An ongoing, high-impact, interactive space for people who work with people to practice what life keeps throwing your way… with more ease, confidence, and creativity.
The Improve Studio is a practice-based mastermind for people who work with people, leaders, creators, and humans rehearse the hard stuff… until it sticks.
Once you’re in, each month you’ll get:
1 theme rooted in improv principles + nervous system practices
2+ live sessions (small-group practice labs + open coaching)
Expert-led guidance from guest facilitators (negotiation, nervous system regulation, communication, and more) - paired with real practice
Simple tools you can use right away - no overwhelm, just what works!
Because real change takes time, there’s a 3-month minimum commitment.
Rolling monthly themes mean you can start exactly where you are.
Every session, you’ll leave more resourced than you came in.
*Special invite! Join before September 30 and get the rest of the year included in a 3-month membership
Imagine this…
You walk into a high-stakes meeting, a surprise confrontation, or a last-minute change of plans, and instead of freezing or spiraling, you smile, take a breath, and handle it with confidence and humor.
This isn’t magic. It’s improvising … in real life.
What it is
The Improve Studio is a living practice-based mastermind for people who work with people. It’s a small group where you can:
Try things while learning things
Mess up without shame
Experiment without needing a perfect plan
Be seen, supported, and celebrated - exactly as you are
Develop nervous system resilience
Build creative confidence
Grow capacity to move through uncertainty with clarity and grounded courage
It’s where nervous system meets improvisation.
Where leadership meets real life.
Where the unscripted parts of life get the attention they deserve.
This isn’t a course you take once and forget. It’s an ongoing practice-based mastermind - a workshop, a place to practice, a support sanctuary, where you can show up as you are, experiment, get real-time guidance, and leave feeling more resourced than when you came in.
Why it works
Most people try to “think” their way through change.
But lasting growth doesn’t come from theory alone, it comes from practice.
In The Improve Studio, you don’t just learn new tools, you rehearse them in a small, supportive mastermind. With real conversations, live experiments, and embodied practice, the skills move from your head into your nervous system, so they’re there when you need them most.
By engaging mind, body, and creativity together, you’ll:
Stay grounded under pressure
Recover faster when plans change
Make clear decisions without over-spinning
Bring more ease, play, and possibility into your work and life
Join anytime
What you get
1 monthly theme rooted in improv principles + nervous system practices, shaped by the group’s needs
1 Live monthly themed session (60 min): Expert led sessions to learn tools and actually practice the techniques
2 Open Labs each month (60 min): Drop in for small group practice, peer support, and coaching on real situations
1 simple practice to work with all month - no big homework, just something you can actually use
Replay access to revisit the themed session anytime (Open Labs stay live, unrecorded)
Your Ensemble - a small, curated group (6-12 people) to support and grow with
If you want to join as a company team or bring the Studio in-house, reach out here.
Embodied Learning, Real-Time Practice, Peer Support
Active, embodied practice
The Studio utilizes live role plays, and hands-on, embodied practice.
Learn with a supportive group
You'll be practicing with other people who work with people who face similar challenges and opportunities.
Highly interactive
We practice through live interactive demos, direct feedback, and lots of time to practice.
Who is this for
The Improve Studio is for people who work with people
You’re an entrepreneur, small business owner, leader, creative, or anyone working with people, leading or supporting others and want to show up with more calm and clarity.
You tend to overthink, freeze up, or stress when things don’t go as planned. You realize it’s a skill to be able to adapt and handle unpredictable and changing circumstances and now you want to get better at catching the curveballs, embracing imperfection, and navigating change.
You want tools that actually work in the moment, not just theory or advice.
You crave a supportive space to experiment, reflect, and grow without the pressure to “perform” or “be on.”
Meet your guide
Hi, I’m Mary! After starting my first company as a teenager I quickly learned that no matter how carefully you plan, life has a way of going off-script. Later, while juggling venture capital work, building businesses, and navigating personal health challenges, I discovered improv, not just as comedy, but as a practice for staying grounded, adaptable, and creative when the unexpected hits.
For over a decade, I’ve shared these tools with thousands of people and organizations including Google, TED, and Verizon, blending improv, business strategy, and nervous system science in a way that’s practical, playful, and deeply human. My TED talk “How improv can improve your leadership and life” and forthcoming book How to Handle Anything (Bloomsbury 2026), are all about helping people build resilience, clarity, and confidence for the parts of life you can’t script.
For so long I wished there was a space to practice the unscripted parts of leadership and life. That's why I created The Improve Studio. It's the space I needed, and still need. Working with people is an art, and like any art form, the only way to get better at it is to practice.
Ready to practice for the moments that matter?
Join The Improve Studio
Because the script will change, but your ability to handle it can grow stronger every day.
A space where people practice with people.
FAQs
Why is there an application?
We want to make sure The Improve Studio is the right fit for you, and that you’re set up for success. The application helps us learn about your goals, availability, and time zone (logistics matter!). After you apply, we’ll send you details about live session times before asking for payment, so you can be sure the schedule works for you.
Stay tuned after you submit, we’ll be in touch with next steps!
How much is it?
Membership is $1,485 per quarter ($495/month). Both quarterly and monthly payment plans are available.
What are some of the themes?
The themes rotate monthly and are chosen based on what ensemble members most want to practice. When you apply, you’ll be asked about the kinds of situations or skills you’d like more support with, and those responses help shape the themes. Examples include things like:
Initiating and having hard conversations
Responding quickly under pressure
Responding to something unexpected
Presenting ideas, from delivering a big pitch to speaking up in a meeting
Giving and receiving feedback
Communicating needs and boundaries
Staying grounded and calm under pressure, in high stakes moments
Everything is designed for and inspired by the ensemble (that’s you and your fellow members).
Ensemble? What?
In improv, an ensemble is the group of players on stage. They succeed not by competing, but by supporting and building with each other.
That’s the spirit of The Improve Studio, too. When you join, you’re not just learning on your own, you’re practicing alongside a supportive ensemble of peers who get what it’s like to be in unscripted, high-stakes moments. In other words, your ensemble is your practice crew… the people who’ve got your back while you try things out.
What happens if I can’t make a live session?
We hope you can make the live sessions, but just in case, we’ll share recordings or summaries after the themed sessions. Note: all open labs, where people come and practice those real life hard moments, will not be recorded. The benefits of those are showing up live, so come when you can, but no sweat if you can’t make every open lab.
What is the expected time commitment?
As much or little as you want to put in. Each live session is 60 minutes. You’ll get the most from The Improve Studio if you attend both monthly Open Labs and the themed session. You’ll also receive one simple practice to apply all month, no heavy homework, just something you can integrate into daily life.
What’s the refund policy?
Once you join a session there are no refunds. Your membership is cancelable at any time after the first 3 months.
Do I need to have taken an improv class before?
Nope. There is no requirement to have any prior experience with improv, or communication training, masterminds, or leadership training. This isn’t about being funny on stage. The Improve Studio is about building resilience, adaptability, and creative problem-solving skills you’ll use in real life, and is inviting to anyone wanting to learn how to better handle anything that comes your way.
Can my company pay for this?
What a dream! Ideally, yes. You can certainly pursue sponsorship by your organizations as part of leadership development or professional growth budgets. If you’d like, we can provide an invoice and language to help you request reimbursement or funding.
Is this therapy or coaching?
The Improve Studio is not therapy. It’s a practice-based mastermind, a space for live skill-building, guided by improv principles and nervous system science. Think of it as a space to practice the things inevitable in life (ie responding to feedback, initiating conversations that are tough, having tough conversations, adaptability, thinking and responding in the moment), and not a replacement for professional mental health care.
How many people are in each group?
Each Studio Ensemble is intentionally small (usually 6–12 members). This ensures plenty of time for interaction, feedback, and practice without being overwhelming.