I’m Laura. I’ve been working in tech since 2001, in product since 2009 and as a product coach and freelance consultant since 2016. I moved into consulting for two reasons: firstly because as I moved into more senior roles I found I was doing less and less hands-on product development, which is my second favourite part of product management, and secondly because I discovered my favourite part of product management: coaching and mentoring others. I love helping people not by giving them the answers to their questions, but by using my years of experience to give them pointers towards where their own solutions might lie. I get a kick from releasing a life-enhancing product or a feature to the users who need it, but I get an even bigger one when someone I’m working with makes a discovery that moves their product or project forward, unblocks them on a tricky problem, or helps them to decide on their next career step. Having worked across multiple industries over two decades, I have come across versions of most problems. Sometimes I’ve found brilliant solutions, sometimes I’ve found mediocre solutions, and sometimes I’ve failed – but I have always learned something new. Now I’m really enjoying passing on those lessons – and still learning every day at the same time.