Why product feels so hard right now - Charity Ibhadon (WPP)

Charity Ibhadon is a Global Product Director at WPP, where she leads the development of an AI marketing tool. With 15 years in product — including three formative years at ASOS during its high-growth heyday — she came to the discipline via a decade in investment banking and an executive MBA. She has operated at VP and CPO level, leading large international teams across consumer technology and media.

We discuss:
— Why the explosion of product frameworks, books, and LinkedIn benchmarks has made it harder to feel like you're doing the job well — regardless of seniority
— How the physical symptoms of burnout can masquerade as markers of success, and why high-achieving women in particular are vulnerable to that misreading
— What it actually takes to recover: stepping away, finding what your body needs outside of work, and stopping short of making your job your entire identity
— Why being genuinely enjoyable to work with is a more durable career advantage than any certification or methodology
— How the Eisenhower matrix — do, defer, delegate, delete — can be a practical daily tool for protecting energy, not just a poster on a wall
— The case for "happy high status": remaining calm and unflappable under pressure as a learnable leadership behaviour, not a personality trait
— Why commercial curiosity — understanding what moves the business and staying interested in the world — will matter more for long-term product careers than AI certificates

Chapters:
0:00 Introduction 
1:29 Charity's background 
4:00 Why product feels harder than ever 
6:34 Why fun at work matters 
8:45 Recognising burnout 
10:25 When burnout feels like success 
12:13 Finding your way back 
16:18 Fun as a strategic advantage 
18:00 Staying calm under pressure 
22:26 The "CEO of the product" myth 
22:41 Mindset for a long career in product 
24:45 Building resilience 
26:35 Wrap-up

Referenced
Eisenhower matrix | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Priority_Matrix
Charity's keynote at #mtpcon London | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pxp4ga--bkM