Do You Love Your Mondays? Martha Malloy on Building Work You Love

Product discovery coaching sits at the intersection of design, research, strategy, and leadership — and Martha Malloy, founder of Product Bets & Jams, built her career by moving fluidly across all of them. In this episode, Martha walks through every major pivot in her career: from competitive hockey player to car design student in England, to advertising account director at BMW Canada, to UX researcher, to product coach working with early-stage startups and scale-ups across industries from healthcare to EV charging. She shares the books that helped her plan a graceful exit from her full-time role, the one-year time-box strategy her business coach gave her that made her first year as a solopreneur survivable, and why she believes reinvention has no expiry date — at any age or career stage. She also weighs in on what AI is doing to product teams right now, and why the need for evidence-based decision-making has never been more urgent. Subscribe so you never miss an episode — and tell us in the comments: do you actually love your Mondays? Episode Highlights: 00:00 - Love Your Mondays 00:24 - Podcast Welcome 00:33 - Meet Martha Malloy 01:22 - Martha Career Origins 03:50 - Agency Life Lessons 07:36 - Leading With EQ 12:25 - Morning Routine Mastery 17:52 - Pandemic Pivot 20:14 - Product Discovery Coaching 23:23 - Solopreneur Doubts 29:34 - Embedded Coaching In Teams 35:06 - Industry Agnostic Work 37:51 - Evidence Based Discovery 38:39 - Shiny Object Syndrome 40:33 - Parenting And Technology 42:03 - Reinvention Mantra 43:14 - Gut Check with Heather 43:29 - AI Meeting Pressure 47:26 - AI Idea Overload 52:42 - Kids Careers Reframe 56:20 - Designing Work Rhythms 57:24 - Efficiency And Tools 01:02:12 Wrap Up And Follow Why To The Way Resources Mentioned: ● Designing Your Life — book by Bill Burnett and Dave Evans ● Designing Your Work Life — book by Bill Burnett and Dave Evans ● Willful — Canadian estate planning company; Martha's first freelance client ● Marty Cagan — product management thought leader; Martha attended his "Coaching the Coaches" training in New York ● Product Bets & Jams — Martha's coaching practice; https://www.betsandjams.com/ ● BMW Canada — Martha spent nearly five years on this account on the agency side Martha Malloy is a product coach, startup advisor, and angel investor with 20+ years of experience helping technology teams — from early-stage startups to Fortune 500s — build products people actually want. As founder of Product Bets & Jams, she helps founders and product leaders replace gut-feel decisions with evidence-based practices that stick. She's worked across product, design, research, and marketing, and is an active mentor and investor in women-led companies. Connect with Martha Malloy:   / martha-claire-malloy   Connect with Us! Website: http://www.whytotheway.com Email: [email protected] Instagram:   / whytothewaypodcast   LinkedIn:   / why-to-the-way-podcast   Sarah's LinkedIn:   / iam-sarah-potter   Twisted Spur Media's LinkedIn:   / twisted-spur-media-ltd   This show is produced by Twisted Spur Media Ltd. https://www.twistedspurmedia.com/ Disclaimer: The views, information, or opinions expressed by guests during Why To The Way Podcast are solely those of the individuals involved and do not necessarily represent those of Sarah Jeanneault, Twisted Spur Media Ltd. and/or her affiliates. Sarah Jeanneault, Why To The Way Podcast, and Twisted Spur Media Ltd. are not responsible for and do not verify the accuracy of any of the information contained in the podcast series. The primary purpose of this podcast is to educate and inform. Listeners are advised to consult with a qualified professional or specialist before making any decisions based on the content of this podcast. #WhyToTheWay #MarthaMalloy #CareerChange #ProductManagement #WomenInTech #CareerReinvention #Solopreneur #UXResearch #ProductCoaching #StartupLife #WorkLifeBalance #LeadershipDevelopment