Melissa Appel
Special guest
Melissa is a consultant who helps product teams go from reactive ticket takers to creating proactive value-based product strategy. She has spent over 20 years in product management, and co-authored a book on stakeholder management called “Aligned”. You can find her on LinkedIn or at ApertureProduct.com.
Melissa Appel has been a guest on 1 episode.
-
Playing DevRel's Advocate (Ep 104)
May 27th, 2026 | 35 mins 6 secs
community management, developer experience, developer relations, devrel
In this episode of Community Pulse, we discuss the challenge DevRel teams face when raising concerns internally. Because they’re closely connected to the developer community, they often spot issues before anyone else — but speaking up too often can make them seem overly negative or resistant to change. We explore how to communicate concerns effectively, maintain credibility with stakeholders, and continue advocating for the community without becoming “the person who always pumps the brakes.”