Gutsy Practice Group
A small-group in-person course for when it feels like shyness or social anxiety is ruling your life
Not running at the moment. When the next one is scheduled, I’ll announce it in the Get Gutsy newsletter.
Who it’s for
The Gutsy Practice Group is designed to support you when shyness or social anxiety are taking up too much space in your life, when fear is running the show, and you’ve had enough of missing out.
You dread speaking up in groups, and your heart pounds before you’ve said a word
Your mind goes blank when you’re talking to someone you don’t know well
You over-prepare, then still leave feeling you didn’t say what you meant
You’ve turned things down because they felt like too much: invitations, roles, opportunities, chances
You can tell there’s more in you than you let anyone see
If you’re comfortable in most groups and social situations, this probably isn’t the right fit for you.
A space that includes youShyness and social anxiety can shift, and helping loosen their grip is a big part of what I do.
But most rooms are built around people who never think twice about walking into them, and I believe you shouldn’t have to become someone else in order to belong.
The Practice Group is designed for the rest of us: a space that includes you, just as you are, while also helping you grow.
What it is and isn’t.
A brave space to try on new ways of being through play, movement and voice, to be seen and supported without being put on the spot, and to practise showing up and speaking up at your own pace.
It isn’t a public speaking bootcamp. It isn’t a performance-based drama course. And it isn’t a place that celebrates loudness for its own sake.
You don’t need to perform. You just need to show up – quietly, awkwardly, curiously.
It’s not therapy or a substitute for clinical support. It does draw on tools from dramatherapy, and people often find it goes deep.
What happens.
Weekly, in person, with the same small group from first session to last.
In the first session, we agree how we’ll look after each other. After that, each session has a familiar shape: grounding, gentle movement, then the main work.
The main work is drama and improvisation, adapted. In the first half, you and the group work on one shared story, trying on characters who behave in ways you’d never normally dare: bolder, sillier, messier. There are no lines to learn, no audience and no marks out of ten.
In the second half, we turn to your own story: what keeps you stuck, and what you’re ready to try.
Themes along the way include asking for help, the inner critic, comparison and self-trust.
You can opt out of anything, any time.
Why ‘practice’?
Soft ground to try things out, before they count, with other people who are practising too. Nobody arrives good at it. Feeling nervous is normal, and part of the process. You learn to take small risks, to experiment, to play around, and you discover you’re capable of more than you imagined.
Why a group?
Shyness and social anxiety developed around other people, so it makes sense that they loosen around other people too.
You can read about confidence, think about it, journal about it. But your body has to feel what it’s like to speak and be received. In a group, you get to try small things for real, in the moment, and see what happens.
There’s the relief of discovering you’re not the only one. The insights that come from watching others find their own way. And the steadiness of coming back to the same room, the same people, and letting things build.
What people said
Words from people who took part in earlier versions of this course
“I can honestly say that the course was the beginning of a major turning point in my life which has allowed me to flourish as myself in new situations which I would never have put myself in previously.”
Anissa
“Susannah held the space perfectly and everything felt really gentle and safe. She knows exactly how to interact with and guide people who are shy or lack confidence because she’s coming from a place of shared experience.”
Nina
“I was very hesitant and frightened to join, but 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
Who runs Gutsy Practice Group?
I’m Susannah. I used to get other people to order for me in restaurants, and phone calls made me freak out. I missed out on a lot while feeling like I was waiting for an invitation to my own life.
Read my story →
After discovering ease and freedom through drama and improvisation, I trained with dramatherapist Claire Schrader, hypnotherapist Melissa Tiers, and circle facilitator Gemma Brady. Gutsy is where I share all that.
Not sure if the Practice Group is right for you, or want to ask something?
Questions?
Games and drama? I dunno – sounds kinda cringe.
Performing in the spotlight? That’s my worst nightmare!
All that time, money and attention on just little me?!
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I get it. It was mine too. Here it’s introduced gently, with no lines to learn and no performing for an audience, and you always have options. It’ll likely feel awkward at times. That comes with the territory, and the group is set up for it.
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Then you’re in the right place. This is for people who feel anxious speaking up, whose minds go blank, who miss out because they’re scared. Everything builds gradually, nobody’s put on the spot, and you can always opt out.
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It probably will be at times! If you’re squashing down the child part of you, you’re also limiting your capacity for joy, ease, connection, pleasure, rest and authenticity. Play might sound frivolous, but it’s actually worth taking seriously.
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Welcome! That’s most people. You work at your own pace and never have to do something that feels like too much.
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Absolutely – this is a very common experience. Working out what makes some situations harder than others is part of the practice.
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Talking therapy can be an amazing tool. For me it always felt slow: I wanted to do something, not only analyse it. This is active, embodied and in a group, so you’re practising, not just discussing. That’s just my experience. I don’t see this as a replacement for therapy, or the reverse, and some people do both.
Course news goes out through the Get Gutsy newsletter, along with personal essays and notes as I practice. Sign up to stay in touch – not a booking, just leaving the door open.