The Hidden Work Behind Growing a Product People Trust

Episode Overview: In this episode, the Tern team kicks off the first Flight Path episode of 2026 with a holiday recap and a look at what’s already shipping in the product. David Shull (CEO and co-founder), Brad Turner (Head of Design), and Molly Johnson (Head of Product) dive into dashboard time zone fixes, a new beta tool for merging duplicate bookings, and recent quality of life improvements. From doubling product velocity to focusing on advisors, agencies, and supplier integrations, it’s a clear look at where Tern is headed this year.Episode Topics: (00:00) Welcome back to Flight Path David introduces the podcast, the team, and what listeners can expect in 2026.(01:17) Holiday and life updates Molly shares Theo’s first birthday, Brad talks about starting the surrogate journey, and David reflects on preparing for twins.(04:31) Dashboard time zone fixes Reporting numbers now reflect your local time, with prompts to confirm or update time zones when needed.(06:53) Duplicate bookings tool beta Admins can now view and merge potential duplicate bookings, helping clean up data after imports or migrations.(10:39) Why deduping matters The team explains how this unlocks better integrations and smoother agency and host migrations.(13:11) Quality of life updates AISIS no longer creates extra empty flight legs, and property search now highlights enhanced listings.(15:03) 2026 operating goal Tern aims to double shipping velocity using better structure, tooling, and AI.(24:41) Engineering structure changes Engineers now work in focused pairs to increase parallel progress and weekly shipping.(32:00) 2026 product pillars The team outlines three focus areas: best platform for advisors, winning with agencies of any size, and deeper supplier integrations.(39:31) Supplier integrations ahead Momentum continues with insurance and other supplier integrations to help advisors sell faster.(42:47) Week ahead Brad heads to South Africa, Molly works on agency lead tracking, and David focuses on the new website and marketing improvements.Show Highlights: Local time zone reporting is now live on the dashboardNew beta tool helps merge duplicate bookingsAISIS flight creation issues resolvedEnhanced property listings are easier to identifyClear 2026 roadmap focused on speed, quality, and scale