Product at Heart 2026

About this episode

What We Cover:

• Why curating a product conference is getting trickier (hint: AI is moving fast)

• The shift to a single-track conference for 2026—and what that means for attendees

• Sneak peek at confirmed keynotes, including:

  – Christian Idiodi (SVPG) and his storytelling magic
  – Elaine Kasket, cyber-psychologist, exploring digital afterlife and AI replicas
  – Teresa Torres, sharing what she’s learning about AI

• How roundtables have become an attendee favorite and what’s changing this year

• A preview of Teresa’s Maker Studio workshop and how participants will build personal AI workflows

• Overview of additional workshops from Rich Mironov, Büşra Coşkuner, Marcus Castenfors, and Özlem Yüce.

• The evolution of the Product Leadership Event into a 1.5-day retreat with workshops, excursions, and lots of space to connect

Key Takeaways:

• No AI track—AI will show up everywhere, but not as a siloed topic. The team sees it as part of the everyday toolkit.
• Single-track means tighter curation. Every talk needs to earn its place.
• Roundtables are growing. They now act as an “alternative track,” giving people more ways to engage beyond stage talks.
• Workshops go deep. There’s content for product managers, product leaders, and folks stepping into new roles.
• Leadership retreat expands. More time, more interaction, more opportunities to learn from peers.

About the Product Leadership Retreat:

• Now 1.5 days instead of a half day Includes:

  – Talk sessions
  – Small-group excursions (boat rides, improv, etc.)
  – Dinners and networking
  – Mini-workshops led by seasoned practitioners (including Petra)

• Capped at 60 attendees (all in product leadership roles) to keep it intimate and useful

If You’re Attending Product at Heart:

Come say hi to Teresa and Petra—on stage, at a roundtable, or somewhere in the hallway conversations that make these events memorable.

Resources & Links:

• Follow Teresa Torres: https://ProductTalk.org
• Follow Petra Wille: https://Petra-Wille.com

Mentioned in this episode:

• Product at Heart
• Arne Kittler
• Mind the Product
• Christian Idiodi of Silicon Valley Product Group
• Elaine Kasket
• House of Beautiful Business
• The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey
• Rich Mironov
• Marty Cagan
• Claude Code
• Codex by OpenAI
• Marcus Castenfors
• Büşra Coşkuner and her Success Metrics: A Playbook for Product Managers
• Özlem Yüce’s Essential Toolkit for Product Managers
• Petra’s Product Leadership Wheel (PLwheel)
• Netlight