Lia Parkhurst

WHAT I BRING TO THE TABLE I see patterns in chaos that others are too close to notice. I've navigated several acquisitions without losing momentum or breaking teams. I coach leaders by listening first and asking the questions that help you find the answers that you had all along! I build psychological safety so teams can think clearly, take smart risks, and grow. I translate technical products into narratives that sales teams can actually use to close deals. I help executives reframe impossible problems into solvable ones. I combine deep product expertise with strategic thinking to drive real outcomes. ADVISORY FOCUS Product Strategy & Leadership Partner with founders and product leaders who are stuck in the weeds or paralyzed by too many options. I help you see the forest, prioritize what matters, and make decisions with confidence. You get clarity on the hard calls, not a consultant who creates dependency. Navigating Acquisitions & Change Acquisitions, pivots, rapid scaling - I've lived through the chaos multiple times. I help you maintain momentum while keeping your team intact and your strategy coherent. Growth and change don't have to break everything. Building High-Performing Teams I create environments where teams feel safe to experiment, challenge assumptions, and grow. I help leaders develop their people through authentic communication, normalized failure, and coaching that sticks. Teams perform when they feel genuinely supported. Sales Enablement & Positioning I help technical founders and product teams translate what they've built into stories that resonate with buyers. I coach sales teams to lead with curiosity, focus on real value, and close complex deals without sounding like robots reading feature lists.

• 

  Building a team

  I've built and scaled product teams through acquisitions, mergers, and rapid growth by creating psychological safety and authentic communication. I hire for potential over pedigree, coach emerging leaders to find their voice, and normalize failure so teams can take smart risks. I focus on developing people, not managing them, because teams perform when they feel genuinely seen and supported.

• 

  Career guidance

  I coach product managers who feel like they don't fit the mold - non-technical backgrounds, navigating toxic politics, trying to lead authentically in cultures that reward performance theater. I've built my entire career without writing code, survived acquisitions and mergers, and learned to stay true to myself while getting shit done. I help you find your voice, set boundaries, navigate organizational chaos, and succeed as a PM without becoming someone you're not.

• 

  Idea validation

  I help founders and product leaders test assumptions before building the wrong thing. I design quick experiments to validate ideas with real users, ask the hard questions that expose blind spots, and push teams to define what success actually looks like. I've run user tests, piloted features, and built validation into redesigns to learn fast and pivot when needed.

• 

  Leadership

  I lead by creating clarity in chaos and building environments where people can do their best work. I've coached emerging leaders through acquisitions, organizational change, and impossible decisions by helping them find their own answers instead of creating dependency. I believe in psychological safety, authentic communication, and normalizing failure so teams can take smart risks. I push back on performance theater and help leaders stay grounded when everything's on fire.

• 

  Product management

  20+ years leading product strategy across B2B SaaS in behavioral health, marketplaces, and enterprise software. I've navigated several acquisitions, shaped roadmaps through chaos, and partnered with engineering, sales, and clinical teams to ship products that matter. I focus on outcomes over output, translate complexity into clarity, and make hard prioritization calls when everything feels urgent. I coach product teams to think strategically instead of just building features.

• 

  Technology and tools

  I take a product manager's approach to tools - what problem are we actually solving and for whom? The best roadmaps I've seen are simple lists of features, not elaborate Jira setups. Teams get seduced by shiny tools thinking "if only we had X, then we'd finally have clarity" - but you end up spending months ramping up, thousands of dollars poorer, and right back where you started (or worse).

• 

  Venting frustration

  I create space for leaders and teams to say what they're actually thinking without judgment. Sometimes you need to vent before you can think clearly. I listen without trying to fix it immediately, help you sort signal from noise, and guide you from frustration to actionable clarity.