After nearly two decades in product, Emma Mulholland has seen it all, the era of massive waterfall programmes, the rise of agile, the shift to “pure product,” and the hype cycles that come and go. She’s worked across start-ups, retail giants like Tesco and Marks & Spencer, and consultancies. She’s set up communities, trained teams, and even walked away when burnout struck.
Today, Emma is a Product Lead at Flax and Teal, a trainer here at Mind the Product, and a coach with Catalyst. For every product manager who has wondered, “Am I doing this right?”, her journey hits home.
An unconventional start
Emma began her career at Tesco.com on their graduate scheme, at a time when the team was just 40 or 50 people. “It was electric, brilliantly exciting, and innovative,” she says.
With a management degree and no technical background, she started as a business analyst, tasked with designing user experiences and orchestrating complex systems. “Back then, something would go live, and then suddenly the feedback would pour in. That’s when I really learned the value of user-centred design and experimentation. It was a crash course.”
In those early days, “success” was defined by whether a multi-year programme went live, not whether it actually solved real user problems. Rigid roadmaps, assumptions that came upfront and long timelines dominated. Emma says that navigating that chaos that followed those big bang platform releases was both challenging but formative. It taught her early lessons about iteration, listening to users, and the limitations of process over people. “It was a baptism of fire,” she says, commenting on the platform launches, “I had to find out what we needed to work on as quickly as possible, while my technical partners were figuring out how to ship things to production.” Over time, her role evolved from analyst to product lead and she quickly learned that agility, experimentation and human-centred thinking were key in building products of value.
Burnout and resilience
After years at leading teams, Emma says she hit her first major wall: burnout. “I just ran out of energy. I couldn’t do it anymore,”. She stepped away from work for a year, travelled, and took time to reflect on what she wanted from her career.
Burnout wasn’t just fatigue, it was a wake-up call about how product management can consume your life if you don’t set boundaries. “With emotional intelligence, I think of it as focusing inward first — understanding myself before I can understand others, and only then lead successfully.” Emma emphasises that resilience isn’t about powering through. It’s about knowing yourself and building systems to protect your energy.
She points out that PMs often neglect their own wellbeing. “When you’re in a bad place, it’s really difficult to extract yourself easily. In order to understand when you're getting into difficulty, you have to set guardrails for yourself, the same way you do for a product” That might mean scheduling coffee with peers, carving out time for hobbies, or taking regular walks to reset your mind, habits Emma encourages PMs to prioritise and make space for in their schedules.
Why PMs feel lost
One of Emma’s most persistent observations is how common it is for PMs to feel lost. From junior to senior, many PMs experience self-doubt and often find themselves getting into a rut. “I have never once ever met a product manager at any level who has been like, ‘I’m doing product perfectly.”
Several factors contribute to this feeling where there is no single definition of product but the constant noise of “hot takes” on social media and comparisons with those who you feel are getting it “right” each time. Emma says the effect of this “creates a culture of panic. Everyone’s worrying that they’re not enough, or they’re missing something essential.”
Her advice is to accept that progress matters more than perfection. “Stop comparing yourself to dogma. Everyone’s figuring this out as they go. Progress, not perfection. Just ask yourself, What can I do right now?”
The human side of product
Emma has seen the landscape of product change dramatically, particularly with the rise of AI. While many talk about automation taking over jobs, she sees a more balanced picture. “You can build things faster, but you will build things that are not necessarily the right things faster.”
Emma says that the essential skills of a product manager are “human ones”. Understanding the problem, empathising with users, influencing stakeholders, and guiding a team, these are skills no tool or AI can replace. “We need to actually be able to work with each other faster. We need to build those relationships and make sure they’re stronger, to make sure the stuff that we’re producing is better”
She warns against relying too heavily on frameworks or formulas as the product is essentially human-driven. “There’s no one right way to do product,” she says. “Every company does it slightly differently, every team interprets it differently, and you have to adapt.”
Tools for growth in product management
From safe mentorship relationships to side projects and even knowing when to walk away, Emma believes every product manager can use these tools to stay resilient and grow.
Mentorship and reflection
Emma emphasises the importance of mentorship, but not as a source of answers. Instead,
mentors should help PMs work through their own thinking. “I think it’s using them as a sounding board to help you work through your own thinking….Your mentor should help you so that you can step through and sharpen your own reflection skills and critical thinking skills.”
A strong mentor-mentee relationship is built on safety and trust. Emma shares a story: “I got really good feedback from someone who was a product leader, and they realised, you’re not going to judge me. This is a safe space.” That environment allows PMs to explore, make mistakes and learn without fear of being judged.
Resets and side projects
Emma advocates for creating small, low-stakes ways to experiment and refresh your thinking. Movement, side projects, and even simple changes in routine can spark new perspectives. “I move furniture around my study and it just completely unlocked everything for me. There’s neuroscience behind it. Novelty keeps your brain moving and keeps connections fresh.”
Side projects can help with experimentation and building confidence. “Nowadays people, especially younger people coming in, have these tools available to them that we never did. You can prototype and play and create and test, especially if you want to move into product management. You can practice all of that stuff so much faster and easier than we ever could in the past.”
Knowing when to move on
Part of sustaining a long product career is recognising when a role no longer fits. Emma’s litmus test is simple: “If you stop fighting for your users, that light has gone out, that’s the point to walk away.” Caring deeply about the work is essential; without passion, product lacks excitement and that’s when energy and engagement can decrease.
She also encourages building a life outside of work. Hobbies and creative pursuits not only protect mental health but also spark ideas and perspective. “Protect hobbies outside tech. Work can’t be your whole identity,” she says.
Looking forward
As a trainer and coach, Emma sees the recurring challenge of PMs often arriving insecure, defensive, and uncertain. Her task is to create a space where people can relax, open up, and absorb lessons effectively. Her approach is simple: be authentic, honest, and make room for others to do the same.
Looking back, Emma wishes she had written more consistently, even privately, to clarify her own thinking. She would have started more side projects and ensured that her life had meaningful hobbies beyond tech. These small habits, she says, are powerful tools for reflection, growth, and resilience.
Emma’s journey demonstrates that product careers are not linear or perfect. They’re full of pivots, doubts, burnouts, and fresh starts. Ultimately, the most important tools are human judgment, creativity, empathy, and reflection. “The best part about building product is the human side and that means that the best part about building product is all of you, it’s your judgement, your creativity and your product sense.”
