Claude Code - All Things Product Podcast with Teresa Torres & Petra Wille

Listen to this episode on: Spotify | Apple Podcasts

Petra finally carved out time to try Claude Code—and immediately ran into the “this tool thinks everything is a code repo” reality. In this episode, Petra and Teresa unpack what it’s like to move from Claude-in-the-browser to Claude on your machine, where it can actually work with your files, folders, and workflows.

They dig into practical setup choices (like using /init, Claude MD rules, and “walled garden” access), why task management becomes the surprising on-ramp for testing Claude Code, and how to use it for content retrieval across your own archives (blog posts, book drafts, transcripts, notes). Teresa also shares how she’s turning Claude Code into a repeatable publishing engine—from podcast metadata generation to fact-checking and even building a Zettelkasten-style research system for rigorous thinking.

If you’re a non-engineer curious about Claude Code, or you’re trying to make it feel less like “throwing a stick into the woods,” this is a candid, tactical walkthrough of what helps, what breaks, and how to debug your way to workflows that actually stick.

What we cover

What Claude Code is (and why it’s useful even if you’re not an engineer)
The real difference between Claude in the browser vs. Claude Code on your machine
Using /init and Claude MD files to shape behavior and context
The “treat it like an intern” model: limiting access and building a walled garden
Why task management is a great first use case (easy to validate + fast feedback loops)
Exporting calendar windows vs. connecting Claude directly to your calendar
Switching models for speed: when Haiku is “good enough” and when you need more
When Claude Code spirals on web tasks (and how to debug it by asking: “What are you doing?”)
Content retrieval as a killer workflow: “Where have I talked about this before?”
Building reusable workflows: slash commands, sub-agents, hooks, and plugins
Teresa’s publishing stack: titles, descriptions, show notes, chapters from transcripts
Fact-checking workflows: validating claims against transcripts and research sources
Using Claude for audience analytics and content prioritization (with caveats)
A deep nerdy detour: Zettelkasten-style research and using Claude to improve rigor

Memorable moments / quotes (paraphrased)

Petra’s metaphor: Claude Code is like a dog—sometimes it returns with the stick, sometimes it gets lost in the woods.
The “intern” framing: don’t hand Claude the whole company on day one—scope access intentionally.
Teresa’s output jump: more writing volume without (in her view) losing quality—because the workflow scaffolding got better.

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