Catalyst

Latest Episodes:

Remotes Week: On Getting Together Jun 14, 2022

Show notes

As a hybrid and remote-friendly workplace, it’s rare that the whole Postlight team gets together, but recently the entire team congregated in New York City for a week of in-person events. In this episode, Chris and Gina chat about the importance of Remotes Week in building trust and relationships and share tips on how to make everyone feel at home during in-person events. IRL cheers to IRL meet-ups!

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Shipping Earlier With Less: On Determining Deadlines Jun 07, 2022

Show notes

Keeping huge software projects on track is hard but not impossible. This week Chris and Gina walk us through how they come up with deadlines that work both for the client and the team. They explain what questions you should be asking to make sure nothing is overlooked in the beginning planning stages and explain what to do in that dreaded scenario when you realize you’re not going to hit your target. A good tip: Challenge anyone who says, “This should be easy.”

Links:

The New MVP: The Minimum Valuable Product

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Building Trust and Providing Solutions: Postlight’s Senior Leadership Team on What Makes a Great Leader May 31, 2022

Show notes

Does leadership start when you’re made a “Head of” or as a bossy child? Postlight’s senior leadership team takes over the podcast for a roundtable discussion on leading and learning. Nathan (Product Management), Michael (Digital Strategy), Natalie (Product Design), and Aaron (Engineering) share the mistakes that have made them better leaders, how being vulnerable builds trust, and how they can spot the spark of a potential leader within their teams.

Links:

Nathan Henry on Twitter

Michael Shane on Twitter

Natalie Kurz on LinkedIn

Aaron Ortbals on Twitter

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Let the User Keep Going: On Speed as a Feature May 24, 2022

Show notes

There’s nothing worse than waiting for a page to load. This week, Chris LoSacco and Gina Trapani go deep on a crucial yet underappreciated feature of digital platforms — speed. They break down how things can get so slow and share tips on how you can build for speed, from database indexing to managing how much processing is happening on the service side versus the client side. We’ve got the need for speed!

Links:

Why Are Health Insurance Websites So Bad?

Lighthouse

Honeycomb

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Be Ready for Success: Building for the Next Phase May 17, 2022

Show notes

Software is never done — but that doesn’t mean you need to be stressed about constantly reworking it. The codebase architecture choices you make at the outset can set you up better for the future. This week, Chris and Gina share their tips on building for the future, from reusing code wherever possible to deciding what kind of technical debt you’re willing to take on to addressing accessibility concerns first instead of last.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Efficiency Is Highly Overrated: Some Life Advice May 10, 2022

Show notes

Founding Executive Editor of Wired Magazine Kevin Kelly just turned 70, and on his birthday, he shared 103 bits of advice that he wished he had known. This week, Paul and Rich share some of their favorite pieces of Kevin Kelly wisdom from the list.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Vanity Purchases: On Elon Musk and Twitter May 03, 2022

Show notes

From sports teams to newspapers and now social media platforms, rich people have been making wildly expensive purchases for decades. This week, Paul and Rich discuss Elon Musk’s efforts to buy Twitter. They break down what this purchase could mean for the future of Twitter and how we got to this point in internet history.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Where’s That Thing?: On Impatience as a Leader Apr 26, 2022

Show notes

Is impatience the root of anxiety? Is a lack of others’ anticipation the root of our impatience? Is good communication the root of anticipation? This week Rich, Gina, and Chris discuss when impatience is a feature and when it’s a bug — and call on a framework from Gina’s kid’s school to prioritize what should get done when.

Links:

Rich on Twitter

Gina Trapani Twitter

Chris LoSacco Twitter

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Kids and Phones: On Parenting and Technology Apr 19, 2022

Show notes

At what age should you give your kid a phone? This week Paul and Rich sit down to discuss the inevitable moment when their kids ask for a phone. They break down how it can be a tool for freedom and the many concerns that can come with kids having their own phones. Could the answer be banning content creation for kids?

Links:

Postlight - Our Work

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

There’s No Escape From Physical Reality: Why Web3 Is Boring Apr 12, 2022

Show notes

Paul and Rich love experimenting with new tech and love the idea of decentralization, so why are they so skeptical about Web3? This week Paul and Rich distill their feelings about Web3 and explain why they’re already bored by conversations about it. They ask: Is it really worth investing in something long-term if the only benefit is that you’re not missing out?

Links:

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.