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Dealing With Setbacks - All Things Product Podcast with Teresa Torres & Petra Wille

Dealing With Setbacks - All Things Product Podcast with Teresa Torres & Petra Wille

Listen to this episode on: Spotify | Apple Podcasts

In this heartfelt episode of All Things Product, Petra Wille and Teresa Torres talk about something we all experience but rarely discuss openly — setbacks. Teresa shares a deeply personal story about her long recovery from an injury and how it unexpectedly mirrors the ups and downs of product work.

Together, they explore what it means to face professional setbacks — when your product fails to move a single KPI, when a launch falls flat, or when you just feel stuck — and how teams can respond with curiosity, emotional honesty, and resilience.

Whether you’re a PM, designer, or researcher, this episode is a reminder that recovery and reflection are just as important as velocity and success.

Topics Covered:

  • The emotional reality of dealing with setbacks — both personal and professional
  • Why it’s okay (and necessary) to grieve product failures
  • How leaders can create space for teams to recover before jumping into post-mortems
  • The danger of tying performance too tightly to outcomes
  • How continuous discovery builds resilience by normalizing failure
  • Using the 10–10–10 framework (from Decisive by Chip & Dan Heath) to gain perspective on setbacks

Key Takeaways:

  • Setbacks are not just inevitable — they’re part of doing meaningful product work.
  • Giving teams time and space to process failure builds long-term resilience.
  • Mourning losses is just as important as celebrating wins.
  • Healthy discovery cultures embrace reflection, psychological safety, and emotional honesty.
  • Staying consistent with discovery habits helps teams recover faster and learn more deeply.

Notable Moments:

  • [00:02:00] Teresa shares the story of her injury and what it’s taught her about patience and setbacks.
  • [00:10:00] Petra talks about a team whose carefully planned launch didn’t move a single KPI.
  • [00:20:00] Discussion on allowing space for grief and frustration after failure.
  • [00:30:00] Why organizations must decouple performance reviews from short-term outcomes.
  • [00:40:00] How continuous discovery can help teams normalize — and even learn to appreciate — setbacks.

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