Mary Thengvall
Co-Host of Community Pulse
Mary Thengvall is a connector of people at heart, personally and professionally. She loves digging into the strategy of how to build and foster developer communities and has been doing so for over 10 years. Mary is the Director of Developer Relations at Camunda, an open source process automation platform. She's the author of The Business Value of Developer Relations (© 2018, Apress).
Mary Thengvall has hosted 103 Episodes.
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After Pulse: Playing DevRel's Advocate
June 12th, 2026 | 15 mins 31 secs
community management, developer experience, developer relations, devrel
In this After Pulse the hosts get into what it's actually like to be the odd one out in the room, the person who can see the bigger picture when everyone else is heads down on their own slice of the problem. They share personal anecdoates about trying to get stakeholders to zoom out, see who a decision actually impacts, and what's worked and what hasn't when you're the one connecting dots nobody else is putting together yet.
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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.”
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2025 End of Year Wrap-Up (Ep 102)
January 7th, 2026 | 31 mins 16 secs
community management, developer experience, developer relations, devrel
In this year-end episode, we’re reflecting on our 2025 DevRel conversations and the themes that defined the year. We revisit key insights from our guests, look at how the DevRel landscape continued to evolve, and call out the lessons that showed up again and again across our episodes. It’s also a moment to thank our guests and listeners who made the show possible. Whether you joined us for one episode or all of them, this wrap-up looks back on where DevRel has been in 2025 and ahead to what’s coming next.
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Non-tech Communities That Inform Our DevRel Activities (Ep 101)
November 7th, 2025 | 38 mins 58 secs
community management, developer experience, developer relations, devrel
Our lived experiences often inform our work. This is true in the world of DevRel as well. Whether you have organized a church group, been in a band, or put together a big party - some of those experiences will leak over into how you see community and how you work in the Developer Relations world.”
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After Pulse: What's Changed Since Community Pulse Started!
October 3rd, 2025 | 33 mins 6 secs
community management, developer experience, developer relations, devrel
We’re reflecting on how the show has evolved, from adding Pulse and tightening our structure to getting comfortable recording without guests. We also look back at the biggest shifts in DevRel over the past decade (no, you can’t say AI), share thoughts on where the industry is headed, and dig into highlights from the Decade of DevRel report.
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What's Changed Since the Community Pulse Started! (Ep 100)
September 26th, 2025 | 1 hr 1 min
community management, developer experience, developer relations, devrel
It’s been 10 years since the start of Community Pulse and, appropriately enough, we’ve reached the milestone of 100 episodes. To celebrate, we invited Jono Bacon -- our very first guest on the show -- and SJ Morris -- a former host of the show -- to join us and reminisce about changes in the DevRel industry as well as how we’ve changed personally and professionally over the last 10 years. We’ll laugh a little… cry a little… and as always, learn a lot along the way.
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DevRel Tooling (Ep 99)
August 9th, 2025 | 30 mins 32 secs
community management, developer experience, developer relations, devrel
In this episode, Jason, Wesley, and Mary share some of our favorite tools of the trade—from live streaming setups and demo-building tricks to the software and hardware we rely on for recording videos and tracking metrics. Join us for a practical, behind-the-scenes look at the gear and workflows that help us connect with developers and communities every day.
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Work/Life Blur: Navigating the Grey (Ep 98)
June 6th, 2025 | 29 mins 16 secs
community management, developer experience, developer relations, devrel
Sometimes work stretches beyond “normal” hours, and while we might welcome that when we’re energized by the project, other times it’s a real struggle. In this episode, Jason, PJ, and Mary unpack the difference between working late because we love the job versus doing it just to meet a deadline. They also explore how to recognize when those long hours are a sign of a toxic environment or poor prioritization—and what we can do to push back.
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Vibing on Vibe Coding (Ep 97)
May 23rd, 2025 | 28 mins 49 secs
community management, developer experience, developer relations, devrel
"Vibe coding" is gaining traction as a new way to approach software development—but what does it actually mean? In this episode, we unpack the term, explore how it's shaping the developer experience, and examine its potential to transform developer relations. We'll break down the pros and cons, from faster workflows to new challenges in communication and code quality, and discuss what this shift means for DevRel professionals today and in the future.
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The Decline of Technical Influencers (Ep 96)
April 15th, 2025 | 50 mins 52 secs
community management, developer experience, developer relations, devrel
There has been a lot of chat about the decline of the tech influencer. Where have they all gone? Is tech influence too heavy or too light? PJ, Mary, Wesley, and Jason share their opinions about “capital I” Influencers and where DevRel falls into all of this.
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Looking Back on 2024 and Ahead to 2025 (Ep 94)
February 21st, 2025 | 27 secs
community management, developer experience, developer relations, devrel
The team takes a look back at 2024 and ahead to 2025.
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What is Maturity? (Ep 91)
November 18th, 2024 | 26 mins 25 secs
community management, developer experience, developer relations, devrel
Recently, the topic of DevRel maturity sparked a conversation: What qualities define a mature community and a seasoned team? Join PJ, Jason, Mary, and Wesley as they share their insights on past experiences, current trends shaping the field, and key indicators to monitor as you strive to build a thriving, successful community.
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After Pulse: Bouncing from DevRel
May 21st, 2024 | 18 mins 40 secs
community management, developer experience, developer relations, devrel
This conversation follows up on our discussion about the noteworthy changes in Developer Relations over recent years and how many of our friends and colleagues have chosen to leverage their DevRel skills in new and exciting ways.
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Bouncing from DevRel (Ep 89)
May 15th, 2024 | 44 mins 24 secs
community management, developer experience, developer relations, devrel
Developer Relations has gone through quite a few changes over the last few years. In that vein, some people have found new skills in the ever-evolving world of tech. Along their journey, they moved away from DevRel, but still use those abilities in new ways. So, what is it like when you bounce from DevRel?
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After Pulse: Live Streaming
April 12th, 2024 | 20 mins 13 secs
community management, developer experience, developer relations, devrel
Our hosts elaborate on the notion that, apart from speaking engagements, much of the work undertaken by DevRel professionals remains backstage, yet through live streaming, they can learn publicly and involve community members, overcoming concerns and fostering engaging content for community learning.
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Live Streaming (Ep 88)
April 5th, 2024 | 46 mins 32 secs
community management, developer experience, developer relations, devrel
With the exception of speaking at conferences, much of what we do as DevRel professionals is behind-the-scenes. However, with live streaming, we’re able to not only learn in public, but bring our community members into the experience.
While this can be intimidating, and lead to questions like “what if I make a mistake?” - or - “What if I don’t know all the answers?” - or - “How do I make sure I come across as knowledgeable while I’m also learning?” it can also be a great way to create engaging content that helps your community learn alongside you.