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The Backchannel: Confidential PM Cohort
14 Weeks
·Cohort-based Course
A 3-month, weekly, curated small peer group for PMs to accelerate their career success with group discussion and expert mentorship.
The Backchannel: Confidential PM Cohort
14 Weeks
·Cohort-based Course
A 3-month, weekly, curated small peer group for PMs to accelerate their career success with group discussion and expert mentorship.
Course overview
Transform from a highly capable PM to a thriving and growing leader.
Confident Decision-Making: You'll work through real-world product challenges with expert guidance and peer feedback, helping you build the muscle for fast, well-informed decisions.
Career Clarity & Planning: Sessions will include forward-looking career planning exercises, giving participants actionable strategies to navigate promotions, job transitions, and long-term growth.
Elite Peer Network: Connect with a curated group of PMs from diverse tech companies, fostering deep connections that provide ongoing professional support beyond the course.
Real-Time Problem Solving: Bring live product or career dilemmas to the table and leave with tangible solutions, benefitting from a variety of perspectives and industry best practices.
Exclusive Expert Mentorship: Learn directly from Tom Leung, an industry veteran with Google and startup experience, ensuring you receive battle-tested advice tailored to your needs.
Safe, Confidential Space: The program’s strict confidentiality policy allows participants to discuss sensitive challenges openly, without fear of judgment or exposure.
By the end of the program, you’ll leave with sharpened product skills, a clear career roadmap, and the confidence to tackle complex product and leadership challenges head-on.
Backchannel is for L4-L7 product managers ready to tackle real challenges, grow strategically, and advance their careers.
01
PM's navigating a variety of challenges from work-life balance, to landing winning launches, to managing up and across.
02
PMs in tech who seek candid peer feedback, expert guidance, and actionable strategies to solve product and career challenges.
03
PMs from diverse companies and projects, sparking fresh insights, cross-pollination, and new strategies through shared experiences.
What you’ll get out of this course
Master Complex Product Challenges with Confidence
In each session, you’ll work through real-world product challenges brought by your cohort or yourself. Using frameworks, peer collaboration, and personalized feedback, you'll walk away with practical solutions you can immediately apply. Expect to sharpen your problem-solving skil
Gain Clarity on Your Career Path
Whether you’re aiming for promotion, pivoting roles, or leveling up in your current position, you’ll engage in structured exercises to map out 1- to 5-year career goals. Walk away with a clear, actionable plan and the feedback needed to make better strategic career decisions.
Broaden Perspectives Through Cross-Industry Insights
Exposure to peers from different companies and industries unlocks creative solutions and fresh strategies. Learn how product decisions vary across contexts and apply best practices to your own work. This cross-pollination will give you new ways of thinking that you won’t find wit
Refine Your Leadership and Influence Skills
PMs often face challenges in influencing without direct authority. In Backchannel, you’ll develop strategies for effective stakeholder management, learn how to navigate internal politics, and practice assertive communication. Build leadership skills essential for your next career
Unlock Growth with Actionable Feedback and Coaching
Feedback is essential for growth. Through Backchannel, you’ll receive honest, actionable insights from both peers and Tom Leung—an industry expert with decades of experience. Expect to make measurable improvements to your product skills and career strategy by the end of the progr
This course includes
12 interactive live sessions
Lifetime access to course materials
4 in-depth lessons
Direct access to instructor
Projects to apply learnings
Guided feedback & reflection
Private community of peers
Course certificate upon completion
Maven Satisfaction Guarantee
This course is backed by Maven’s guarantee. You can receive a full refund within 14 days after the course ends, provided you meet the completion criteria in our refund policy.
The Backchannel: Confidential PM Cohort
Course syllabus
Week 1
Life Arcs and highs and lows Pt 1
Feb
28
Session 1
Week 2
Life Arcs and highs and lows Pt 2
Mar
7
Session 2
Week 3
Why did we go into PM? What makes a great PM?
Mar
13
Session 3
Week 4
Current Roles and recent insights and challenges Pt 1
Mar
20
Session 4
Week 5
Current Roles and recent insights and challenges Pt 2
Mar
27
Session 5
Week 6
Current Roles and recent insights and challenges Pt 3
Apr
3
Session 6
Week 7
No meeting this week
Week 8
Recent or current hard career decisions
Apr
17
Session 7
Week 9
Career Roadmap Pt 1
Apr
24
Session 8
Week 10
Career Roadmap Pt 2
May
1
Session 9
Week 11
Career Roadmap Pt 3
May
8
Session 10
Week 12
Cohort Selected Deep Dive Topic
May
15
Session 11
Week 13
Cohort Selected Topic
May
22
Session 12
Week 14
Post-course
Tom 1:1
What people are saying about Tom
David Schottlander Ph.D, CEng
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John Moses
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Brittney Crosby
Amy Keeling
Pat
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Carmen W
Sonia
Yiyang
Trenton
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Phil Mui
Meet your instructor
Tom Leung
Tom Leung is a former Google PM Director, executive coach, and top-rated mentor
Tom Leung is a seasoned product management executive with over 20 years of experience in the tech industry. A former Director of Product Management at Google, Tom has led large-scale initiatives at YouTube, Google Health, and other tech organizations. Throughout his career, he has driven transformational product strategies, aligning complex teams and processes to achieve business outcomes that impact millions of users worldwide.
In addition to his corporate leadership, Tom is a top-rated mentor and executive coach with a passion for helping product managers unlock their full potential. His mentorship style emphasizes actionable insights, candid feedback, and deep empathy for both user experience and business needs. As one of the original co-founders of the Harvard Business School Career Teams program, Tom has shaped the careers of countless professionals through thoughtful coaching, storytelling, and strategic problem-solving.
Tom’s collaborative approach and ability to foster strong cross-functional relationships have earned him praise from peers and mentees alike. Known for balancing curiosity with pragmatism, he is committed to building environments of continuous growth and product excellence. Tom’s teaching philosophy centers around empowering product leaders to make informed, strategic decisions—always with optimism, creativity, and a bit of fun along the way.
Join an upcoming cohort
The Backchannel: Confidential PM Cohort
Cohort 2
$1,800
Dates
Application Deadline
Course schedule
2 hours per week
Weekly Wednesdays
4:00pm - 5:30pm PDT
Pre-Reads
1 hours per week
Tom will share occasional optional articles to read or suggested homework assignments in advance of each meeting.
Learning is better with cohorts
Active hands-on learning
This course builds on live workshops and hands-on projects
Interactive and project-based
You’ll be interacting with other learners through breakout rooms and project teams
Learn with a cohort of peers
Join a community of like-minded people who want to learn and grow alongside you
Frequently Asked Questions
Stay in the loop
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Join an upcoming cohort
The Backchannel: Confidential PM Cohort
Cohort 2
$1,800
Dates
Application Deadline