💫 MONTHLY SUPPORT FOR THE SOCIALLY WOBBLY & QUIETLY COURAGEOUS 🌱
Quiet the critic, stretch your comfort zone & find your flow.
Gutsy Gatherings are 2-hour monthly workshops in London for shy, quiet, sensitive people who want to build real confidence – through gentle drama, creative expression and nervous system support.
No pushing, no pretending. Just playful tools, kind community and a new way to stretch without snapping.
Designed for those who hate traditional confidence training but still want to be a little bolder and braver in the world.
Next Gutsy Gathering: 2-4pm on 27 July 2025. East London, easy access from the tube. Tickets are £35 (& low-cost/supported spots available) 👇
It’s okay to be nervous. Most people are. And they still leave feeling brighter, full of energy, smiling wider and wondering why it took them so long to try something like this.
What Are Gutsy Gatherings?
Gutsy Gatherings are confidence workshops held monthly on Sunday afternoons in London. Designed specifically for inhibited introverts, anxious ambiverts, shy and socially anxious people, and anyone who finds traditional confidence training too overwhelming, too restrictive or too… boring!
Unlike typical assertiveness workshops or public speaking training, we use gentle drama, creative exercises and nervous system awareness to help you build confidence from the inside out.
This is how we gather:
Small groups – big enough to hide, small enough to feel cosy
Drop-in format – try one session or come every month
No performance pressure – your inner experience is what matters
Trauma-informed approach with nervous system tools
Tea and connection afterwards – always optional!
Who Are Gutsy Gatherings For?
If speaking up makes your heart race fast enough to win a gold medal…
If you’d rather prep for a decade than speak off the cuff…
If you’ve got a PhD in perfectionism, elite status in hiding in plain sight, and could win awards for graceful deflection…
If your inner critic is crueller than a talent show judge…
And you’d honestly rather eat your own socks than risk looking silly —
Then Gutsy Gatherings were made for you.
Sound familiar?
🗣️ Speaking Up & Being Seen
“I know I should speak up more in meetings, tutorials, or presentations, but I stay quiet and miss opportunities.”
“I find it really difficult to talk about myself or my work without feeling awkward or embarrassed.”
“I struggle with any situation where I’m the centre of attention – I feel exposed or judged.”
“I shrink myself to avoid standing out, even though part of me wants to be seen.”
“I want to express myself but I’m scared of being misunderstood or saying the wrong thing.”
🧠 Inner Critic, Doubt & Perfectionism
“I have a harsh inner critic that tells me I’m not good enough and constantly censors what I say.”
“I expect way too much of myself – if I’m not 100% sure, I stay silent.”
“I go round in circles questioning myself and end up not taking action.”
“I fear making mistakes or looking foolish, so I hold back.”
“I’ve been told I’m too sensitive, too intense or too much — and now I don’t know how to just be myself.”
😬 Social Anxiety, People-Pleasing & Exhaustion
“I dread social situations, collaborating or networking – I never know what to say and feel out of place.”
“I avoid conflict and find it hard to say no, so I end up overwhelmed or resentful.”
“I want to connect with people but find it exhausting, especially if I feel like I have to perform.”
“I was the ‘good child’ growing up – I learned to please others, not take up space and stay safe by staying small.”
🌀 Feeling Stuck, Misunderstood or Not Enough
“I feel stuck in patterns that hold me back, like there’s a version of me that wants to be seen but can’t break free.”
“Other people seem to have confidence and I feel like they know something I don’t.”
“I’m too shy, too quiet, too sensitive — and I’ve been told this will hold me back.”
“I carry old wounds of being shut down, laughed at, or ignored when I tried to speak up.”
“There’s a voice in me that wonders: what if I’m just not built for this world?”
If any of this sounds familiar, know that you’re not broken — you’re human. These patterns often formed as smart ways to stay safe, but now they’re holding you back and they don’t have to shape your whole story.
Change is possible. You don’t have to push through or figure it out on your own.
Gutsy Gatherings offer a space to practise showing up differently — gently, playfully, and with others who get it.
✨GUTSY VOICES 🪼
“I didn’t know how much I needed this course until I did it! I really see myself acting differently socially now, and creatively there has been a huge impact. Susannah is a knowledgeable, skilled and sensitive facilitator who creates a space where it feels okay to tackle thorny topics.”
Hex
“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
“The playing was fun, the self realisation was emotionally challenging, and the whole was empowering.”
A.
Why Drama? (Don’t Worry, It’s Not What You Think!)
“Drama sounds terrifying!” – I hear you. It was my worst nightmare too.
But I do things very differently, with a specially adapted form of drama that’s all about your own experience and never focused on performance.
Because drama is one of the most powerful tools for expanding your comfort zone, practicing new ways of being, and building authentic confidence (and it’s fast and fun). Here’s why:
The magic of borrowed characters
When you step into a role, you give yourself permission to behave in ways you never normally would. Through the safety of a borrowed character, you’re gently exposing yourself to the kind of free, easy and open expression that so many of us long for but find so difficult.
Learning through play
We rarely make enough time for play, especially if you’re on the quieter side. Play doesn’t just loosen us up – it’s scientifically proven to be the fastest way to learn and grow. Through play, you’ll let your guard down and find your flow far more easily.
Real experience, not theory
These aren’t mindset shifts or quick tricks you need to remember to apply in the moment. Your body remembers these experiences because they’re real – minus the real-world stakes. You might take something that felt like a good fit out into your life with you: an imaginary cloak of power, wings of mischief, a crown of quiet confidence.
Learn more about the Gutsy approach and practices over on the ‘About’ page here.
What Happens at a Gutsy Gathering?
The structure
Relaxation & grounding – we start slowly with nervous system awareness
Gentle warm-ups – easing into connection and play
Creative exercises – specially adapted drama and improvisation
Character exploration – trying on new behaviours and ways of being
Integration – processing insights and celebrating growth
Optional social time – tea and connection at a nearby cafe
The approach
Co-created safety – everyone shares your struggles and you become each other’s unconditional supporters
No performance pressure – we disrupt traditional ideas of ‘audience’ and ‘performance’
Nervous system awareness – learning to expand your capacity for uncertainty while staying grounded
Your own pace – everything builds gradually so you never feel out of your depth
Options always available – you can opt out and witness others, or step outside for air
The difference
For the quiet ones, by a quiet one – no pressure to become someone you’re not
Trauma-informed – we don’t fight against your nervous system
Small, intentional groups – people who truly get it
No corporate BS – no power posing, forced eye contact or ranking your performance
Therapeutic but not therapy – supportive and growth-focused
Meet your Gutsy guide
Hi, I'm Susannah – creator of Gutsy and your workshop facilitator. I live in east London and I’m an introvert who understands the struggle of being quiet in a loud world.
I’ve trained in Jungian Somatics with Jungian analyst Jane Clapp and trauma-informed movement coach Laura Beth Wenger; Coaching the Unconscious Mind with hypnotist coach Melissa Tiers; dramatherapy-informed confidence building with dramatherapist Claire Schrader; and I’m currently training in sharing circle facilitation with Sister Stories.
Through Gutsy, I create spaces where we can be unconditionally supported, witnessed with kindness, and explore with imagination – leaving behind old stuck behaviours and finding permission to try on new ways of being in the world.
Got questions?
Perfect! Hopefully they’re answered here — but if not, please feel free to get in touch!
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I get it – it was mine too! Gutsy does drama very differently. No lines to learn, no performing or judging. We introduce everything gently with lots of options. It might feel awkward sometimes, but that’s exactly where growth happens. Drama is a powerful, fast and fun way to build real confidence.
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Then you’re absolutely in the right place! This is for people who feel anxious speaking up in groups, dread social situations, or feel like there’s so much more inside you that you wish you could express. In our small, intentional group, you'll be compassionately witnessed and we’ll co-create a safe space to stretch.
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Everything we do is an invitation to find your own edge – that’s part of the practice. I’ll guide you to check in with how you're feeling so you’re never panicking or dissociating. This isn’t exposure therapy; it’s about feeling safer while doing scary things. You can always opt out and witness others instead.
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Yes! Many participants are also in therapy, or have been. While our sessions are therapeutic, they’re not therapy. If you’re working with a therapist for social anxiety, feel free to share our website with them to decide together if this is a good next step for you.
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Gutsy Gatherings are specifically designed for people who are shy, socially anxious, self-conscious, inhibited or very reserved.
This was my own experience (you can read more about my story here) and I’ve watched many participants find their way through similar courses. In every session, people are amazed at what they’re capable of. Every exercise is introduced gently, so you’re always building up gradually and never out of your depth. You’ll always be working at your own pace so you can opt out if you need to.
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Absolutely not! Most people come with zero drama experience, and many actively avoided it at school (or have terrible memories of it). My approach is designed for people who think drama is their worst nightmare.
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Hi, Gutsy friend! I’d love you to join us.
Whether you’ve done a 2-hour taster, a 1-day intensive or a 12-week course, if you’d like to come and play, you’re more than welcome.
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Absolutely. This is a very common experience. Not only will you build confidence in general, but you’ll also likely start to understand exactly what it is that feels difficult in some situations and not others.
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Maximum capacity for participants is 8 to ensure a cosy and safely held group experience.
4 is the minimum for the course to run. Refunds will be issued — or optional alternatives offered — in the case the programme cannot go ahead. In this instance, I will be in touch on the Friday afternoon prior to the scheduled Sunday workshop.
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All purchases for this course are final. I appreciate your understanding and commitment.
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