I'm Michelle Walstra — a decade leading product design, a year as COO of a software company. I still take products from idea to shipped, across every discipline it takes to get there.
Over a decade of design. COO-level operations. Startup speed.
Every seat — held, then led.
My job is alignment and momentum: one shared goal, obstacles removed, and teams empowered to do their best work.
AI multiplies output; taste directs it. I use it to augment teams and automate workflows — so people spend their time on the work only they can uniquely do.
Behind the builds are thirteen years of team work — leading design, a year as COO, a company-wide move to six-week cycles — and the results that came with it. All of it shipped.
The strongest evidence I can offer is other people's account of the work.
“She consistently delivers high-quality work at speed, while maintaining strong attention to detail, which has meaningfully elevated our product standards. What sets Michelle apart is her intellectual curiosity combined with her professional judgment.”
“Michelle manages timelines and priorities extremely well… She prioritizes product development and helping the engineering team, and still meets Marketing deadlines. She takes ownership and pride in any project she takes on.”
“Michelle is responsible, dependable, and always goes the extra mile… She has the ability to create a culture that promotes trust, teamwork, and excellence, and her colleagues consistently relied on her leadership and initiative. We would re-hire her immediately if she returned to South Africa.”
