JUST BECAUSE YOU’RE QUIET, DOESN’T MEAN YOU CAN’T
Gutsy is for the shy and socially anxious dreamers, quiet creatives, secret weirdos, reticent rebels & aspiring bold introverts.
You want to drop the masks that mute you, the cloaks you hide behind, and the protective shields that weigh you down, so you can have tons more ease, more respect, more connection and more fun.
My approach is universes away from the average public speaking workshop, social skills course or corporate assertiveness training.
You’ve done enough hiding away, self-censoring and contorting yourself to fit the dominant norm. This isn’t Extroversion 101!
You don’t need another set of somebody else’s superficial rules or standards to fuel your perfectionism and ‘not-good-enough’ wounds.
Instead, we work deep within.
Uncover the blocks that hold you back. Reconnect with your intuition, inner wisdom and true confidence. Unlearn underestimating yourself. Gain trust that you can hold yourself through fear and uncertainty. Rewrite your own rules. Build rock-solid self-belief.
GUTSY is grounded on these beliefs:
We should all have the tools to represent and express ourselves joyfully and easily; to ensure our efforts and creations are seen, recognised, respected and rewarded; to be able to do justice to the worlds that swirl inside us; and to be able to make ourselves heard, especially when asking for help, defending and advocating for ourselves and others, and standing up for what matters.
What happens
when you get Gutsy?
ease and peace with being a quieter person
the deep relief of sharing struggles with others who get it
connection, friendship and mutual support
feeling okay with being nervous, uncertain or uncomfortable sometimes
anxiousness replaced with playfulness, curiosity and enthusiasm
feeling more comfortable in your skin, more at ease in your body
more ease in social interactions or when speaking in a group, letting go of fear of judgement
more flow in interactions, and not worrying about what you’re going to say or hovering on the outside of conversations
the confidence, expansion and growth that comes through challenging yourself
connection with inner strength and your unique gifts
more self-trust and less doubt
more energy and the confidence to pursue new creative ideas — and to share them
knowing further change is possible and that you don’t have to change who you are to make it happen
“My hesitation about performing was replaced by curiosity about what would be created by the group each week, and how I would relate to their stories. I ended the course feeling hopeful.”
Chloe
“The experience was both safe and stretching – with ‘lightbulb’ moments at every stage. The magic of the workshop has stayed with me many months later. I’m more present, more easily able to centre myself when I feel anxious, and more confident about the value I bring as a quieter, shyer person.”
Pip
“Susannah met me with warmth, kindness and lots of laughter. She guided me through challenges and helped me understand a lot about myself, and what I can change and how… it has been a wonderful journey and potential to be life changing.”
Sarah
Inside the Gutsy toolkit
Have a peek behind the curtain to discover the playful, powerful tools we use to unlock confidence through creativity.
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It’s validating and unshaming to open up with others who share your struggles. Plus, groups of new people are hard, right? So this is the perfect environment to expand and grow. It’s a social solution to a social problem. Being witnessed with compassion puts a stitch in old wounds. In combination with the deep, intimate connection of 1-to-1 support, this is a powerful path to change.
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The physical symptoms of anxiety can send us spiralling, and the fog and blank panic of the spotlight dulls our shine. Gain a sense of control and expand your capacity so you feel more comfortable taking bigger leaps and more able to support yourself through every challenge.
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Play is the fastest way to learn. And for those of us who feel shut down, too serious, inhibited and scared to make mistakes, play is the way to move gently out of your shell. When you release your grip on control and stop squeezing yourself up inside, you discover huge reserves of creative energy start to flow.
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Much anxiety is a projection, a worst-case scenario. But if you can imagine the worst, you can imagine the best. We build your imagination muscles and redirect attention towards possible worlds. Just as your mind and body practice life in your night-time dreams, so we can create dress rehearsals for life within the safety of sessions and the imagination.
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Stories and characters from many times and places offer us wisdom and guidance for transformation, expansion, growth and meaningful lives. And by stepping into unfamiliar roles and scenarios, we give ourselves permission to think, speak and move in ways we’d never normally dare, and unearth long-buried aspects of ourselves in the process.
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Here, improvisation is not stand-up or comedy or theatre. With improv, you learn to take a chance, make a mess and know that everything will work out fine. It’s the vulnerability of collaboration and the safety of unconditional mutual support. You build trust that you can take a leap and know you’ve always got your own back.
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We build your toolkit for life through practices for solo reflection so you can process everything that comes up in sessions, increase your self-awareness and understanding, and coach yourself through anything. You’ll be building self-trust, confidence and learning to focus on your effort instead of external validation. We practice celebrating tiny wins every day because they rewire your mind and compound to create solid self-belief.
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We’re swapping judgement for curiosity: from “Urg, why the hell did I say that?” to “I wonder why I said that”. We’re flipping “I’ve got to get it right” to “I wonder what might happen if I try”. Loosening the grip of shame around your reactions and behaviours, and instead approaching with curiosity and self-compassion. Perhaps most profoundly of all, we’re reframing your understanding of social interactions from a sea of traps and pitfalls to an ocean of possibility and adventure.
As a lifelong student of shyness and social anxiety — and how they keep you locked up tight inside — I’m here as your gutsy guide to all things showing up and speaking up, so you can stop waiting for an invitation to your own life and make moves towards more belonging, connection & ease.
About Susannah
I was a whisper-voiced child, allergic to the spotlight and totally phobic of the phone. I struggled alone for years, feeling trapped and observing from the shadows, desperately hoping to be noticed, no idea how to ask for help.
I was sick of feeling invisible, like nobody knew the real me.
All my decisions were shaped by avoiding what scared me instead of going for what I wanted. I was supporting other people but giving myself nothing but vicious criticism.
I’d been living for others’ expectations, by other people’s rules, ever the ‘good girl’, and getting nowhere. I was fed up with not being able to represent myself effectively, do justice to who I was inside, or speak up for the people and causes that mattered to me.
There were new connections and new opportunities on the horizon that I wanted so much — but were out of reach.
I’d had enough of waiting for an invitation to my own life.
I always knew that drama was kind of my worst nightmare! And, deep down, I also knew it was the exact thing I needed. “The cave you fear to enter holds the treasure you seek”, after all.
Attending a drama-for-confidence workshop in 2014 sparked something huge in just one day. That first leap opened many more doors in a decade of growth and adventures, including training to facilitate and share this work.
Along the way, I realised that confidence need not be loud (it can be powerfully quiet), that fearlessness is a myth (it’s about expanding your capacity to make bold moves regardless), and that my sensitivity and shyness did not mean I was weak, fragile or broken — I was gutsy, bold, creative, with inner strength and gifts worth sharing.
Just like you.
I walk the same road as everyone who takes the brave step into a Gutsy course, and am definitely not the glossy ‘after’ picture in an inspirational transformation story! But I’m so grateful I found the tools to expand my life and I love passing them on to everyone who needs them too.
Change is possible and you don’t have to pretend to be someone you’re not — you too can build quiet confidence, authentic expression, easy connection, and a gutsy life.
I want support to build my quiet confidence!
Shyness and social anxiety can leave us feeling isolated – but you are not alone 🧡
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