Suggestions
Rohini Venkatraman
Product @ Calm
Rohini Venkatraman is a product leader with over fifteen years of experience in launching new businesses and products, and leading cross-functional teams.1 She is currently the Product Lead at Calm, and has previously worked at IDEO, Dropbox, and Intuit.1
Venkatraman holds a B.A. in Psychology, Economics, and French from the University of Pennsylvania.1 She is known for her design-thinking approach and ability to balance strategy and execution.1 Her professional focus includes:
- Applying design-thinking principles to product development
- Finding quick, scrappy ways to prototype, pilot, and experiment
- Leading with empathy and fostering team connection and inclusion
- Deeply understanding customer behaviors and needs
Outside of her professional work, Venkatraman is a long-distance runner and writes about everyday thoughts related to physical, mental, and emotional health on her Substack newsletter, "Unabridged Ro".13 She has also authored a book titled "Descending the Corporate Ladder".2
Venkatraman values curiosity, continual growth, learning, optimism, and helping others shine.1 She is known for bringing her authentic self to work and inspiring others to do the same.1
Highlights
An episode so nice, I listened to it twice. If I got it right, this Lenny's interview with Evan LaPointe had my brain in gamma mode. This one discusses how we can grow at work by deepening our understanding of the brain.
One bit that especially resonated with me is thinking about your company or team like a habitat. The design of a habitat impacts how its inhabitants function.
We often talk about the "culture" of a team or company. To me, that’s the habitat. How might we design our habitat to enable high-functioning teams?
Just last week, I was telling a friend how my career is teaching me that the culture a company creates is as important as the product the company creates and sells (maybe more important). And I'd even venture to say that the quality of both is correlated.
Tune in at 17:28 for this piece on habitats (and stick around for the rest).
I've started a new role as Lead Product Manager at Calm! At Calm, I’m focused on our “For Work” offering, which provides people with the mental and emotional foundation they need to excel at work. Those who have been on teams with me know how much I value wellbeing outside and inside of work. Our mental health impacts how we show up at work, and work impacts our mental health. From establishing psychological safety to leading with empathy to striving for full-team work/life balance, I believe employee wellbeing is the secret sauce of any high-performing team.
While I’m excited for what's ahead, I’m also grateful for my time at Dropbox. Personal highlights include a 0-to-1 product launch starting from unexpected customer insights, managing a team of product managers for the first time, and creating an internal PM craft community (which also doubled as a Lenny's Podcast fan club). My Dropbox experience was full of learning and growth, all made possible by wonderful teammates and incredibly supportive managers.
Before I end this Ted Talk, a special thank you to Cara-Lyn Giovanniello, whose coaching encouraged me to articulate my purpose, identify my values, and pursue career opportunities that align with both. I’m looking forward to doing my part to help destigmatize mental health and improve access to mental healthcare 🧠💪🏽🙏🏽
