Testimonials

  • Courtney Cheng, Insights Solutions Partner @ Pinterest

    “Working with Kristin has been nothing short of transformational. When I first reached out to her, I was looking to transition out of my career path, but was stuck in a cycle of decision paralysis, unsure of what the right next step looked like. Should I go back to finance? Enroll in a coding bootcamp? Pursue data analytics? With one career pivot already under my belt and another underway, I was more confused than ever about what I truly wanted in the long run and how to get there. With Kristin’s mentorship, I not only gained confidence in my career goals, but I also landed a role I could’ve only dreamed of at Pinterest.

    From our very first session, Kristin helped me cut through the noise and get to the heart of what I want in a career and how to balance that with my personal values & aspirations. She challenged me to put pen to paper around my personal mission, my drivers, and my hesitations and provided exercises to unpack all of my thoughts in a structured way. From there we created a plan of action and Kristin guided me every step of the way – she taught me tactics to uncover if a job is truly a good fit, coached me through interviews, workshopped my personal brand to show up as my authentic self, and helped me negotiate multiple offers at the end.

    What makes Kristin such an incredible coach isn’t just her wealth of knowledge, but her ability to lead with empathy and connect with you on so many levels of experience. It was so eye opening to hear all of her concrete examples and decision making processes from being on both sides of the interview table. From the beginning I immediately sensed how Kristin was truly invested in my success and her enthusiasm instilled so much confidence in myself to keep pushing forward. No matter how overwhelming a situation felt, her infectious energy and unwavering belief empowered me to feel ready to tackle anything head-on. Kristin, I am incredibly grateful for your mentorship, advocacy, and friendship – you have truly changed my life!"

  • Ramon Chanco, Head of Product & Operations @ Unblocked

    “As a new product lead at a small startup, I had a lot on my plate: building out the team, setting up QA processes, mapping out GTM, and helping drive a culture of data-driven decisions. Kristin has been absolutely essential in getting all of that off the ground. She didn’t just give me answers—she came to every session with real examples, resources, and stories from her own career that helped me see what good looks like, especially when you’re moving fast and don’t have everything figured out.

    What’s awesome about Kristin is how she pulls from so many different experiences. She’s seen how things work at big companies and knows how to translate that into practical steps for startups. Thanks to her, I was able to get solid hiring processes in place, shape up our QA, and make data part of our product flow way faster than I could’ve on my own. Every session left me with real steps to take, no fluff.

    And honestly, her energy is contagious. You can tell she genuinely cares about the success of the people she coaches. If you’re looking to up your game in product with someone who’s as invested in your growth as you are, I can’t recommend Kristin enough.“

  • Andrea Tiutan, Data Scientist, Business & Marketing @ Google (Ex-BarkBox)

    “Kristin is not just a remarkable coach and mentor; she's been the driving force behind my tech career. Our paths crossed at SoundCloud, where I started as a marketing analyst with aspirations to dive into the worlds of Product and Data Science. Kristin's guidance was the catalyst that not only helped me achieve these aspirations but they also helped me to eventually get my dream job at Google. During our time together, she not only taught me how to utilize the intersection of analytics and qualitative research to inform data-driven product decisions but also instilled in me the importance of balancing this with the big-picture perspective.

    Yet, Kristin's coaching and mentorship wasn't limited to technical expertise. She also nurtured essential soft skills, including collaboration, personal branding, public speaking, and navigating the intricate dynamics within companies. I'll also highlight what truly sets her apart - which is her empathy and unwavering commitment to my success. Thanks to Kristin's coaching and mentorship, I not only made significant strides in my career but also realized my dream job at Google. Kristin, you are both an exceptional coach and mentor, as well as a cherished friend, and I am profoundly grateful to have learned so much from you!”

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  • June Tang, Product Designer @ Ten Thousand Coffees

    “Kristin is not just an amazing career coach and mentor, she’s also such an incredibly kind and amazing person to work with! I highly recommend Kristin to anyone looking to strategize, and grow their career.

    As a startup product designer, I wanted to learn more about processes at mature companies, and prepare for my job search. Coming into this process, I had a lot of goals, but not a clear direction on how to accomplish them. I found Kristin through a podcast episode she did with Colors of Chloe, and instantly knew she was an incredible person to learn from. When Kristin launched her career coaching business, I immediately signed up, and never looked back!

    Kristin has helped me grow my design and product thinking skills, as well as my career trajectory. She helped me build a roadmap for my job search, including milestones to complete in a very strategic order. She not only taught me technical knowledge in product management and coached me through interviews, but also helped me figure out my career goals, what I’m looking for in my next roles, compensation—literally, everything! Kristin also workshopped each fundamental component of my career roadmap: resume & LinkedIn revamping, portfolio reviews, case study presentations, etc. 

    With each session, she comes with so much knowledge, and is so open to sharing concrete examples from her career and experience. She’s really invested in the success of everyone she works with, and I’m so appreciative of her work and effort! I can honestly say that my career has transformed since I started working with Kristin.”

  • Ryan Yao, Product Manager @ DoorDash (Ex-Scale AI)

    “Simply put, Kristin is a remarkable personal coach and product mentor. I couldn’t recommend her highly enough for anyone looking to take the next step in their career.

    As I was looking for my next role, Kristin was instrumental throughout every part of the process — from personal branding, to prepping for critical interviews, all the way through negotiation and deciding amongst several opportunities. I’m deeply appreciative that she remained seemingly always available to consult on any challenge or question, no matter how small.

    At the same time, Kristin has an incredible ability to read between the lines — to see beyond the confines of a particular question or conversation, and actually cut right to the underlying challenge that motivates them — to provide clear, direct guidance on even the most complex topics. And she does this all with infectious energy and enthusiasm!

    What is truly remarkable about Kristin is her ability to tie every piece of advice to a real world example taken from her own career. She goes far beyond the what to explain the why, all grounded in her wealth of experience that shines through in every interaction. Her mentorship has been truly invaluable, and I’m grateful to have received so much hard-earned wisdom in such a short span of time.

    Thank you, Kristin, for being such an incredible mentor and advocate — I’m so very grateful for all the support and guidance in helping me land my dream role!“

  • Austin Young, Product Manager @ Meta (Ex-Niantic, Ex-Apple)

    “I was referred to Kristin through Chloe Shih (Colors of Chloe), and I couldn't be happier with the support she provided. Kristin immediately took on my case with flexible availability, providing constant reassurance that boosted my confidence throughout the negotiation process. Her dedication to working with me both online and asynchronously ensured I was fully prepared. Thanks to her guidance, I secured roughly a 50% increase from the initial offer at a FAANG company. I highly recommend Kristin as both a friend and a PM negotiation coach."

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Gefflin Fu, Sr. Finance Manager @ Adobe (Ex-Intuit, NetApp)

“Kristin's advice and coaching has been invaluable as I navigated various job changes and advanced in my career. She is knowledgeable, patient, and dedicated. Not only did she offer me tactical advice ( the do's and dont's, and what to expect), and resources guiding me through negotiation conversations, she also helped me build the confidence I needed to know my worth and advocate for myself. She is the first person that comes to mind when I’m looking for help on navigating the recruiting and negotiation process. I'm confident she can guide you through the recruiting process, and really, any step of your career!”

En Canada, Head of Community @ Livepeer (Ex-Head of Community @ Wonderverse)

“Wonderverse hired Kristin as an advisor and she has become an indispensable part of our company. She is able to help out on so many fronts such as leadership training, community, operations, product, and sales. Our time working with her has transformed our company for the better. Under her advisory we increased our MRR by 3000%! Personally, she has helped me grow as a leader, improving my strategic leadership skills. I would highly recommend any early stage startup work with her.”

Lydia Ding, Senior Product Designer @ Koodos, Shelf App (Ex-Ceros & BORN Group)

“I first met Kristin when she joined Koodos Labs as our Product Advisor & Fractional CPO. I cannot recommend her highly enough - I absolutely love working with her! In one year, she completely transformed our approach to experimentation, testing, product strategy, prioritization, process, and team communication. Her extensive experience from Twitch, Pinterest, SoundCloud, Top.GG, LinkedIn, and beyond makes her an invaluable force on our team.

Kristin embodies what makes an exceptional leader - she's transparent, kind, brilliantly sharp, candid, and remarkably perceptive.

She's also an amazing mentor. She's refreshingly direct, inspires those around her, is very generous with her wisdom, and is extremely encouraging and supportive. Any team would be very lucky to have her.”

Trent Baren, Product Manager @ Instagram (Ex-Lyft)

“Kristin is an absolute superstar. When I was considering making a transition to Product Management, she’s the first one I reached out to. Her insight into the role, breadth of experience, detailed guidance, and coaching throughout were a key factor in landing my dream job as a PM. Don’t wait to reach out.”

James Wong, Founder of Likewise + Innovation @ Latham & Watkins (Prev. Founder & CEO of Inkly)

“Kristin’s my go-to startup advisor for all things product and leadership. She pulls from her wealth of experience to give actionable advice, especially when you need to make big or difficult decisions. As a founder myself, I found her perspectives from her prior roles as both CEO and CPO incredibly helpful when making decisions related to product strategy, creating roadmaps, fundraising and scaling my team. The startup journey is challenging, but having Kristin in your corner makes it 100x better.”

“As a VC, many of my companies need advice and guidance when it comes to product. Kristin has jumped into several of my companies and helped them break through various product challenges, driving them to be better. She's extremely easy to work with and gives her unfiltered opinion to me, a rare quality. A few times, she helped me analyze new investment opportunities and her guidance changed my decision on the investment. I trust her product sense, process around building product teams, and strategic advice on markets.”

John Lee, Partner JAZZ Ventures

“As an Advisor to Wonderverse, Kristin has been instrumental in helping us fire on all cylinders. She helped create best practices around building product, gave detailed product feedback and helped us align our mission + branding so that we had a succinct narrative. She also played a significant part in developing our sales pipeline and helped us get our first paying customers. She’s a rock star and would be a great addition to any team!”

Andros Wong, CEO & Co-Founder of Wonderverse

“Kristin was an advisor to me as I bridged my previous career in biotech marketing and services to a company focused on digital therapeutics. She advised me on the similarities and differences between user research, community building, and product development in the technology space versus my prior industry. Her approach to sharing her immense knowledge was thoughtful and approachable. I felt very safe asking questions that others may have perceived as elementary. Her vast background and depth of expertise in online communities were incredibly beneficial to my work, my professional success, and my confidence. If offered the chance to be advised by Kristin, jump at the opportunity!”

Laura Chavaree, Sr. Director @ Argenx (Ex- Johnson & Johnson, Genentech)

Mario Angarita, Product Designer @ Oh Baby Games

“It was a pleasure working closely with Kristin during her time as a fractional CPO at Oh Baby Games. In just six months, she transformed our product processes — establishing research, quality assurance, and development frameworks that improved both quality and speed-to-market. Her candid leadership style fostered a proactive, transparent, and dynamic culture, making Oh Baby Games an incredible place to work.

On a personal level, Kristin has been one of the most influential managers in my career. I learned so much from her, from understanding the importance of maintaining clear communication across teams to grasping strategic thinking in product development before designing.

Kristin is not only an exceptional product leader but also an inspiring mentor and career coach. I can only hope that our paths cross again!”

Gracjan Złotucha, Senior Product Designer @ Various Startups (Prev CD PROJEKT RED)

“I can't recommend Kristin enough as a coach for anyone in the field of Product. Working with her has been transformative for my career.

Kristin's expertise and guidance helped me make the leap from being a good designer to excelling in a product role. She has a deep understanding of product design and can convey complex concepts in a clear and concise manner.

One of the most valuable lessons I learned from Kristin was the importance of user research. She not only stressed its significance but also equipped me with the practical skills to conduct effective research. This has made me a more user-centric designer and resulted in more successful products.

Kristin has been instrumental in my development as a Product Designer. I'm grateful for her mentorship and highly recommend her to anyone looking to advance their career.

Thank you, Kristin, for your exceptional guidance.”

Cynthia Wong, Product Manager @ Square

“I met Kristin, of all places, during an interview for a product role on her team. I was deep in the application process and had been trying for months to transition out of my role as a consultant to a PM. I was thrilled when I finally landed a product interview. 

To say the least, I bombed that interview with Kristin. I was completely taken aback by her line of questioning - why did she keep asking about metrics?? - and quickly realized I was entirely unprepared for the realities of interviewing for a PM role. I was discouraged, embarrassed by my poor performance, and ready to abandon the whole idea of breaking into product without an MBA. 

To my complete surprise, Kristin stayed on to chat with me after my disastrous interview. She gave me some much needed words of encouragement and shared resources to help me better prepare for my interviews. She explained the reasoning behind her line of questions and helped me understand the signals she was looking for as an interviewer in a strong PM candidate. 

Connecting with Kristin changed the trajectory of my career. I dug into all the resources she recommended for interview prep and continued to reach back out to her for advice. Each time I connected with Kristin, she always came prepared with thoughtful responses and was a positive force that helped me stay motivated through the rigorous interviews and many setbacks. She recognized the importance of emotional well being and always reminded me to take care of my mental health along with my career. When I finally secured an offer for my first product role, I was so proud to share the news with Kristin. 

I could not recommend Kristin enough as a career coach and mentor. Her breadth of experiences across industries, roles, and companies of all sizes makes her uniquely qualified to coach individuals on many different career paths. Kristin has a true passion for mentorship - her roles as a mentor and board member for multiple organizations speaks for itself. Her ability to turn that passion into action made the biggest difference for me and I have no doubt many others who are looking to transform their careers.”

Tori Snell, MBA Candidate @ UCLA Anderson School of Management

“I recently landed my first PM role at an e-comm startup and was feeling nervous about my lack of product management experience. Through divine intervention a friend recommended I speak with Kristin Chen before my first day on the job. When we met for coffee I was immediately struck by Kristin’s warmth and deep well of industry expertise.

After listening to my situation, Kristin educated me on best-practice user research protocols, recommended strategies for interviewing customers, and helped me craft a tailored user-research plan. She also introduced me to PM frameworks like funnel analyses, input vs. output goals, and “working backwards”. It was like receiving an entire semester’s worth of PM knowledge in the span of an hour.

Kristin equipped me to start my foray into product management with confidence. Her candid style and impressive experience serving as a product leader for some of the biggest names in tech make her a uniquely effective coach. I plan to use Kristin’s services again and wholeheartedly recommend her to anyone interested in a career in product management. 5 out of 5 stars!”

Katrina Yee, Director of Product Management @ Vyond (Prev Product Lead @ HSBC)

“Kristin is a compassionate and highly skilled career coach and mentor.  She reviewed my resume and LinkedIn profile.  It was only after her suggestions did I realize how badly they needed a facelift! Thankfully, her constructive feedback has significantly improved them.  She also generously provided me with helpful advice and interview prep resources for my specific field.  She is thoughtful, extremely detailed, and professional. I highly recommend working with her.”

Camille Padilla, Product Lead @ Jane Technologies (Prev Udacity & LinkedIn)

“I’ve known Kristin for over 8 years now and almost immediately I enlisted her as a member of my personal Board of Directors. From salary negotiations, career strategy, interview prep, or advice on tricky work situations Kristin is a wonderful sounding board, thought partner, and coach. Kristin provides advice and guidance based on her knowledge of you and the industry. It is not a one size fits all approach, it’s about finding you the right fit and/or the right solution based on your unique goals and needs.”

Lucas Chwe, Senior Software Engineer @ Pinterest (Prev Google)

“Kristin is an exceptional career coach who took my professional journey to new heights. With her guidance, I gained confidence in interviews and self-presentation. Kristin's expertise was evident in crafting a standout resume, refining interview responses, and navigating offer negotiations.

Thanks to Kristin, I secured my first job and successfully applied her insights to land my dream role at Google in subsequent searches. With a wealth of experience in both career coaching and the tech industry, Kristin's knowledge is invaluable. I feel fortunate to have received her guidance and would turn to her again for career advice without hesitation.”

  • Matteo Palvarini, Co-Founder, CTO @ Curio (Prev Engineering Manager @ LinkedIn)

    "In my professional journey, every time I've encountered pivotal decisions or faced challenges, Kristin has been my go-to person for insights and guidance. She's provided invaluable feedback on product strategy, assisted me in brainstorming ideas, offered guidance during product launches, and helped me navigate startup founder challenges. What I deeply value is her clear, actionable advice rooted in her vast experience, alongside her genuine care for the people she works with. If you're seeking career mentorship, product expertise, or startup direction, I can't recommend Kristin highly enough."

  • Natalia Denenberg, Student @ University of California, Berkeley

    “I cannot thank Kristin enough for her career coaching during my job search process as a rising senior at UC Berkeley! During our sessions, she guided me through reconstructing my resume and tailoring my LinkedIn profile to reach prospective employers, gave me a multitude of resources for finding job opportunities and internships, and helped me to better understand the recruiting process. I would highly recommend reaching out to Kristin if you need any form of coaching or mentorship as she is extremely knowledgeable and thoughtful.”

  • Doug Wieand, Senior Product Manager @ Vinted (Prev @ Get Your Guide)

    “Kristin brings an incredible level of expertise, pragmatism, and relatability to her coaching. Our discussion was full of practical advice and clear strategies to tackle even the thorniest obstacles, and was probably the most informative half hour of my career.

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  • Sabina Fruehauf, Sr. Progam Manager @ Uber (Prev @ Cruise & LinkedIn)

    “I can't thank Kristin enough for sharing her guidance on a negotiation process with a future employer. 

    In the most digestible and articulate manner paired with an abundance of passion and dedication, Kristin provided me with all the key points I needed to hit on in order to meet my goals. Based on her advice, I went to collect market insights of roles similar to mine while also benchmarking against other offers as well as my previous role and the % increase I'd expect. Through her vast expertise I was able to evaluate which components of Total Comp employers may be able to offer the most flexibility in which I used in my negotiations. 

    Kristin helped me word my messaging and I ended up feeling much more confident going into the conversation as I had the right mix of humility yet stating my demands firmly and constructively, while always keeping the shared goal in mind of working WITH your employer to make both parties as successful as possible. I ended up getting a 20% increase compared to the initial offer and I owe so much to Kristin - I highly recommend her to help with negotiations or any other career questions. “

  • Jad Esber, Founder & CEO Koodos Labs

    “I was lucky to be assigned Kristin as my mentor during the First Round Mentor program. Kristin shared her insights and deep experience running product orgs, but more importantly, Kristin cared about me as a person and I gained a friend through the program.

    She listened with patience, offered thoughtful advice, and inspired me to stay focused. Every founder or product person needs a mentor like Kristin who provides knowledge and compassion in equal measure. I'm grateful for her guidance.”

  • Liz Elias, Product Manager @ Game Time

    “Having Kristin as my mentor was a game-changer. At the time, I was pretty new to Product and she really helped me get my bearings and boost my confidence. She provided me with immense support, and several valuable resources and tools that helped me step up my presentation game as well as guidance that helped me navigate tough challenges at work.

    Kristin even made herself accessible after our mentorship program came to an end and ended up helping navigate the PM interview process once I decided to look for a new opportunity. Her positivity, coaching, and advice really helped me nail several interviews and also helped me stay motivated after the ones I bombed.

    I can't recommend Kristin enough! She has a genuine passion for mentorship and it shows. I truly feel that Kristin's mentorship helped change the trajectory of my career for the better and I'm very thankful to have had the privilege to learn from her.”

  • F.L. Startup Software Engineer

    “Kristin is an amazing product leader who I crossed paths with at a startup and who still mentors me today. She has helped me with the process of finding my next job as a software engineer and also exploring what would be the best fit for me based on my career goals and aspirations. She has helped polish my resume and LinkedIn and also with interview preparation. Her network has been invaluable as she has connected me directly to strong people and exciting companies that are hiring in my areas of interest. Kristin helped me learn valuable skills and offers great, practical career advice. She has the tools to help anyone who is looking to take their career to the next step!“

Vanessa Yim, Founder of Mimu (One of Discord’s Top 30 Bots) & Product Manager @ Metatheory

“Our experience working together: 

I first crossed paths with Kristin when she joined Top.gg as CEO and I was working there as a Community Manager. At the time, I found myself in a rather perplexing phase of my life: I was the founder of Mimu, a top 30 Discord bot catering to millions of users a month, midway through my Computer Science degree, grappling with uncertainty about my engineering career path, and experiencing distress in my position at Top.gg.

Before she joined Top.gg, I struggled with significant burnout and a prevailing work culture that seemed indifferent to feedback. Running the community meant I was the face they turned to in times of adversity – yet I often found myself lacking adequate support, and understood little about the company’s roadmap. Although there were numerous underlying issues, which I won’t delve into here, Kristin went above and beyond to address every aspect comprehensively.

To say that she excelled as a CEO would be an understatement. Kristin proactively re-engaged with our volunteer program that was on a decline; ensuring open lines of communication and providing valuable career guidance to those seeking it. She even stepped in to manage our core engineering team during periods of transition when we lacked dedicated engineering leadership. Beyond that, she played a pivotal role in launching the company’s largest-ever rewrite, which not only rebranded the entire platform but also resolved core user experience challenges and more. 

How she changed my career trajectory: 

In the brink of my confusion on where to proceed with my career, Kristin pushed me to discover a different path within the tech industry. As a founder, I had relished the creative aspects of strategy, stakeholder collaboration, community management, and brand development. However, the actual implementation as an engineer had left me feeling disheartened and overwhelmed. It was then – in my intro coffee chat 1:1 with her – did she introduce me to the world of product management, a term previously unfamiliar to me.

Recognizing my potential, Kristin not only facilitated my transition into Product Management, but also served as my mentor, sponsor and coach throughout the process. She began by teaching the foundational principles, gradually leading me through product strategy, and drawing from the plethora of experiences she’d gained from previous large companies like Pinterest, Twitch, LinkedIn and SoundCloud. She extended my knowledge beyond the realm of top.gg, introducing me to essential product concepts like the amazon flywheel and working backwards process.

What you can expect from Kristin as a mentor, coach or advisor: 

I consistently turned to Kristin for guidance, and with the resources she would provide, our interactions covered a wide-spectrum of career-related topics. From refining my resume through in-depth discussions during shared calls, to comprehensive interview preparation, and even clarifying complex product concepts, Kristin was always a reliable source of support. Her radical candor in providing honest feedback was like a breath of fresh air, offering the clarity I needed. What truly set her apart though, was her unwavering positive energy – which not only benefited me, but also echoed throughout the company.  

Kristin’s impact on my professional life has been nothing short of transformative, and I cannot recommend her enough to anyone seeking to elevate their career. Her wealth of experience makes her an exceptional mentor. She has helped me uncover new strengths I didn’t know I had, build a strong foundation of product management, user research, and analytical skills, and gain confidence in public speaking.I am truly grateful for the opportunity to work with Kristin and her continued coaching and mentorship. If you are looking to transition into product management or the tech industry or if you need help to figure out what’s next in your career, don’t hesitate to call her! 

Chad Rubin, Product @ AWS

“Kristin is an exceptional leader in the fields of product development, business strategy, and team management. I had the privilege of collaborating with and learning from Kristin during her tenure as the Director of Product, Creator to Fan at SoundCloud. In this role, I witnessed Kristin revitalize our entire product organization.

Kristin possesses a remarkable ability to unite and inspire teams around a compelling vision. She not only guided her direct reports but also played a pivotal role in shaping their professional growth. Her strategies revolved around a deep understanding of customer needs, making her a true customer advocate. Additionally, Kristin organized and led companywide workshops that allowed colleagues to engage directly with customers, fostering a customer-centric culture throughout the organization.

Kristin demonstrated an unparalleled willingness to dive into the nitty-gritty details to solve complex problems. Kristin was the driving force behind introducing the objectives and key results (OKRs) framework at SoundCloud. She committed an extraordinary amount of time collaborating with the Executive Leadership team, the Analytics team, and various cross-functional teams to comprehensively revamp our business objectives and successfully implement the OKR framework throughout the entire organization.

Kristin possesses a rare talent for conceiving, developing, and scaling products and businesses. Remarkably, she also prioritizes the well-being and success of those around her, infusing every interaction with enthusiasm, joy, and creativity.

Kristin has been my go-to resource when facing product or business challenges. Her insights have proven invaluable at every stage of the process.”