Why We Built Manny

Steve Kerr, the Head Coach of the Golden State Warriors, assigns The Inner Game of Tennis to his players. Kerr learned, during his playing days, that most athletes are not blocked by their skills—they're blocked by their inner game.

The same is true at work. If you're routinely beating yourself up for not doing enough, avoiding a difficult conversation, or feeling isolated in a new role— you won't hit your peak potential. The best organizations in the world know this. They staff their performers with coaches and psychologists trained to unlock that potential. But these coaches charge $1–5K per hour.

Most of us cannot afford that. We read books, listen to podcasts, and learn from experience. But without a thinking partner who knows us and our context, our potential stays capped. If we do a good job of building our product, that's what Manny changes.

Manny is an AI coach that lives where you already work—Slack, Teams, text—and feels like having a world-class coach in your pocket. Not a generic chatbot, but a partner who understands your company's values, your goals, and the blockers you're working through.

What We're Seeing at Pendo

At Pendo, where we're gearing up to support nearly 1,000 employees, one manager shared: “I got the best output out of that conversation than any uncomfortable conversation I have ever had.”

Jess, their Head of Global Talent put it simply: Manny has enabled “personalized coaching that feels human, at a scale that traditional coaching could never achieve.”

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Manny is built around three pillars: Coaching, Content, and Community. Each reinforces the others—real-time support when you need it, ongoing learning to build capabilities, and connection with others on the same journey.

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Coaching

Today, Manny lives in Slack and voice. You can message Manny for real-time coaching on difficult conversations, feedback, and overwhelm. You can prepare for high-stakes moments before they happen and practice through role-play. Manny draws on your company's values and documents to give advice that fits your context.

In 2026, we're expanding where and how you can reach Manny—and making coaching smarter through deeper integrations.

💬 What other coaching capabilities matter most to you? Drop them here in the comment box!

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Content

Today, Manny delivers 52 weeks of neuroscience-based micro-learnings via Slack—digestible content on difficult conversations, stress management, feedback, and more. Content can be customized to reflect your company's values.

In 2026, we're moving beyond text and building structured learning journeys that create lasting change.

Spotlight: New Manager 30/60/90

The transition to management is one of the highest-anxiety moments in someone's career. Most new managers get a one-day training and are expected to figure it out. Manny provides a structured program with proactive coaching at each stage:

Days 1–30: Build relationships. 1:1 setup, team intros, quick wins.

Days 31–60: Establish rhythm. Goals, feedback, first difficult conversation.

Days 61–90: Drive performance. Calibration, development planning, managing up.

💬 What other content might be helpful for you? Drop them here in the comment box!

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Community

Today, Mandala offers live workshops like our “Power of Pause” session, which helps managers understand stress patterns and show up with more stability. These sessions combine neuroscience with practical tools – and create moments of connection that remind leaders they're not navigating challenges alone.

In 2026, we're creating more spaces for people to learn together.

💬 What would community look like for you? Drop them here in the comment box!

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Defining Success

Every feature we build ladders up to three questions. If we can't move the needle on these, we're not doing our job:

Do you feel more supported?

Measured through:

Coaching

Do you feel more informed?

Measured through:

Content

Do you feel less alone?

Measured through:

Community

We track these through regular pulse surveys, engagement data, and direct feedback from users and HR partners. If a feature doesn't move one of these needles, we rethink it.

Importantly, Manny doesn't replace human connection—it extends it. By handling everyday coaching moments, Manny frees up people leaders to focus on the conversations that matter most. We're building the coach every employee deserves: always available, deeply personalized, rooted in neuroscience.

And we take the risks of AI coaching seriously—dependency, isolation, the substitution of human connection. That's why Manny is designed with warm handoffs to your people team, transparency about its limitations, and regular ethical review built into how we operate.

But done right, AI coaching doesn't replace human connection—it extends it. By handling everyday coaching moments, Manny frees up people leaders for the conversations that matter most.

We're building the coach every employee deserves: always available, deeply personalized, rooted in neuroscience.

Want to explore what Manny could look like at your company? Let's talk.