be as crucial as coding the next big feature. Whether you’re a first-time founder, an avid creator, or an indiehacker, knowing what excites you about building products, learning from doing, and discovering how to navigate the right networks are key.
Ha Nguyen is a product lead, venture capitalist, one of the co-founders of Women in Product community, who also embraces fractional work and growing possibilities for the last two decades in tech. She’s currently the founder & Managing Partner of NextStep, supporting early stage founders on their journey to become master operators, company builders, and people leaders. She’s a tournament poker player who made the final table of a World Poker Tour (WPT) tournament.
In this episode, Aishwarya and Ha chat about building meaningful connections, embracing joy, and discovering new experiences in the fast-paced tech world. Ha shares her journey—taking a sabbatical for mental health, building a personal board of directors, the value of fractional roles, and the influence of storytelling in leadership.
Follow The Founder's Foyer on:
Website - https://www.thefoundersfoyer.com/
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/thefoundersfoyer
Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/7xov9chTGQ5F9rP5N0J78v
Apple Podcasts - https://podcasts.apple.com/in/podcast/the-founders-foyer-with-aishwarya-ashok/id1628603555
Newsletter - https://aishwarya.substack.com/
Follow Ha on:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hanguyen-spero/
Website: https://pokergirl.co/
Blog: https://beyondleadership.substack.com/
#networking #community #productmanagement #womeninproduct