March Meetup: Becoming Strong Product People

Hey Product People,
Ready to develop new product skills and level up your product career?
Join us for the "Becoming Strong Product People" evening with two fantastic speakers speaking on this theme.

The event details are as follows:
Date: Wednesday, 25th March, 2026.
Time: 6PM-8:30PM
Venue: Sir Bobby Robson Foundation Studio
NUCASTLE
Diana Street,
Newcastle upon Tyne
NE4 6BQ

Talk 1: Caroline Newton (Product Manager @HC-One)
Title: From Frameworks to Fluency: Developing Product Judgement in Practice

In this talk, Caroline shares her journey into product management and the practical toolkit she’s developing through real-world experience.
Rather than centring on idealised frameworks or methodologies, she focuses on the situations PMs regularly face: ambiguity, competing priorities, stakeholder misalignment, difficulty evidencing progress, and the personal challenge of feeling overwhelmed. She reflects on how she’s navigated these moments so far and what she’s learned along the way.

Speaker bio
Caroline Newton is a product professional with 13 years’ experience in adult social care. With a background in finance and operations, she moved into digital product 3 years ago and now focuses on pragmatic, outcome-driven practice.
She thrives in discovery — working closely with stakeholders and users to uncover the real “why” behind problems and turn ambiguity into actionable insight. Most recently, she led the trial of an emerging AI-powered technology, navigating technical complexity and real-world feedback to assess value and viability.
Caroline is an active contributor to the product community and an advocate for greater representation in tech.

Talk 2: Caroline Clark (Founder & Executive Coach
@Caroline Clark Leadership & Performance)

Title: It's not you, it's the system: Exploring imposter feelings in Product people (with novel research and fresh insights)

Many Product people carry a quiet fear of being found out as inadequate. It often surfaces at moments of transition: expanding roles, increasing responsibility, unclear expectations, or when Product’s value needs to be constantly justified rather than simply trusted. In this talk, Caroline challenges the idea that imposter feelings are a personal confidence problem. Drawing on original research with Product professionals and her experience as an ex-Product Director, she explores why these feelings are so prevalent in Product — and what they reveal about the systems, structures, and conditions Product people work within. This talk is for Product Managers and Product Leaders who want a deeper, more accurate understanding of imposter feelings — one that moves the conversation away from individual deficiency and towards the realities of modern Product work.

Speaker bio
Caroline Clark is a leadership consultant and coach specialising in performance psychology for leaders in tech and space. As an ex-Product Director with more than 12 years in Product, she understands the unique pressures facing product teams. Her work equips product leaders with evidence-based tools to transform leadership potential into performance - and achieve the impossible.

Agenda:
18:00 – Arrival (Pizza and Drinks)
18:30 – Talk 1: Caroline Newton
18:50 – Feedback + Q & A
19:00 – Short break
19:10– Talk 2: Caroline Clark
19:40 – Feedback + Q & A
20:00 – Announcements
20:10 – Networking
20:30 – Closing

We look forward to seeing you all there. If you have any questions, or want to suggest speakers for future events, please reach out to: tolukolawole.io@gmail.com