David Gerard is one of Silicon Valley's most sought-after magicians and mentalists, performing over 90 shows annually for Fortune 500 companies and tech industry leaders. Before pursuing magic full-time, David spent 12 years in tech, starting at Google where he worked on flagship products including YouTube, AdWords, and Google Play, before leading growth and marketing initiatives at Discord and Aalto. Now, David combines his expertise in product growth with his mastery of psychological principles from magic, consulting with series A and B startups while maintaining a rigorous performance schedule that includes over 60 shows at Hollywood's prestigious Magic Castle. His unique background bridging tech and magic makes him a distinctive voice on user psychology, attention, and engagement.

In our conversation, we unpack:

• A magician's secret for creating engaging experiences

• How magic shows achieve retention (and what products can learn from it)

• The misdirection technique that can transform user experiences

• What magicians know about building trust that most companies miss

• The surprising way performers make experiences feel personalized at scale

From Google to the stage, David Gerard has mastered both tech product growth and performance magic. In this episode, he reveals the psychological principles behind great magic shows and how product teams can apply them to create experiences users can't look away from. A must-listen for growth, product and design leaders looking to add a touch of magic to their user experience.

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Learn more about Kristen and Irrational Labs⁠here⁠.

Orson Scott Card is the author of Ender’s Game, one of the most influential science fiction novels ever written, and its sequel Speaker for the Dead, among other bestselling works. Ender’s Game is widely read in schools across the US and has been included in some educational curricula. In our conversation, we explore:

• His approach to creating page-turners: Why telling users what's coming beats clever "hooks"

• His method of ensuring the reader understands his writing (great for design teams)

• His unique perspective to character development that could help with customer interviews

• The one trick Orson uses for getting real feedback

This episode teaches product teams how to apply storytelling principles to build more engaging, intuitive products. Whether you're working on marketing, user experience, or team leadership, Orson Scott Card's insights on crafting immersive narratives that respect both audience and reality offer valuable lessons for anyone building products people love (and pay for).

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Learn more about Kristen and Irrational Labs⁠here⁠.

Kristina Gibson most recently was the CPO at Dott, accelerating their growth to over 100M rides annually. She led the merger with TIER to form Europe’s largest e-bike and scooter operator.

She is a former Director of Product at Booking.com, where she pioneered user growth strategy across global markets. As an early product leader at Lyft, she architected the company's expansion into new cities and innovative verticals.

At Eventbrite, Kristina transformed the business from a US-only operation to a powerhouse platform across 20+ markets, founding and scaling teams throughout Europe and Latin America.

Kristina began her career at Intuit, building international payments that transformed how small businesses pay vendors across borders. When Mint.com was acquired by Intuit, she drove their expansion into new markets. She holds five patents.

In this episode, we explore:

When to rely on A/B tests compared to taking bigger strategic bets

The hidden psychology behind last-minute purchase decisions

Why showing unavailable options can drive more conversions

The unexpected power of surfacing micro-details in product listings

How to balance user preferences with innovation risks

This episode is packed with insights from a trailblazing product leader who has run thousands of experiments at top product growth companies. It's essential listening for teams looking to shape user behavior through thoughtful product decisions.

Enjoy this episode? Rate it and leave a review. It really helps others find the podcast.
Learn more about Kristen and Irrational Labs ⁠here⁠.