The Field Guide to Inner Critics: A Workshop for Creative Types
What this is about
This dynamic 2-hour workshop is your field guide to the landscape of inner critics to help you recognize when they’re in the driver’s seat without baring your soul to a group of strangers.
You’ll explore, observe and examine your own inner critics so you start building awareness, make wiser decisions at work and take back your power and flex the creative courage that’s already within you.
To set the tone, we’ll kick off with a light-hearted, grounding exercise led by comedian, Katie Nixon. It’ll lighten the mood, move you into an “observer” headspace and open the door for curiosity and openness.
P.S. No one will be doing sketch comedy or improvising on stage. This is participatory, not performative.
Who this is for
This workshop is great for creatives, designers, strategists, and managers that are client-facing or new to managing others and who:
Struggle with imposter syndrome or harsh self-judgment
Find themselves stuck in cycles of overthinking or perfectionism
Seek external validation that never feels enough
What you will experience:
As you become an observer with an improv warm up exercise, you’ll move around the room, interact with what’s on the wall, have time to reflect, and share anything if you would like to. This workshop will balance light playfulness with deep reflectiveness, not forced vulnerability.
You will:
🔹Absorbing a few slides explaining the concepts & instructions
🔹Curiously explore the patterns and voices of inner critics on your own around the room
🔹Notice how your inner critic shows up uniquely for you
🔹Learn the power of pausing
🔹Clearly distinguish between inner critics and constructive criticism
🔹Connect with self and others’ anonymous stories
🔹Laughter, reflection, connection, and insights throughout (no stand-up comedy)
Why it matters:
When you can recognize your inner critics, you gain the power to manage them.
When you can manage the stories, limiting beliefs and old, unhelpful patterns, you make wiser, bolder workplace decisions confidently—especially under pressure. You stop letting fear and overthinking control your actions and start leading with confidence and authenticity. You stop playing small and holding yourself, your work and your career back.
You start becoming the who you want to be.
What you will leave with:
This isn’t about quick fixes, improv games or generic pep talks. This workshop is a thoughtful experience that helps you:
✅ Identify when your inner critics pop up so you can question its story
✅ Know whether it’s inner critics or just constructive criticism
✅ Tools to shake it off
✅ Begin building a new relationship with your inner critics
Change your relationship with your inner critics.
Start flexing your creative courage.
Take back your power.
We can’t wait to see you!
📅 RSVP Now to secure your spot.
Why should you join?
1. Facilitated by a creative strategist & coach with the personal touch of a comedian get folks present, embodied and in the right headspace of curiosity
2. It's NOT a workshop of slides or performance
this is a participatory experience that gets you to get out of your head and move around the room
3. Tackle the topic that's actually in the way of what you are working towards: inner critic
Speaker Bio
Michelle Arrazcaeta is a creative strategist and coach in the career and future of work space. She founded and runs Super Good Society, a transformation studio, out of Amsterdam. For 15+ years she’s delivered brand, innovation and culture strategies for companies like Nike, Polaroid, W+K, SYPartners and Sylvain and coached creative professionals from designers to consultants. She writes Optimistic Provocations, been a speaker at events from New York City to Dubai, and loves facilitating events. She leaves her clients with clarity on what they couldn’t see before so they can get out of their own way and move forward in the right direction.
Katie Nixon is an American comedian/host/instructor based in Amsterdam. Currently in the main cast at Boom Chicago, she previously spent over 10 years performing improv and sketch comedy in Chicago, Illinois. Katie is a passionate instructor, leading workshops for such companies as Microsoft, Royal Haskoning, and University of Amsterdam. She loves introducing improv to students from around the world and helping people bring more play and connection into their lives.
If you're inner critics feel loud, dominant, irritating or debilitating, there’s hope. You can rewrite these patterns. The secret? Awareness.