Clovally – Lovely & Lively
Written by Carly Gardner O’Brien
Let’s see the world together!
Hey there, fellow adventurers! Carly here, your guide to navigating the wild ride of life with equal parts hustle and harmony. I’m a mom, a wanderlust-stricken explorer, and yes, an ovary-acting fertility warrior currently navigating the thrilling (and sometimes tear-inducing) balance of work, motherhood and health. But wait, there’s more! I’m also a product-wielding product manager, crafting magic in the world of tech, and a dedicated wellness warrior fueling my fire with clean products and a deep curiousity.
This blog is my open door, where I spill the raw, unfiltered truth about balancing spreadsheets with sunset hikes, building empires with building blocks, and nurturing my well-being while nurturing my dreams. My mission? To inspire you to find your own vibrant blend, to embrace the messy bits (those ovary-acting days!), and to chase your dreams with the same passion you chase that next travel destination.
So, grab your passport and your protein powder, because we’re about to embark on a journey that’s equal parts spreadsheets and soul-searching, product launches and mountain peaks. I’ll be your cheerleader, your confidante, and sometimes your partner-in-laughter (and maybe a few fertility-induced tears).
Recent Blog Posts
Pod 14: Casey Winters (Challenge Day 14)
Many directions I can go with the reflection on Casey Winters’s interview with Lenny. The most present and relevant direction for me right now is Casey’s advice on interviewing. I have been in the interview game for about a year now. I like to think I have heard it...
Pod 13: Nickey Skarstad (Challenge Day 13)
When I listened to Nickey’s story I felt some kind of permission granted from her. Now I am not delusion, I know she was not talking to me! But I felt like her speaking about her transitions from one company to another to find the right fit for her gave me a sense of...
Pod 12: Manik Gupta (Challenge Day 12)
I have always wondered about the product team behind Google Maps. When I was a “young” PM working at Kroger, we were experimenting with a 30 minute grocery delivery SLA for our customers. One of the features we felt really strongly about what the “Uber” concept of...
Pod 11: Merci Grace (Challenge Day 11)
I am absolutely fascinated with onboarding flows. I worked on a product where the onboarding fed the consumer’s preferences and helped us give them a more personalized experience once into the main offering. It was far from perfect but it got the job done and we saw...
Pod 10: Sanchan Saxena (Challenge Day 10)
I fully acknowledge that I am a few years behind on this challenge! So it was really interesting to hear how AirBnB had to pivot during Covid. As someone who was expecting her first baby in May of 2020 so already in a place of pivot, I had already reduce my travel...
Pod 9: Teresa Torres (Challenge Day 9)
I LOVE Teresa Torres’s story!! I also LOVE her book and all of the free content she provides through the Product Talk website. I also LOVE doing Opportunity Solution Trees. If you have not worked through an opportunity using this framework I highly recommend you take...
Pod 8: Brandon Chu (Challenge Day 8)
If you are reading this on my personal blog then you probably can tell that I am an ecommerce fan. It is a common theme in my life and career. Most of my experience building ecommerce sites was on the Shopify platform. I have been set up as a Shopify expert (now...
Pod 7: Elena Verna (Challenge Day 7)
Elena’s interview with Lenny blew me away. I literally stopped what I was doing and started taking notes. I also started researching wanting to know more!! Because I had so many juicy take-aways I thought it may be easiest to share my notes with you on this...
Pod 6: Gibson Biddle (Challenge Day 6)
You know that feeling when you experience someone for the first time and your immediate feeling is that you are intimidated but you have no idea why?! That is the feeling I had listening to Gibson. Intimidatingly intelligent. I have a feeling if I was in the same room...
Pod 5: Jackie Bavaro (Challenge Day 5)
I am so happy to be doing this challenge, as one common theme for most of the interviews so far seems to be writing. Jackie is no exception as she has written two books — Cracking the PM Interview and Cracking the PM Career. As Jackie broke into people manager roles...
the Product Manager
growth focused problem solving leader
Highly accomplished and visionary Enterprise Product Leader with 15+ years of experience driving large-scale digital innovation, global scale, and high-impact customer experiences. Expert in end-to-end product portfolio management, strategic annual planning, investment prioritization, and establishing unified OKR frameworks that translate complex visions into measurable business growth. Proven success championing user advocacy across global loyalty ecosystems, mobile apps, connected commerce, enterprise logistics, and emerging AI technologies.
Product Leadership & Vision
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Strategic Portfolio & Roadmapping: Develop and execute multi-market product strategy, investment allocation, and unified OKR frameworks to align global teams and maximize digital revenue growth.
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Cross-Functional Execution & Governance: Lead matrixed engineering, UX, analytics, and business teams through end-to-end lifecycles—from initial product discovery and requirement definition to go-to-market execution and performance tracking.
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AI & Platform Innovation: Architect product visions for Large Language Model (LLM) agent applications, predictive machine learning, and connected commerce platforms to deliver personalized, modern customer experiences.
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Complex Ecosystem Integration: Build and scale customer-facing and enterprise products spanning global loyalty programs, mobile applications, e-commerce, and heavy logistics systems.
style Gather
Curated Thrift & Vintage Clothing
Giving you the thrill of the thrift, minus the hunt. I handpick premium-quality, pre-loved fashion just for you.
We believe that the thrill of finding a gorgeous vintage jacket, a pristine designer handbag, or the perfect pair of broken-in denim shouldn’t require digging through endless, chaotic racks. You deserve a wardrobe that celebrates your unique individuality—without the environmental footprint of fast fashion or the exhausting weekend-long search.
That’s why we started Style Gather: an online boutique designed to bridge the gap between high-end curation and sustainable, pre-loved fashion.
Puzzles are just scattered pieces until you connect them to reveal the full picture. I’ve always loved the process of putting those pieces together.
Through Arya Creative, I bring together the best of both worlds—pairing a sharp creative eye with a data-driven analytical mindset
Want to see how we bring it all together? Explore our work visit our website.
Our biggest mission in life is simple: see as much of the world as we can.
Lucky for me, God knew exactly what He was doing when He brought Shawn into my life. He might actually be even more excited to explore the globe than I am—which means we’re always on the same page (and usually on the same plane!).
Now that we have kids, our travel goals have definitely shifted—but in the absolute best, most fun way possible. Watching the world through their eyes has turned every trip into a whole new adventure.
Travel is how we connect, grow, and collect unforgettable family memories, and I’m so excited to take you along on the journey with us. Welcome to our travel diary!
the community builder
Carolina Women+ in Tech®, Women in Product, ProductTank
Beyond driving digital innovation in product management, my passion lies in bringing people together to build lasting, impactful networks. As the President and Founder of Carolina Women+ in Tech—now spanning five regional chapters—and co-organizer for Product Tank Charlotte and international Women in Product initiatives, I dedicate my time to creating supportive spaces where women and technologists can connect, grow, and lead. I deeply believe that strong communities foster stronger industries, and I am committed to opening doors for the next generation of tech leaders.
Carolina Women+ in Tech®
Women in Product Charlotte
ProductTank Charlotte
request a chat
we will have a good time
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