This

Year

CLASS OF 2026

✦

CLASS OF 2026 ✦

12 months of mentorship & Training

What do you want to achieve in the next year?

You probably have a bunch of ideas floating around your head. Some might be big things you want to achieve, like finding a new job, launching a side hustle, growing a commuunity, writing a book, scaling a business or getting that thing off the ground.

But it might also be something smaller, like finally clawing back some hours in your day from your work, or figuring out how to say ‘no’ more so you can focus on the important things in life.

Whatever your aim, if you’re serious about achieving it in 2026, you’re going to need some help. Especially if you want to smash your goals without smashing yourself in the process. 

Welcome to This Year, a 12-month program of personalised and group mentoring to help you achieve what you want in 2026.

Through an innovative mix of full day in-person workshops, one-on-one private coaching, group learning and 24/7 support, This Year will give you training in new skills, expert guidance and a supportive crew of people around you who are all in similar boats, even if you’re all rowing to different destinations.

No matter what you want to achieve, this is the year you’re going to do it.

MEET YOUR

heaD TEACHER

G’day. I’m Tim Duggan, Head Teacher for This Year’s Class of 2026.

I’m a founder, author and optimist. I’ve been an employee and an employer, I’ve started and sold companies, and now I teach people to how to work and live better.

I've co-founded several digital media ventures, most notably Junkee Media which was acquired by the ASX-listed oOh!media.

My first book, 'Cult Status', was published in 2020 and awarded the Best Entrepreneurship and Small Business Book at the 2021 Australian Business Book Awards, and my second book on creativity in the workplace, 'Killer Thinking', was named one of the Best Books of 2022 by Apple Books. My new book, Work Backwards, is out now worldwide.

I'm the Chair of the Digital Publishers Alliance, a group representing 140 titles from leading Australian independent publishers. I also write a weekly column on work for the Sydney Morning Herald, The Age, Brisbane Times and WA Today, and a monthly newsletter OUTLET (One Useful Thing Literally Every Time).

But, above everything, I love working with smart people to help them achieve their goals.

I’ve mentored a lot of people over the years, and now I’m bringing together a cohort of people to help you reach you goals alongside each other (and me).

Over the next 12 months, I’m going to teach you everything that I know.

Are you in?

 This is exactly what This Year’s Class of 2026 will get:

 

  • 12-months of training, coaching and support to help you work smarter, live better and achieve your goals for 2026

  • 2 x one-on-one private coaching sessions with Tim Duggan (October 2025 and June 2026)

  • 7 x virtual group coaching sessions with Tim and your classmates (November 2025, January 2026, March - May 2026, July & August 2026)

  • 2 x full-day immersive workshops in Sydney (February 2026 and September 2026) with catered lunches at a convenient, inner-city location

  • An accountability classmate to help keep you on track

  • ⁠2 physical books hand selected just for you and sent as part of the course reading material

  • A private ‘Class of 2026’ WhatsApp group with Tim and your classmates with 24/7 support and encouragement

  • Graduation Dinner at a top Sydney restaurant to celebrate completing This Year in September 2026

  • Personalised insights and exercises from Tim’s books (Cult Status, Killer Thinking & Work Backwards) that you can apply to your job and life straight away

  • Insider access to the process and ideas inside Tim’s new book on conflict as it’s being written that will be published in September 2026

  • All course materials, worksheets and presentations for you to access whenever you want

  • An expanded network of awesome classmates, some of whom you’ll be calling good friends by the end of the 12 months

everything that’s included

class of 2026

This is exactly how the next 12 months are going to work:

September 2025: Applications are open for a limited class size, and have a strict closing date of September 30. This is the only intake we’ll be doing for the entire year.

October 2025: Kick off the program with a one-on-one private session with Tim Duggan (45mins) to understand how to get the most of the next 12 months, set your goals and plan the year ahead. Don’t worry if you don’t have any firm goals yet, you can set them during this session with Tim.

November 2025: Orientation begins with a live virtual group session (90 mins) to learn tools and strategies to work better, introduce you to your personalised course reading, and give you homework to complete over the holiday period. You’ll meet your classmates virtually for the first time, and we’ll start up This Year’s private Class of ’26 WhatsApp group.

December 2025: Receive your personalised course reading material in the mail. This includes two hand-selected books for you to read, based on some of the goals that you want to achieve in the coming year.

January 2026: Start the new year properly with a group mentoring and training session (90 mins) to learn some of the new skills to help you have an excellent year. You’ll also get the exercises to complete ahead of the full-day immersive workshop.

February 2026: Attend a full-day workshop in Sydney. During this immersive day you will get to know your classmates IRL, and gain valuable insights from Tim to help work smarter and live better. This full day includes lunch and all course materials, and at the end you’ll be matched with a fellow classmate for added accountability throughout the year.

March 2026: Participate in a virtual group session (90 minutes) to learn new skills, involve yourself in team mentoring and get updates on how things are going.

April 2026: Check-in with Tim and your classmates virtually (90 minutes) to receive group coaching on your goals. You will receive optional homework in these sessions.

May 2026: A monthly group session on Zoom (90 minutes) where Tim will share relevant strategies, tools and insights.

June 2026: This month you’ll have a private, one-on-one mid-year check in with Tim for personalised coaching on your goals, and to answer any personalised questions that you have (45 mins).

July 2026: Collective mentoring in a group session (90 mins) where more insights will be shared and you’ll continue your accountability with the group.

August 2026: The final group coaching session (90s mins) will insights, training and support, including how to continue achieving after the formal mentoring has ended.

September 2026: This Year will end on a high note, with a second full-day immersive workshop in Sydney. This will be an inspiring day of exercises and connections over lunch with your cohort who you will now be very familiar with. At the conclusion of the full-day workshop will be a Graduation Dinner at one of Sydney’s top restaurants to celebrate the end of this milestone year in your life.

the cost

12-months of training, coaching and support

$395

per month (+GST)

The total cost of This Year is AUD$4,740 +GST for a full year of mentoring, workshops, insights and community.

It will be billed at AUD$395 +GST per month x 12 months to your credit card. If you prefer to pay at once, you can request an invoice for the full amount at the start of the program.

What people say about tim

  • "Tim speaks as persuasively and insightfully as he writes. He thinks carefully about the audience, shows them great respect by doing his research and finds ways to connect with them immediately."

    Craig Davis, Founder, Upside Founder Program

  • "A masterclass for all types of businesses, irrespective of size; his entertaining insights will echo far beyond the enthusiastic applause from our delegates."

    Samantha Maclean, Co-Founder, Elite Agent

  • "Tim’s optimism and energy is contagious. His knowledge and insight is boundless. He teaches simple, repeatable, yet powerful skills for creative thinking. And he does it with warmth and empathy."

    Hannah Marshall, Principal, Good Company Law

  • "Together with meaningful insight, he delivered creative tools that our team have put in place immediately. Tim’s engaging, down-to-earth style captivated everyone and really hit the mark for our session."

    Brooke Long,  Executive Manager - Community Engagement, The Mix Australia and New Zealand

  • "Tim not only brings a wealth of personal and professional experience he is readily able to bring to life complex ideas with ease and supporting evidence."

    Andrew Wadell, General Manager – Australia, Tourism New Zealand

FAQs

  • This Year is a 12-month mentorship program by Tim Duggan where you’ll learn how to work smarter, live better and achieve a set goal alongside a class of supportive people.

  • Applications to join the This Year Class of 2026 are open until September 30.

    You don’t need to write essays to apply, just answer two simple questions: tell us a bit about yourself, and tell us if you have a goal that you’d like to achieve in the next 12 months.

    Each application will be assessed to ensure that it works for you, Tim and the rest of the cohort. We aim to build a complementary cohort of people, limited by size, so that we can all get the most out of the program.

  • If you have a clear goal, that’s excellent. But you don’t need to have a clear goal to begin with. In your first one-on-one session with Tim you’ll create a goal together that he will guide you to achieve over the next year together.

  • The course content is based on Tim’s three books - Cult Status, Killer Thinking and Work Backwards. Over 12 months you will learn insights from the topics of community, creativity, life/work balance and more, as well as tailored content around the goal you’re trying to achieve. It will also include lessons around media, writing and goals.

    The content of this course will be tailored the group, and will include both group coaching, private work, exercises and participation.

  • We get it. Life happens. The one-on-one sessions with Tim will be booked at a time that works with you, and all of the 90min virtual sessions will be recorded to be view at later times.

    The two full-day workshops are pretty important for you to attend in person, but some of it will be available through video-conference (just not as effective, if you know what we mean!).

  • There are 2 in-person workshops, in February and September. They will be held in Sydney, so if you’re located in Australia the aim is that you’re able to attend them in person.

    If you live overseas, or can’t make the two in-person Sydney workshops, please reach out. If there is enough demand we might consider running the workshops in other locations. Email your interest to hello@timduggan.com.au

  • The exact dates will be confirmed in November 2025, and will involve a full-day training during a weekday in February and September.

    Each of the monthly group virtual sessions will be 90 minutes long, and held during the evening after work on a weekday.

  • The total cost of This Year is AUD$4740 for the year.

    You can choose to either pay this in one payment upfront (by invoice or credit card), or to be billed monthly for $395 +GST each month for 12 months from September 2025 to September 2026.

    You can’t sign up for just some of the months. This is a personalised, annual program. Once you sign up for the 12 months of payments, you’re in for the entire year (but trust us, you won’t want it to end).

  • If you have a question that has not been covered in the FAQ, or in any of the course description, then please send an email to hello@timduggan.com.au

CLASS OF 2026

✦

CLASS OF 2026 ✦

Apply now for this year’s class of 2026

Contact

If you have any questions about This Year, please email hello@timduggan.com.au