Melody L.

Melody L.

5.0

Yale University Logo

Studied at Yale University

Coursera Logo

Worked at Coursera

Available Monday at 5:00 AM UTC

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About Melody

Hi, I’m Melody—a product leader, hiring manager, entrepreneur, coach, and lifelong advocate for growth and learning. With over a decade of experience in Product Management, EdTech, AI, and startups, I’ve dedicated my career to solving meaningful problems and empowering people to thrive. At Coursera, I grew my career from leading products to leading people, where I managed all IC PM hiring processes and collaborated with my senior PM team to create impactful learning experiences to over 155 million learners worldwide. Before that, I led product and design at two enterprise SaaS startups, excelling at finding and scaling Product-Market Fit. Whether advancing education with generative AI or nailing PMF as a trailblazer, my mission has always been to unlock human potential and make a meaningful difference. Alongside my work as a product leader, I’ve worn many hats: ICF-trained coach, entrepreneur, angel investor, and non-profit leader. These roles have shaped how I approach growth—not just professionally, but holistically. Outside of work, I’m an avid snowboarder, climber, watercolor enthusiast, and improviser. You’ll often find me exploring trails with my husband or nurturing my ever-growing collection of plants. These passions keep me grounded and remind me of the importance of balance and mindfulness in a fast-paced world. I’d love to support you in finding your path, building confidence, and creating a life that aligns with your values.

Why do I coach?

Growing up in a family of educators, I learned early on how transformative mentorship can be and decided my life mission is to help people fulfill their full potential. That value has guided me throughout my journey, where I’ve built a career in EdTech, grew into a people leader, and mentored professionals and students through both my work and non-profit initiatives—helping them navigate career transitions, find their leadership voice, and discover their passions. I’ve also been on the other side. During my own journey from individual contributor to people leader, I leaned on mentors who helped me uncover my values, navigate tough decisions, and find clarity during uncertain times. These experiences reinforced my belief that with the right guidance and actionable steps, everyone has the potential to thrive. My coaching style is grounded in empathy and clarity—I listen deeply, challenge thoughtfully, and help clients take meaningful steps forward with a structured approach. Whether you’re a middle-career PM stepping into leadership, a startup founder navigating product-market fit, an entry-level PM sharpening your strategy and metrics, or a student exploring your path, I create a space where you feel supported and empowered to make meaningful changes in your life and career. Seeing people unlock their potential and take charge of their journeys is what inspires me. That’s why I coach.

Work Experience

Coursera Logo

Group Product Manager

Coursera

March 2021 - July 2024

Hiring Manager

As the head of learner experience & engagement at Coursera, I led and managed a team of Senior and Staff PMs building mobile, core learning, i18n, and notification experiences on Coursera so learners can “learn without limit”. Top product wins: - AI Coach: Launched from 0 to #M active users, resulting in a 9.5% higher assessment success rate and 11.6% more lesson completions, driving our vision for personalized learning at scale. - ML Translations: Deployed translations for 4K courses in 12 languages, generating +$##M in international revenue within 6 months. - Mobile Growth: Raised native mobile app ratings from 3.9 to 4.7, added gamification, and increased mobile revenue by +50% YoY in 2023 with reduced staff. - Coursera Labs: Launched Labs from 0-1, unified multiple hands-learning platforms through partnership & acquisition. Labs boosted skills efficacy by +30%, and was featured as a core product differentiator on Coursera’s S1 in 2021. Leadership highlights: - Developed Coursera’s Generative AI Strategy for learner-facing experiences in early 2023, highlighted as an HBS case study and shaped 2023-24 roadmaps across the product org. - Led and landed a $##M multi-year strategy for Coursera Labs across product & content, revolutionized Coursera’s content engine by scaling up a new expert-led content marketplace. - Led IC PM hiring across NAMER in FY23, introduced pool-based hiring and rubric design, and 2x hiring velocity. - Created PM playbooks on PMF, product metrics, and data-driven decisions, serving as the go-to expert on PMF and metrics. - Pioneered top estaff PLG bets such as Coursera Hiring Solution, a $1B market opportunity to connect learners to entry-level jobs.

Coursera Logo

Staff Product Manager

Coursera

September 2019 - March 2021

Admissions Committee Experience

0-1 PMed Coursera Labs, a browser-based hands-on learning platform with free access to real-world tools including VSCode, Jupyter Notebook, and GPU. Promoted from Senior PM to Staff PM within a year. Expanded scope to lead all hands-on learning product & content portfolio, helping millions of learners learn, practice, and assess through real-world projects.

Minds Matter Bay Area Logo

Chief Impact Officer

Minds Matter Bay Area

2018 - 2021

Hiring Manager

Minds Matter is a K12 nonprofit that helps low-income high school students better pursue their college & career dreams through mentorship. I joined the executive steering team as Chief Impact Officer in 2019-2021 and led ops, data, and technology for 90+ students and 320+ volunteers through the pandemic.

Employee Channel Logo

Head of Product

Employee Channel

August 2017 - September 2019

Hiring Manager

EmployeeChannel is a B2B2C enterprise SaaS startup that offers mobile apps for employee engagement and communication. I led both product and UX design to build the enterprise-grade product portfolio: - native iOS and Android apps for employees - a web content management platform for leadership, managers and admins - AI-powered coaching and analytics platform for employee communications The startup was co-founded by former Apple executives, backed by Emergence Cap and Mohr Davidow Ventures and acquired in early 2020.

Pixlee Logo

Head of Product

Pixlee

March 2016 - August 2017

Admissions Committee Experience

Pixlee is a leading Social UGC (User-Generated Content), Ratings & Reviews, and Influencer Marketing platform for community-driven brands. I was the first PM hire at Pixlee and part of the 7-ppl executive team. I helped Pixlee build a result-driven product culture and launch two new business lines to fuel its growth post Series A. Pixlee was acquired by Emplifi in 2022.

Oracle Logo

Program Manager

Oracle

June 2014 - February 2016

PM for Oracle Cloud and ZFS Storage Appliance

Microsoft Logo

Program Manager Intern

Microsoft

February 2013 - July 2013

PM for MSFT Networking products

Bain & Company Logo

Intern

Bain & Company

October 2011 - March 2012

Helped Fortune 500 CPG clients develop their go-to-market strategy in Asia

Education

Yale University Logo

Yale University

Master of Science (M.S.), Computer Science

Grade: 4.0/4.0 Academic Focus: Database Systems, Data Mining, Artificial Intelligence

Melody was also personally admitted to

  • Columbia University Logo

    Columbia University

  • Carnegie Mellon University Logo

    Carnegie Mellon University

3 Reviews

Overall Rating

5.0


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Melody L.

Melody L.

5.0

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