Let’s Start with People

Everything in project management begins and ends with people.

I’ve learned this the hard way through experiences where people lifted me up and gave me room to grow, and through others where I felt stuck, only understanding why in hindsight.

I’m Anastasiya Valnova, and I’m deeply interested in people: how they think, how they work, how they navigate the messy, uncertain reality of managing projects.

That’s what this project is really about.

The Story Behind PMtoPM

I’ve worked in different kinds of environments:

Places with no clear role boundaries. Where the longer you stay, the more you take on. Where responsibilities blur and grow until you can’t tell where your role ends anymore.

Places where the role is defined, but there’s no one to learn from. You’re a manager, sure. But there’s no knowledge sharing. No one to validate your thinking or challenge your approach. You’re alone in figuring it out.

And places where I could create my own learning space. Where I found people I could learn from. Where I could validate my experience, test my thinking, and discuss real cases with others who understood.

The difference wasn’t the company or the project. It was the people. Different perspectives. Different values. Different contexts. All valid.

Here’s the truth: tiny pieces of advice helped me grow from “some kind of manager” to an independent, confident project manager.

I’d be lying if I said my mission is only to spread knowledge and help you grow. That sounds noble, but it’s not quite honest. That’s not the full truth.

I’m doing this because:

(a)

It’s my idea, and I’m genuinely fascinated by it. Deep, authentic, long-term interest – that’s rare currency. When you find it, you protect that spark.

(b)

I want the stories. I want the connections. I want to spread the mindset that we get better by learning from each other, not by pretending we have all the answers.

(c)

I want to build a space where you can find your boundaries. Where a tip either supports you or challenges you. Where you read something and think “yes, exactly this” or “I categorically disagree”.

If you’re as curious as I am, if you’re interested in how other PMs actually think and work, if you share this belief that real experience matters more than polished theory – then this is your place.


This is where we start.

Any mission?

We collect practical wisdom from project managers doing the work. The kind you only get through trial, error, and reflection. This isn’t a library of best practices or recycled frameworks. It’s a space where PMs share what actually happened, what they learned, and how their thinking changed. You’ll find tips that either validate your approach or challenge it completely. Both matter. Because we get better by learning from each other’s experience, wins and losses, not by pretending there’s one right way to do this work.

Who Am I?

I’m Anastasiya Valnova, a Project and Team Manager with 5 years of experience in this role, mostly in product environments – startups and small companies up to 150 people.

My path:

  • Started in bioinformatics (loved healthcare).
  • Moved through fintech/blockchain and social app domains.
  • Stepped into outsourcing software development (that was a shocking but valuable experience).
  • Worked closely with 40+ developers and QA engineers.
  • Collaborated with 4 vendor teams.

How I grew:

  • Got ICU coaching specialization to improve people management.
  • Became a full-stack engineer after a 1-year course (wanted to understand development, architecture, and CI/CD flows deeply).
  • Earned PSPO certification.

Coming Soon

The first interviews are in production. I’m talking to PMs about stakeholder management, decision-making under uncertainty, and learning from project failures.

Subscribe to get notified when they go live.

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