This is wild!

Bryan Helmig LIVE shows how to turn AI models into real agents using MCP and Zapier to send Slack messages, draft emails, and automate workflows without writing a single line of code.

-

Brought to you by:

Amplitude: Try their 2-minute assessment of your company’s digital maturity

Maven: Get $100 off their courses with code AAKASHxMAVEN

Product Faculty: Get $500 off the AI PM certification with code AAKASH25

In this episode:

Why Should People Watch This Podcast – 00:00:00

Ads – 00:01:34

What is MCP (Model Context Protocol) – 00:03:03

Does MCP Only Work with Anthropic? – 00:04:33

Why Zapier’s Take on MCP Matters – 00:05:43

Live Demo 1: AI Agent Sends Slack Message via MCP – 00:07:52

The Real Limitations of MCP and LLMs – 00:11:27

Live Demo 2: ChatGPT Drafts Gmail Replies Automatically – 00:15:56

Live Demo 3: Claude-Powered Slack Bot That Responds with Jokes – 00:23:18

Ad – 00:30:06

Why AI Needs Structure (Not Freeform Outputs) – 00:30:53

How Zapier Builds AI Features for the Real World – 00:31:54

How Zapier Structures Teams Around AI Work – 00:36:28

Zapier’s Culture of Fast AI Prototyping – 00:39:03

-

Where to Find Bryan

LinkedIn

Zapier

Zapier AI agents

Zapier MCP

-

Email productgrowthppp at gmail.com to discuss advertising or guest opportunities.

-

I hope you enjoyed the last episode with Lewis Lin (where we discussed how to nail Product Management Interviews). Up next, we have episodes with:

Kate Syuma - Ex. Head of Growth Design at Miro

David Pereira - Author of Untrapping Product Teams

Dr. Bart Jaworski - Senior PM, 125K+ on LinkedIn

I’m so excited to share them with all of you.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.news.aakashg.com/subscribe

Model Context Protocol (MCP) Explained for Product Managers in 2026

The Growth Podcast

Model Context Protocol (MCP) Explained for Product Managers in 2026