Slow Down to Accelerate: Product Strategy and Personal Vision Discussion with Amanda Key
In this episode, we explore:
Why listening comes before creating
Using data and intuition together
Building a personal “rally cry” or guiding word
Letting go of constant productivity and redefining success
The quiet confidence that grows when you honor who you are
Amanda’s honesty and heart shine through this entire conversation, and I know so many of you will see pieces of yourselves in her story.
Connect with Amanda:
Instagram- @amandakeyog
Resources:
Connect on Instagram – @cat.roten
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There are conversations that feel aligned… And then there are conversations that feel like divine timing.
This episode with my friend Amanda was the latter.
We met two and a half years ago at Powerhouse Women, both attending for the first time, both walking in knowing absolutely no one. Since then, so much has shifted for both of us. Careers. Identity. Confidence. Boundaries. Energy.
And this year in particular? It’s been a transformation year.
What I loved most about our conversation is how seamlessly we moved between product innovation frameworks, personal vision planning, slowing down, and… getting a 4-pound Yorkie.
Because growth doesn’t live in just one lane. It’s layered.
The Framework that Works in Business & Life
Amanda has spent 10+ years in product development, leading innovation, building brands, taking trends and consumer insights and turning them into products people actually want.
One of her core frameworks is simple but powerful:
Listen. Link. Launch.
Listen to the data.
Link insights to strategy.
Launch and refine.
And as she was explaining it, I had this moment.
We don’t just skip the listening phase in product development.
We skip it in our own lives.
As entrepreneurs especially, we get an idea and immediately want to build it. Launch it. Sell it. Share it.
But what if we paused first?
When I created IME (Immersion Mastermind Experience), it didn’t come from me deciding I wanted another offer. It came from listening. Women who attended my immersion said, “We want more time with you.”
That was the data. Then I linked it to strategy. Then I launched.
The same principle applies to your personal growth. You don’t build a vision in a vacuum. You listen to what’s stirring in you first.
The Shift that Changed Everything: Creating a Plan for Herself
One of the biggest shifts Amanda made this year was something so simple and so many of us never do it.
She creates strategic plans for million-dollar businesses. AND she created one for herself.
She took a solo trip. Sat in a coffee shop. Asked herself:
How do I want to feel this year?
What does the next version of me look like?
What is my rally cry?
Then she reverse engineered it.
Vision → Strategy → Tactics → Timing → Monthly Check-ins.
Exactly like she would for a brand.
And here’s the truth: this is what separates wishful thinking from transformation.
You are only at a loss if you don’t have a plan.
But here’s what we both emphasized… the plan isn’t rigid. It’s adjustable. The world moves fast. You revisit. You pivot. You refine.
Momentum beats perfection every time.
Welcoming a Puppy and How That can Shift You
Let’s talk about Winston. Because this part matters more than it seems.
After getting out of a relationship, Amanda made a bold decision: she got a 10-week-old Yorkie.
And at first? Anxiety. Doubt. “What did I just do?”
But she decided to approach it the same way:
Week by week.
If it doesn’t work, we adjust.
Everything is figureoutable.
What happened next wasn’t just about dog training. It softened her. It slowed her down.
It forced her to be present. To be selfless. To receive unconditional love in a way she hadn’t before.
And this is where the conversation got real.
Because before Winston, she was in hustle mode. ROI thinking. Productivity as identity. If it wasn’t advancing her, it wasn’t worth doing.
I resonated deeply with that. Do you?
For over a decade, I read zero fiction. Everything had to be strategic. Educational. Forward-moving. Hustle.
And then this year? I stopped.
I read romantasy novels.
I took podcast breaks.
I slowed down (some at least)
And something wild happened: The quality of my work improved. Not declined. Improved. Because clarity lives in spaciousness.
Slowing Down to Accelerate
One of the biggest lies high performers believe: “If I slow down, I’ll fall behind.”
What we’ve both learned this year? If you’re aligned, slowing down makes you sharper.
More strategic.
More innovative.
More intentional.
When Amanda stopped operating from hustle and started operating from clarity, her leadership improved.
When I stopped saying yes to everything that looked good on paper, better opportunities aligned.
You don’t lose momentum by slowing down. You refine it.
Sometimes growth comes from doing something that scares you and then choosing to stay committed to it. Sometimes that is as simple as choosing yourself.
Cat Roten
Intuitive Leader & Mentor