Critical Design

**Brian Thorne: Awa, a Postgres-native background job queue** Python talks! Python people! Join our monthly meetup about all things Python. If all goes well there will also be pizza and drinks. * We meet **every fourth Tuesday** of a month at 5:45pm (talks start at 6:30pm) * 📌 **Space is limited** at the venue, so please only register (it's free) if you really intend to come. Also, as we will aim to provide some food and drinks, this will help us manage amounts and avoid waste. Thank you! * **Join the [Python New Zealand Discord server](https://discord.com/invite/BywWY26ARc)** to stay up to date, interact with others or help with upcoming events. * Python New Zealand's **[Code of Conduct](https://events.python.nz/redirect/?url=https%3A//python.nz/about/code-of-conduct/%3AfBv4yOxQ5i0fg9WnNd7RvQ4JrjpQ4CztIw_jdXQaRoY)** applies to all Python New Zealand events and participants agree to abide by it. **Brian will be talking about his new project, named Awa (Māori: river). It provides durable, transactional job enqueueing with typed handlers in both Rust and Python. All queue state lives in Postgres — no Redis, no RabbitMQ. The Rust runtime handles polling, heartbeating, crash recovery, and dispatch. Python workers run on that same runtime via PyO3, getting Rust-grade reliability with Python-native ergonomics.** **Finding the meetup:** Look for a glass door with a sign mentioning the meetup and head upstairs to the Trade Me office. Call the phone number on the sign if you arrive late and the door is locked. Can't make the meetup in person? It'll also be accessible virtually at the link below. The virtual session will open around 6pm. Don't hesitate to pass this information around to whomever you think may be interested to hear and discuss all things Python. **[Speak at a meetup](https://forms.gle/9PbhSz1gtmHLpAPR6) -** All presentations are by members of our Python community - people like yourself! First time speakers are absolutely welcome. Join our meetings online or in person: * [Python New Zealand - Online Events](https://meetup.com/pythonnz-online) * [Python New Zealand - Auckland](https://meetup.com/pythonnz-auckland) * [Python New Zealand - Wellington](https://meetup.com/pythonnz-wellington) [Python New Zealand - Christchurch](https://meetup.com/pythonnz-christchurch)

Most product thinking assumes you’re building a product. In a startup, you’re not—you’re building a business. In the early days of a startup, there is no product team. The founder is the product team—while also juggling sales, hiring, fundraising, support, and everything in between. Product decisions don’t happen in isolation; they’re shaped by survival, speed, and the need to get something working in the real world. In this talk, Kim Thibault shares her experience from BoardPro, reflecting on the transition from founder-led product to hiring the first product people. She’ll unpack what triggered that shift, what worked (and what didn’t), and the tension that comes with sharing product ownership between a founder and a product team. Along the way, she’ll challenge a common assumption: in a startup, success doesn’t come from the product alone—it comes from how the whole business works around it. This session will explore: * What it really means to be a founder driving product * Why great products don’t matter without a working go-to-market motion * How product thinking changes across startup stages (-1→0, 0→1, 1+) * The realities of hiring and working with your first product people * The mindsets product managers need if they want to become founders—or work effectively with oneIf you’ve ever worked in (or are curious about) a founder-led environment, this will give you a clearer view of the trade-offs, tensions, and decisions behind the scenes. **About our speaker** [Kim Thibault](https://www.linkedin.com/in/kimthibault/) is a co-founder of BoardPro, a governance software platform used by boards and leadership teams across New Zealand, Australia, and beyond. She spent nearly a decade leading product as the company scaled, navigating the transition from founder-led product to building a product team. Kim now works as a startup coach and startup director, supporting early-stage founders—particularly in B2B SaaS and product-led growth companies—to build effective products and businesses. She brings a practical, experience-driven perspective shaped by the realities of building and scaling a startup. Huge thanks to Auror for hosting and sponsoring this event! You can join the livestream here: [https://meet.google.com/pmi-iynm-ome](https://meet.google.com/pmi-iynm-ome). As always the livestream will kick off from just before 6pm. Note that the rules of our host venue means that we will send the exact location of the event to attendees on the day of the event - the venue is in the Britomart area. Those of you who have attended events at Auror before will know where it is!

We meet to learn and practice American Sign Language and to grow our familiarity with Deaf culture. Facilitated by hearing folks (with a connection to a professional interpreter) using Deaf-created content. People of all ASL skill levels are welcome! As we learn, we hope to connect more with the Deaf community in Central Ohio. Join us as you're able! Come regularly or just once - whatever you're looking for! Each meetup will explore different topics related to ASL/Deaf culture, and will feature time to practice conversation with one another. Just bring yourself and a willingness to learn!

It feels like we just saw each other 🤷. Join members of the local design and UX community for our monthly breakfast. For May we’re stopping in for Rooh’s popup breakfast/cafe concept. You know someone is getting the lobster yuzu croissant, and that’s not even the prettiest thing on the menu!.

Join other experienced and aspiring agile coaches and professionals to: * develop and practice your coaching skills in a peer-to-peer environment * share current successes and challenges in your work environment and get support from each other * learn from each other, build better relationships and experiment with new ideas ***NOTE:*** Pre-registration is required for this event. **Please arrive 10 minutes early** to check in at the security desk.

**TBA**

Private Group. Closed to the Public Knowing ourselves and understanding our abilities is the first step toward wielding our gifts with control and accuracy. In subsequent classes we will verify and hone our talents with activities and discussion. These are hands-on workshops and participation is expected. The goal of our series will be to develop expertise in areas of particular interest such as mediumship, channeling, divination, healing and, etc.. Our ultimate directions will be determined by class members as we evolve. I look forward to sharing and discovering with you. - Cynthia

**TBA**

http://photos2.meetupstatic.com/photos/event/2/a/9/6/600_348310902.jpeg Instructor - Crow, HPS Class fee is $30 at the door or approved exchange RSVP with Advance pay of $25 (discounted) by PayPal on the web or by contacting Enchanted Elements (614) 437-2642. Reservations made directly to Enchanted Elements will be added to the class list manually not online. Private Instruction ~ Closed to the Public ~ Initiated Members Only Please come prepared for ritual. Blessings ~ Crow