What I’m Dedicating 2025 to: A Look at the Year Ahead

As we close out 2024, I'm once again pausing to reflect on the past year—its wins, challenges, and the many meaningful moments. This annual reflection helps me celebrate progress, note lessons learned, and look forward with clarity. If you’re interested in seeing any previous years’ editions, you can browse through them here.

Reflecting on 2024: Achievements and moments of joy

Creating and sharing content

This year saw me publish four newsletters, 23 blog posts, and countless social posts. I was especially proud of the five-part “Managing Up” series, a topic that resonated with so many in our field. The amount of research, reflection, and refinement that went into these pieces led to one of my best talks yet on the same topic, which I presented at Y-Oslo.

My books and DIY Coaching Cards continued to reach new audiences, and I was thrilled to see STRONG Product People published in Traditional Chinese by a Taiwanese publisher. Knowing that these resources are accessible to even more product people around the world is incredibly fulfilling.

Petra on stage at Oslo Concert Hall, Y-Oslo, talking about Managing Up.

Connecting in person around the globe

2024 took me to Oslo, Copenhagen, Barcelona, London, Cape Town, Paris, Vienna, Berlin, and Edinburgh. Meeting product communities in each city brought so much joy and inspiration. I came to realize just how much these face-to-face interactions fuel my happiness and motivation.

Cape Town, in particular, was a remarkable experience for me. I arrived with no clear expectations—I wasn’t sure how my talk would resonate, or if I could provide value for the community during the Q&A session. But as it turned out, product people in Cape Town are tackling many of the same challenges I see with my clients in Europe and the US. I was struck by the high level of product maturity in some of the organizations there and learned a lot about the kinds of products that create the most value in that region. It was a powerful reminder of the shared nature of our work and the potential to grow through connecting across borders.

A Leadership Dinner, a Cape Town Meetup (special thanks to Annu Augustine for organizing everything!) and a Turing-Fest dinner with fellow product coaches.

Supporting innovation and community

This year, I made strides not just in thought leadership but also as a supporter of innovation. I joined an angel round with airfocus, and together with a friend, I funded an AgriTech seed company. These investments allowed me to support early-stage growth and put my beliefs into action, backing solutions I feel can truly impact the future.

Product at Heart: A journey of perseverance

As always, Product at Heart demanded focus and resilience. The economic climate made 2024 a challenging year, both for ticket sales and sponsorships. There were sleepless nights spent strategizing, troubleshooting, and adjusting plans. In the end, though, we created an incredible offering, hosting a leadership event, four workshops, and a conference that brought together around 1,000 product enthusiasts. The community we build through these events is truly unique, and despite the obstacles, we achieved our goal of delivering a memorable and enriching experience.

Product at Heart—it’s all about the people <3

Investing in myself

This year also saw the completion of a profound personal journey. After 2.5 years and 100 hours of psychotherapy, I’m wrapping up an experience that has been transformative in so many ways. I’m also continuing my commitment to health by lifting weights—a steady and rewarding practice. However, I didn’t quite manage to spend enough time wingfoiling on the water. It’s a goal I’ll carry forward, as balancing both mental and physical well-being remains a priority.

Personal milestones and challenges

On a personal note, 2024 marked some significant milestones. My little one started elementary school in September, and the transition disrupted our family routine before we found our new rhythm.

And we also said goodbye to my mother-in-law this year. Her absence is especially felt during the holiday season, as she was the biggest Christmas fan ever! We miss her deeply.

Looking ahead: 2025 goals and focus areas

As I set my intentions for 2025, I’m keeping some practices from last year while adding new layers to my work. This year will be about nurturing connections, fostering community, supporting personal growth, and maintaining a balance that keeps me energized and inspired.

Overlooking Loch Lomond just as I’m looking toward the untapped promise of 2025 ;-)

Meeting-free Fridays: A space for creative thinking

My meeting-free Fridays, introduced last year, are here to stay. I’ve found that reserving this time for uninterrupted focus, whether it’s listening to podcasts, thinking through big ideas or hard coachee problems, or writing by hand in a café, has become a vital part of my workflow. These Fridays give me the mental space needed to produce content and approach my work with fresh insights, and I look forward to building on this ritual throughout 2025.

Expanding community and building platforms for connection

The sense of belonging I feel when meeting with the product community is something I deeply cherish. In 2025, Arne and I are taking Product at Heart to a new level by launching in Barcelona with a leadership event and three workshops. By extending this platform to a new city, we hope to create even more opportunities for product professionals to come together, share, and grow.

In today’s world, marked by hyper-capitalism, hyper-individualism, and hyper-narcissism, fostering community and collaboration is more important than ever. I’m committed to promoting kindness, courage, and collaboration as core values in all my work, creating opportunities for real human connections and community.

Supporting product leaders and teams

My work with product leaders and community builders will continue, both in one-on-one and team settings. 

Helping companies (like Novo Nordisk) apply frameworks like my PMwheel to define roles, capabilities, career paths, and training programs has been incredibly rewarding. I’m excited to support more organizations in their journeys toward better-defined and more empowered product teams.

Launching the Product Leadership Wheel and Weekly Email Course

After years of development, I’m thrilled to finally bring the Product Leadership Wheel to life. This tool will provide product leaders with a comprehensive framework for self-assessment and growth, centered on the core areas of People, Product, and Ways of Working. Designed to help leaders identify gaps and set clear “learning headlines,” the Product Leadership Wheel will serve as a practical, impactful tool for those looking to deepen their skills.

To further support leaders in their growth, I’m also launching a 52-week email course tailored for product leaders. Each week, participants will receive a focused email filled with actionable guidance, frameworks, and tools to navigate the complexities of product leadership. This course is designed to provide structure and support for product leaders, offering everything from self-assessment exercises to team culture strategies, with a quarterly live Q&A session for additional insights and personal interaction.

Public speaking on core product topics

I aim to speak at more company-internal events in 2025, focusing on personal development, Managing Up, storytelling, and product leadership. Sharing these topics and engaging with diverse teams allows me to inspire and be inspired, deepening my insights and helping me refine my approach.

Growing our AgriTech venture

I’ll also continue my work with our AgriTech investment company, NurtrTech, to expand our portfolio and drive forward innovative solutions in this essential sector. This work is both challenging (still learning the ropes of early stage venture capital :-)) and deeply fulfilling, as it lets me merge my passion for product management with an investment in sustainable development. And there might be a trip to Uganda coming up in 2025 to see how our investments are doing.

Personal learning: House of Beautiful Business in Tangier

As part of my personal growth, I’ll be traveling to Tangier to attend the House of Beautiful Business. This experience is all about stepping outside my usual professional environment to learn, reflect, and connect in new ways. I’m excited to explore fresh perspectives and insights that I can bring back to my work and community.

Setting and enforcing boundaries

A big part of my therapeutic journey over the past 2.5 years has been learning to set and enforce boundaries—a skill I’m continuously working on. Saying “no” or “not yet” doesn’t come naturally to me, but it’s something I’ll keep practicing in 2025 as I build healthier patterns that support long-term growth.

Product at Heart 2025: An exciting challenge ahead

Finally, Product at Heart 2025 is shaping up to be a highlight of the year. The agenda is coming together beautifully, and I’m thrilled about what we have planned. But, as always, ticket sales and sponsorships remain challenging. If you’re able to support us, even by simply spreading the word, your help would mean the world!

As I reflect on 2024 and set intentions for 2025, I'm filled with gratitude for the experiences, connections, and growth this journey brings. Here's to a new year of learning, collaboration, and shared success.

If reading my reflection and future plans has inspired you to go through a similar exercise, I've put together a list of questions to help you do this on both a personal and professional level. Find them here: https://www.petra-wille.com/blog/thought-provoking-questions-to-prompt-your-end-of-year-reflection