“It’s launch day… and I’m somewhere between excited and terrified.”

After months of late nights, bug hunts, and quietly rebuilding something I’ve believed in for years, the newly redesigned PETALS app is finally live. And I’m bringing you with me — the nerves, the hiccups, the actual launch moment.

This episode’s not polished. It’s real. From pressing the button… to fixing what broke straight after… to finally seeing it live.

🎥 What you’ll see:

• Launch day behind the scenes: nerves, debugging, and merge conflicts
• A full walkthrough of the new PETALS design
• Why I paused the party (and what I’m planning instead)
• Busting the myths of entrepreneurship — turns out it’s not all tech bros and big exits
• “This isn’t just a side project anymore.”

If you’ve ever shipped a product, or wanted to, this one’s for you.

⸻

🌐 LINKS

• Try the redesigned PETALS app for free: https://app.petals.team
• Busting the myths of startups: https://theideaistheeasypart.com
• Drop me a message: si@petals.team

⸻

🌸 QUOTE:

“We knew the concept was okay… but I was never quite happy with the design. So we rebuilt it—properly this time.”

CHAPTERS

• 00:47 Initial feedback is promising
• 02:19 Myths about Startups
• 04:06 Launching in 5...
• 05:08 Press the button
• 10:19 It's deployed!
• 11:35 Take 2
• 11:59 Time for a live demo
• 16:31 We are good
• 17:20 There we have it
• 17:41 When's the party?

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We’re back in our new fortnightly rhythm! In this snapshot, I share progress on the PETALS app ahead of launch, reflect on personal mindset shifts, and open a big question for the community:

How should leaders be using PETALS data? And… should we be factoring in our personal lives when thinking about team health?

I also tease a second upcoming book feature for PETALS and open the doors to early access for new and returning users. Loads of good things blooming right now 🌿

👇 Check out the chapters below and join the conversation in the comments.

⸻

⏱️ CHAPTERS

• 01:02 – PETALS scores
• 01:37 – App launch plans and final tidy-up
• 03:11 – Big news: PETALS is featured in another book! 📚
• 04:05 – Early access is here – get on the beta list 🌱
• 04:35 – Back to the leadership question
• 05:10 – Should PETALS include personal life factors?
• 07:10 – Team prompt: How do you surface team data to leadership?
• 07:31 – Final thoughts and what’s next 🌼

⸻

Want early access to the new app? 👉 Email me at si@petals.team or DM on socials to join the beta list.

Thanks for growing with us 🌿

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Find out more at https://petals.pinecast.co

This week, I’m diving into the subtle but powerful shift from talking about people to focusing on capabilities. From team topologies and tooling to how we’re using AI as assistive intelligence, PETALS Weekly #15 is all about growing lean teams with clarity and care.

CHAPTERS

00:20 Scores take a dip 00:38  Eating dog food 03:37  Team topologies and capabilities 05:07  Assistive intelligence for PETALS 06:09  Heroku ChatOps in Slack 07:08   Enhancing a lean product team 07:44 Team Onion workshop 08:19  Back in 2 weeks 08:55 Your team prompt

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Before you fix the work, fix the trust. In this episode of PETALS Weekly, I share what it’s like stepping into new teams, the power of quiet observation, and how trust (not tools) sets the stage for progress. Plus: a mobbing win, a dev setup glow-up, and a framework that’s changing how I lead.

SHOW NOTES

📘 Trust Works! by Ken Blanchard, Cynthia Olmstead & Martha Lawrence – https://www.amazon.co.uk/Trust-Works-Pb-Building-Relationships/dp/0007503865

🧠 AI-powered dev help with Cursor – https://www.cursor.com

📩 Join the newsletter: https://petals.team/newsletter

🌸 More on PETALS: https://petalsframework.com/

CHAPTERS

00:39 Scores are up!

00:57 What's been going on?

03:19 Speeding up dev time with Cursor

04:03 Workshopping the workshop

05:08 How do you build trust with silence?

07:01 Wrapping up

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Spring is here, and so is a little milestone – PETALS has been featured in the new book Real World Agility by Nick Brown! 🌸

In this episode, I reflect on this real-world recognition, walk through the Q1 product progress, and talk about how the seasons can shape our goals. Plus, some investments towards our overall goals. Let’s grow!

CHAPTERS

00:27 Scores are slightly down 00:53 What's happening with the app? 02:08 Plans for Q2 02:26 PETALS is published! 03:06 Investing in my setup 04:24 A Year of Creativity 06:12 Workshop planning for Q3 07:07 Time to SPRING into action

SHOW NOTES

Real World Agility by Nick Brown → https://leanpub.com/realworldagility A Year of Creativity by Kathryn Jacob & Sue Unerman → https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/a-year-of-creativity-kathryn-jacob/7335141

GET INVOLVED

Share your PETALS scores and stories in the comments or reply via email Interested in the June workshop? DM me

HASHTAGS

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This week didn’t go to plan… three days off sick derailed everything. But sometimes it takes a bad week to ask a bigger question: Why am I really doing this? 🌱

In PETALS Weekly #12, I reflect on:

✅ Missing most of my weekly goals (and why it stung) ✅ How revisiting #SimonSinek’s “Find Your Why” sparked personal insight ✅ Using #ChatGPT as a surprising tool to help uncover my purpose

🎯 PETALS Scores this week: Productivity: 3 | Enjoyment: 2 | Teamwork: 3 | Learning: 4 | Serenity: 4 | Average: 3.2

CHAPTERS

00:30 Scores 04:32 Finding My Why with ChatGPT 07:24 BONUS: Reclaiming your time thanks to Laura K's 168 Hours 10:12 Wrapping up

🌿 Subscribe for weekly reflections on productivity, team health, and finding balance. 👉 Visit https://petals.team/ for more.

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Have you ever felt busy without actually achieving much?

Join me in this week's episode of PETALS Weekly as we explore Laura Vanderham's 'Off The Clock' and discuss productivity vs. busyness. I share my personal productivity scores, recent design goals, and time management strategies. Plus, I dive into the importance of focus time and balancing meetings with productive work.

Don't miss my tips on detoxing your calendar and finding your most effective times for learning and working!

CHAPTERS

00:33 The Scores 01:01 Ambitious redesign goals 03:02 Off the Clock & The Bullet Journal Method 07:28 Some food for thought

SHOW NOTES

Off The Clock by Laura Vanderkam https://lauravanderkam.com/books/off-the-clock/

The Bullet Journal Method by Ryder Carroll https://bulletjournal.com/pages/book

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Read transcript

This week, we’re diving into why #psychologicalsafety is the secret sauce for real team conversations, how PETALS scores are shifting, and what #highperformingteams get right about conflict—plus, a sneak peek at some exciting updates ahead of our launch at the end of this month.

CHAPTERS

00:00 Teaser 00:27 Scores 01:03 Project updates 02:43 Positive and negative user feedback 03:44 PETALS first publication 04:14 Redesiging the full end-to-end flow 04:45 Quick demo of user onboarding 05:42 Learning about psychological safety 07:16 Final words of wisdom

SHOW NOTES

Think Again by Adam Grant Blinkist: https://www.blinkist.com/books/think-again-en Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Think-Again-Power-Knowing-What/dp/0753553897 Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/Think-Again-Power-Knowing-What/dp/1984878107

Sign up for free life-time access to the PETALS web app https://petals.team/app/

STAY CONNECTED

🔗 Website: https://petals.team ☁️ Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/petals.team 📸 Instagram: https://instagram.com/@petals.team ＠ Threads: https://threads.net/@petals.team

🔔 Like, subscribe & hit the bell to stay updated.

CREDITS

An unstyled production. Made with Descript and Canva. Podcast hosted on Pinecast.

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Find out more at https://petals.pinecast.co

Read transcript