Building a more equitable world by empowering diverse teams and collaborative product leaders
đź‘‹ I’m Gillian Zamora (she/her).
Great product leadership isn’t about rigid frameworks—it’s about adaptability, collaboration, and challenging the status quo with empathy. As a product management coach, I help leaders and teams navigate change, sharpen strategic decision-making, and build influence to drive impact.
I’m currently a product coach at Bloomberg. I design and lead targeted coaching engagements and cohort-based learning programs, helping product teams embrace change and level up their product management practices. Drawing from neuroscience, agile methodologies, and change management principles, I focus on practical application over theory, ensuring teams develop real-world skills they can apply immediately.
During 15 years in product management, I founded a startup in 2010 that was acquired in 2015. I’ve worked as a product owner, general manager, and strategist, leading to the launch of my coaching business in 2021. Throughout all my roles, my mission remained the same: empower teams to think critically, adapt quickly, and create products that customers love.
I specialize in coaching product leaders to balance strategy with execution, fostering an environment where healthy debate fuels innovation and leaders ruthlessly pave clear paths to success for their teams. If you believe in product management excellence through collaboration, experimentation, and context-specific tools, let’s connect.
Product Team Spirit
Learn insights and actionable tips for collaborating on products with (mostly remote) diverse teams and leaders.
The ROI of Ongoing Skills Development, Empowerment, and Coaching
$135M
The cost of not investing
The average company with 10,000+ employees budgets about $20M annually on learning and development, with employees spending more than one week per year in training. According to a whitepaper from coaching service BetterUp (using data from McKinsey, Gallup, and the Center for American Progress), “the hidden annual costs of skill gaps, disengagement, and turnover are estimated at -$135M.”
6x
Return on investment
Manchester, Inc. surveyed 100 executives and showed that a company’s investment in coaching realized an average ROI of almost six times the cost of the coaching.
4.6x
Empowerment increase
Teams that follow an inclusive process make decisions 2x faster with 1/2 the meetings, according to Forbes research.
Employees who feel their voice is heard at work are 4.6x more likely to feel empowered to perform their best work, according to Salesforce Research’s The Impact of Equality and Values Driven Business.
Services
Product leadership coaching for entrepreneurs
Have you recently created a business, initiative or product (meaning anything from a Substack to an app to a new events service) and need to formalize your business goals, product strategy, and success metrics?
Product coaching is for individuals who are ready to build their business for success, without losing their hearts and souls. You’ll learn how to create and execute an effective product strategy, all while keeping a moral compass and self-care in check.
Career growth coaching for individuals
Did you recently start a new job as a product manager, product designer, engineer lead, or executive? Perhaps you’re looking for a new opportunity and want to make sure you’re ready to manage a team, communicate with leadership, and tune up your own practices to build innovative, collaborative products.
Career growth coaching or mentoring is for individuals who are looking for guidance on how to develop their own leadership style, bring their authentic selves and live out their values personally and professionally, and work on the skills that will take them to the next level on product teams.
Testimonials
” A trusted advisor”
“Gillian’s contributions helped Alley become better in countless ways. She provided energy, leadership, and expertise in the areas of product strategy, product management, consulting services, DEI, coaching, culture…the list could go on and on. Gillian was a key leadership figure in the strategy and launch of new products and services. She led with a fine-tuned approach to digital publishing strategy and market needs. She was a trusted advisor to our clients. The supportive relationships Gillian developed with her colleagues helped so many individuals be more successful in their roles. Gillian was a tremendous resource and support for me personally.”
Rebecca Sherman, Director of Client Services and Product Owner, Alley
“A builder, a creator, and a leader”
“I sought out Gillian as my coach after working with her closely. I had observed that she is a builder, a creator, and a leader who marries her drive and mind for business with a natural ability to inspire, support and mentor those around her. This was the combination of abilities I wanted to nurture within myself. Whenever I met with Gillian, I felt simultaneously buoyed by her ability to listen and challenged as she asked me thought provoking questions and provided candid reflections back to me. For any woman seeking to lead confidently while also committing herself to growth, Gillian is someone you want in your corner!”
Susan Finklepearl, Chief Experience Officer, Alley
“A path towards success”
“When I decided to start a media co-op with 19 of my friends, I thought there was maybe a 10 percent chance that our launch would go smoothly. It wasn’t until everything went off without a hitch that I realized we had Gillian to thank for that. She made the process of conceiving, designing, and launching a functioning website not only easy, but fruitful. Working with her was incredibly rewarding, and she did so much to set us on a path towards success.”
Tom Ley, editor in chief and co-owner of Defector
“A skilled champion”
“I had the good fortune to work with Gillian Zamora as a career coach for the better part of two years during one of the most challenging periods of my life. While I had decades of work experience coming into the position, she guided me as I adapted to a new role in a fast-paced, medium-sized company. As I worked through an initial poor cultural fit with a work team and the death of a parent, Gillian offered sensitive coaching that was unfailingly compassionate and always on-point with how I could work to flourish even amid the most trying times. When I found my place within the company, she proved a skilled champion guiding me in how I could make a unique contribution to the company’s goals.”
Robert Pratt, Senior Software Developer
Let’s connect.
For partnerships or collaborations, email gillian@productteamspirit.com.