I remember sitting in one of my first stand-ups at my product marketing internship, listening to ideas flying across teams, growth, content, product, and success. Everyone spoke openly, even about what didn’t work. People were talking about a campaign flop, asked for help, and gave feedback. There was no judgment, no awkward silence, no posturing.
And I remember thinking: This is what psychological safety looks like, and I’ve never experienced anything like this before, even as an intern.
Product marketing often looks shiny on the outside: clean messaging frameworks, glossy launch decks, beautifully orchestrated campaigns. But under the surface, it’s an exercise in constant collaboration, vulnerability, and iteration.
And unless your team feels safe to show up honestly to ask questions, give feedback, challenge assumptions, you’re only scratching the surface of what’s possible.
The unspoken variable in product marketing performance
Let’s face it, product marketing is messy, especially as an intern when you have no direct experience. You’re the bridge between so many teams, each with its own KPIs, opinions, and expectations. You’re tasked with aligning messaging, launching features, enabling sales, tracking performance… all while maintaining consistency and voice.
In that environment, confidence isn’t always a matter of clarity. A PMM might nod in agreement during a product sync but privately think the messaging direction feels off. They might hold back questions for fear of “not sounding strategic enough.”
They might spend hours polishing a deck, not because it’s better, but because they don’t feel safe showing a rough draft. I’ve seen this happen not just in others, but in myself, especially in my first few weeks as a PMM intern.
What psychological safety actually feels like
The term “psychological safety” gets thrown around a lot these days, but let me put it in plain words from someone still learning the ropes:
It’s the feeling of knowing that when you speak up, you won’t be shut down. That, when you mess up, you’ll be helped, not humiliated. That, when you share something half-baked, someone will help shape it, not dismiss it.
That’s what I experienced at ABC Fitness’s Trainerize, a company where I interned as part of the product-led growth team. Under the leadership of Jennifer Zhen, Paula Bartiz, and Lacey Ford, I was encouraged to take ownership, bring fresh ideas, and challenge long-held assumptions.
And it wasn’t performative. It wasn’t, “Sure, go ahead.” It was, “Yes, bring that to our next GTM meeting, let’s hear you present it.”
I even took the initiative to host a company-wide internal session with a Sr. Manager and VP of Culture, focusing on psychological safety as part of the DEBI initiative.
What happened when I felt safe to speak up
One of my main projects was working on making a Quarterly Summer Round-Up for majors features across the coaches. The original draft felt… okay. But something about the way we were presenting its value didn’t sit right with me.
It felt too generic. Too focused on functionality and not enough on the emotional win for coaches.
So I rewrote it. Proposed a new framing based on real feedback we’d seen from coaches: for example, for the Custom Form feature, the idea was “Custom Forms weren’t just about capturing answers, they were about building trust with clients from Day One and whenever they want.”
I hesitated before sharing it. I wasn’t sure if I was overstepping or if I had missed some product nuance.
But I shared it anyway. And the response? “This is strong. let’s test it.” We did. And adoption of the feature increased more than we expected.
More than the result, it was the trust that stuck with me. I didn’t feel like an intern who got lucky. I felt like a PMM-in-the-making, being taken seriously.
Psychological safety across cultures and communities
At Yudi J Academy, where I work with a content-led team across podcasts, course marketing, and community building, the dynamics are different, but the need for safety is the same.
Here, I’ve had to work across content creators, operations, brand partnership leads, and even brand collaborators. We often operate asynchronously, across time zones, cultures, and experience levels.
One of our biggest challenges was launching a storytelling-driven landing page that felt authentic to our audience but still converted.
I flagged early that some of the copy we had planned felt a bit too “tech-bro” for our Gen Z-heavy learner base. It was an uncomfortable conversation, especially since I wasn’t part of the original brainstorm.
But the team didn’t flinch. They said, “Tell us more.” We ran a lightweight survey with 15 real users. And we rewrote the page this time, focusing on curiosity, relatability, and shared struggle. We hit our highest conversion week that quarter. But more importantly, we created something we were proud of.
What happens without safety? A lot goes unsaid
I’ve also been in rooms earlier in my career where psychological safety was nowhere to be found. Where ideas were ignored unless they came from someone “senior”, messaging was locked in by one stakeholder, and no one questioned it, or every discussion felt like walking on eggshells.
And here’s the truth: In those environments, I didn’t grow. I complied. I conformed. I kept quiet. And that version of me could never become the PMM I am trying to be.
What leaders (and interns) can do to build safety
Whether you’re a senior PMM or a new hire, you play a role in creating a psychologically safe space. Here’s what I’ve learned works:
If you’re a leader:
- Share your mistakes. It’s not a weakness. It’s leadership.
- Ask for feedback publicly, not just in private 1:1s.
- Say “I don’t know” more often. It permits others to be honest.
- Don’t reward only “wins”, recognize thoughtful failures, too.
If you’re early in your career:
- Ask for feedback early, not just when things are “done.”
- Thank people when they challenge you.
- Say “I’m unsure, but here’s what I’m thinking.”
- Offer help even when you’re not an expert.
It’s not about being perfect. It’s about creating momentum for honesty, curiosity, and trust.
Final reflections: Safe teams win deeper
Psychological safety isn’t just a feel-good HR trend. It’s what allows product marketing teams to move faster, think deeper, and launch better/ Because when people feel safe, they don’t just comply. they create.
They bring the bolder headline, question the stale positioning, and push for what the customer actually wants, not just what the exec slide says.
As I wrap up my two internships and step into the next phase of my PMM journey, this is the lesson I’ll carry with me:
The most valuable metric for a product marketing team isn’t win rate or campaign CTR, it’s how safe people feel in the room when they’re still figuring things out.
Thanks to the teams at Trainerize and Yudi J Academy for giving me that space. And to future PMMs reading this: I hope you find (or help build) the kind of team where you can speak before you’re sure and grow into someone who listens deeply when others do.
That’s how we win.
