The Digital PM Summit 2025 reminded me why I love this work

There’s something about being back in a room full of project managers that just feels right. Maybe it’s the shared language of people and process, or maybe it’s the collective sigh of relief when someone else admits they’ve had a project go off the rails, too. Whatever it is, the Digital PM Summit 2025 reminded me why I love this community and why I’ve never stopped believing in it.

This year, I had the honor of emceeing the event. My job was to keep things running, introduce speakers, thank sponsors, and keep the energy up. But honestly, the audience did most of that for me. The room was alive: full of laughter, curiosity, and “oh, that’s so me” moments. I didn’t have to coax anyone into participation; people jumped right in. That’s the magic of this group.

Day 1: energy, empathy, and AI

Dr. Liz Lance kicked us off with exactly what we needed: energy, practicality, and puzzles (literally). Her talk, “The Change Cheat Code,” wasn’t just a lecture about navigating change; it was an experience that immediately got people talking. She had everyone at their tables working together to solve a problem, which, in my case, we completely failed at. But that was kind of the point. Change is messy, and figuring it out together is what makes us better at it. It was the perfect way to wake everyone up and set the tone for the day.

Later in the day, Robyn Birkedal took the stage with one of my favorite talks of the entire event: “How to Speak Fluent Stakeholder.” Robyn’s blend of humor and insight was just right. She reframed the idea of “stakeholders” to include everyone involved in a project—not just clients or execs, but designers, developers, and PMs, too. It’s a simple shift in language that changes how we communicate and collaborate, and she shared tools to help herd those cats. She had the room laughing, nodding, and frantically taking notes.

To close out Day 1, Allison Worms from Seer Interactive brought us full circle with “The Empathic Edge: The New Role of AI in Project Management.” It was a fitting end to a day that had already blended people and process so beautifully. AI is impacting all of us, and Allison’s perspective reminded us that empathy is still a PM’s most valuable tool, no matter how smart the tech gets.

Day 2: mindfulness, freedom, and the future

Day 2 started on a completely different wavelength, in the best way. Matthew Fox took the stage for his first-ever keynote, “Move from Fear to Freedom.” It was equal parts performance, meditation, and leadership talk. He had us all thinking about how we show up, not just for our teams, but for ourselves. PMs are notorious for carrying stress like a badge of honor, and Matthew offered a refreshing challenge to that idea: what if we didn’t have to?

Another standout for me was Natalie Semczuk, a long-time DPM Summit alum who returned this year to talk about freelancing. Her session, “Freelance Project Management Unpacked,” was full of practical insights for both independent PMs and the folks who hire them. Seeing her evolution—from lightning talk years ago to a full session now—felt like a reflection of this community’s growth, too.

Somewhere in between, we also heard from Theresa Gutierrez Jacobs, whose lightning talk on collaborating with neurodiverse teams was short but powerful. It could have easily filled an hour. Her message—that neurodiversity isn’t a challenge to manage, but an opportunity to expand how we think and work—really landed.

By the time Philip Rowe from Google wrapped things up with “Empowering the Future of Project Management,” the room was buzzing with energy again. He reminded us that leadership, creativity, and collaboration are deeply intertwined, and that PMs have a unique seat at the table to drive all three.

Day 3: navigating change with confidence

We wrapped the week with my half-day workshop, Navigating Change with Confidence. It was a deep dive into how teams can manage change and stay aligned using the Teamangle Framework, a system we've been building over the past couple of years at Same Team Partners.

The session focused on practical ways to restore alignment for teams that feel stuck or disconnected. We talked about diagnosing issues in communication, collaboration, and culture—and then practiced having the kinds of conversations that lead to real progress. It was one of those sessions where people leaned in, shared honestly, and left with new tools they could actually use on Monday morning. For me, it was the perfect full-circle moment: from starting this event over a decade ago to helping PMs lead change with more confidence and heart.

What made this year special

I’ve said this before, but this year felt different. The conversations were deeper. The questions sharper. The energy higher. There’s something about being in person with people who get what you do, who understand the emotional weight of managing work and humans, that just can’t be replicated.

This year, Same Team Partners had the privilege of sponsoring the event — and, in true Portland fashion, we brought in Voodoo Doughnuts (a Portland classic) for the afternoon break. It was the perfect sugar-fueled reset before diving back into more great talks. Huge thanks to Carl Smith and Meredith Durham from The Bureau for making it all happen (and for running another incredible event).

When I started the first Digital PM Summit back in 2012, I hoped we’d create a space where PMs could learn and grow together. What I didn’t expect was that it would keep growing on its own, becoming a real community of people who not only care about great work, but about each other.

This event gave me a jolt of inspiration that I didn’t know I needed. I’m walking away reinvigorated — excited to keep building, writing, and helping PMs do this work better (and with more heart).

TL;DR

The Digital PM Summit 2025 proved that project management is still about people, not processes. We shared ideas, laughed a lot, and remembered that our job isn’t just to deliver work, it’s to make work work for everyone.