Hira Saeed, Austin, TX (2025)

08/15/2025

🚐 camping into the 🪵 with 🌭🌶️ and us ♥️

07/10/2025

The biggest killer of authenticity is... shame of looking stupid. Let me explain.

For the longest time, I tried to be “interesting” for other people. I thought learning pop culture references was the only way to fit in America, because everyone around me got the jokes, and I didn’t. I didn’t grow up here and I didn’t share the same cultural shorthand.

My husband, who was born in the U.S. (I wasn’t), will hear a tune or phrase and say, “Oh, do you know this?” And I’ll stare at him blankly: “Nope.” When we started dating, I still remember the day he showed me the Pinky and the Brain intro on YouTube. He was surprised I’d never heard of it. But he is the type who giggles with joy when he shares stuff he is excited about.

Then one day, I stopped feeling shame around the subjects, tunes, jokes that I didn’t understand, and I started being just... myself?

I take this approach to life and being authentic very seriously. In my life, in my career, if I don’t know anything, I just say ‘No, I didn’t know that’ or ‘thank you for sharing that with me, I’ll look into it.’ What’s wrong with not knowing? And what’s wrong with admitting that as well? But yeah, I do Google and figure out things too.

Our entire lives are just a cute little package of our experiences, what I know about the world many people don’t, and vice versa. If we remove the shame around fitting in this world via molding ourselves into what the world demands you to, the deep layer under the skin is always... AUTHENTIC.

There is no other and simpler way of explaining the advice when people say ‘be authentic’ or ‘be yourself.’ I learned it and am super proud of the face that I now just... be... myself

06/11/2025

Every once in a while, I have to remind myself of what I share on stages as a speaker. The expert blindspot is my favorite concept to date and it helps me every single day.

I first read about it while wrestling with the launch of a product under the premise: “If it’s valuable, people will use it.”

But no one was using it. The data made it painfully clear. I sat there thinking: The value isn’t obvious to them. It’s only obvious to us. Because we’ve been living and breathing this product for months. That was my first encounter with what I now call the expert blindspot: The more we know something, the harder it becomes to imagine what it feels like not to know it.

We assume shared context that doesn’t exist. And it shows up everywhere:
Leadership.
Parenting.
Relationships.
Hiring.
Teaching.

Since then, I’ve built a small rule for myself: Whenever I feel too certain, I pause and ask: “Am I seeing this with expert eyes? Or beginner eyes?”

Because the truth is, The more we grow in our career, the more dangerous our blindspots become. The only way to keep growing is to stay a beginner, while working like an expert.

05/17/2025

have a great weekend coo birds! 🫶🏽🫶🏽🫶🏽🫶🏽

02/06/2025

I stopped trusting ‘community.’

Not because I don’t believe in connection, but because I saw the word get overused and misused. In the world today, the word “community” often feels like a marketing ploy, something people sell rather than something people build.

Swipe 👉🏾

02/03/2025

Big Leaders Are Made of Small Habits

When we think of leadership, we picture bold decisions, commanding boardrooms, or inspiring speeches. But the essence of leadership isn’t built in the spotlight.

It’s forged in the quiet, consistent moments, the micro-habits that seem almost insignificant in the short term but add up to remarkable influence over time.

01/27/2025

✍️ Here’s Why Writing Prompts are Helpful ⏬

Sometimes, the hardest part of writing is just figuring out how to start. We constantly stare at the page, waiting for some big idea to hit, but nothing comes. That’s where writing prompts can really help.

They’re like little nudges, questions or ideas that get your brain moving. They give you a starting point without making you feel stuck or overwhelmed. You don’t have to write something amazing or perfect; you just have to write and dump your thoughts.

When I started using prompts, it wasn’t about creating something “that had meaning.” It was about showing up for myself, even if it was just a few sentences. Over time, it became a habit I looked forward to. It made me feel grounded and helped me process what was on my mind.

If you’re feeling stuck or disconnected from writing, give prompts a try. You’d be surprised how much a simple question can open up.

01/23/2025

I’ve never learned faster than when I had a manager who actually cared, and I’ve never met anyone who stayed happy under an a-hole manager. Some leaders think big paychecks alone will keep people around, and sure, it works for a while. But it’s like a bad marriage where you share a last name but can’t stand each other.

This is exactly why personal growth, emotional intelligence, resilience, the whole package, beats raw technical skill every time. A leader/manager who invests in these qualities fosters an environment where people learn, grow, and actually want to stay.

On the flip side, a manager who lacks these skills can kill morale, stall careers, and make everyone miserable, no matter how big the salary. Also eventually gets ‘cancelled’ by its own team lol

So if you want to stand out in your career or lead a team that thrives, don’t just rely on your technical skills, build and invest in the mindset that makes people excited to work with you.

01/22/2025

What a full-circle moment! Around this time last year, I was stepping away from full-time entrepreneurship with a dark cloud of self-doubt hanging over me: “What am I even good at? All I’ve ever done is build companies and fail them.” Then I came across a resource from Product Marketing Alliance that gave me the confidence to dive into the world of product marketing.

To my surprise, everyone I spoke with during that transition helped me connect the same dots, and PMA’s resources confirmed this.

There are plenty of lessons in this short story, but this post is all about a special announcement: next month, I’ll be speaking at the PMA Summit in Austin alongside this incredible lineup of speakers (https://lnkd.in/gDdSwfa6)!

I also have the chance to bring someone along with me. So if you’re based in Austin and work as a PMM, hit me up.

Plus, if you sign up using my code, you’ll get 20% off your event pass. DM me to get a sign up link.

I’m super excited to see some of you there and CANNOT WAIT FOR 2025 to unfold even more opportunities to contribute and learn together!

12/19/2024

LISTEN UP: Shift the focus inward. Define what success and happiness mean to you and write it down, revisit it often, and let that guide your decisions. Develop habits that build self-trust, such as keeping small promises to yourself, celebrating private wins, and practicing gratefulness for who you are without external validation. Here’s to letting go of all that’s holding you back!!

12/14/2024

Full circle moment! ♥️♥️♥️

11/21/2024

Crash course on how to manifest luck in 2025 🫡

Hira Saeed

08/15/2025

07/10/2025

06/11/2025

05/17/2025

02/06/2025

02/03/2025

01/27/2025

01/23/2025

01/22/2025

12/19/2024

12/14/2024

11/21/2024

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