Kasha Stewart is a shining light for the underrepresented in tech. A seasoned veteran of the film and television industry and a proud survivor of its misogyny. "Everytime somebody told me I wouldn't understand I made a point to go out and learn it," Stewart tells me from a boardroom in Westlake Village, where she now sits as Director of Product Management for Beachbody On Demand.
If you're not already familiar, Beachbody is a global fitness brand and purveyor of tough-as-hell fitness programs such as P90x, Insanity, 21 Day Fix and more. Beachbody On Demand is a young startup in the Beachbody ecosystem, having just launched a beta streaming service that offers members anywhere-access to the Beachbody library, as well as a new reality show called The 20s - a televised race to appoint the newest Beachbody super trainer.
100 PM sat down with Kasha, the self-described "Queen of No" to talk about why sticking to your vision is essential to product management success, how to foster a supportive working environment, and why she loves her job:
I love that I get to see stuff built and I get to touch it and play with it and then I can go and show it to people and then people can use it. I love that part of it. I definitely started in film and entertainment for that reason, and I still get to make things. It's an execution of my mind in a way that I didn't necessarily envision. For me, I love that I saw this when it was wire frames and then now, it's this real thing. It exists and it started back in the back of my head. That part I love hands down. Kasha Stewart
In this episode:
- Focusing on the right things at the right time
- Turning condescension into motivation
- How to get the job, learn the job and love the job
Connect with Kasha on LinkedIn and head over to BOD to start your fitness journey today!
In this episode:
- From business development to product leadership
- How to structure (and restructure) product teams at scale
- Making process your product
In this episode:
- Understanding supply chain and working well with suppliers
- Why productifying operating systems matters in manufacturing
- Perfecting product through small batch production
In this episode:
- How and when to insource a product team
- Leaving leadership to become a founder
- Why you have to be excited by responsibility to lead in product
