For this week’s episode of the pod, I sat down with Jori Bell —once a product manager at AOL, Rolling Stone, and Spotify, now a product coach! I found Jori’s philosophy on growth refreshingly and unapologetically real.
We talked a lot about how transferabble the skill set is from PMs to building and managing a portfolio career.
Generalists at heart
Product managers are, by design, generalists. They balance multiple projects, juggle diverse customer needs, and navigate shifting timelines—all while keeping one eye on the market and the other on continuous improvement of the product. There are no sacred cows; the objective is to ship lean, to learn, and to use real-world feedback to prove—or disprove—team assumptions.
On shipping imperfect
Jori’s journey is a testament to her philosophy to “ship imperfect”. Early in her portfolio career, she embraced this concept from her product management days, applying it to her efforts in diversifying her income portfolio. By releasing work that was “good enough” to test her ideas, she silenced the inner critic and set herself on a path of rapid learning and growth. It’s no surprise, then, that this mindset served her so well when she transitioned to scaling her coaching practice.
On project layering
We also discussed the art of layering your income streams—adding one revenue source at a time rather than attempting a grand, “everything, everywhere, all-at-once” career transformation. Jori revealed how she wished she could have told her earlier self to focus on layering in the begging: to build a portfolio by gradually incorporating new projects over time. (s/o btw to Anna Mackenzie for coining this term last year 🙌)
Final Thoughts
If you’re ready to rethink your career strategy and learn how to build a portfolio career step by step, this episode is a must-listen.
🎧 Tune in now on Spotify or Apple Podcasts and discover how embracing imperfection and layering your experiences can transform your professional journey.
P.S. Curious to discuss how you can strategically layer your career? Book a free discovery chat with me.
I love generalists in today's specialised world.