Announcement: We changed our name from SpeakMeister to SpeakCalmHQ.
Desensitization Laboratory (LAB)
With Expert Mentor for 1 year
STOP speaking anxiety from ruining your life!
A 1-year mentorship program that includes private meetings with Dr. Mathews and weekly live mentorship meetings.
Learn anxiety management techniques in one-on-one sessions with Dr. Mathews. Practice anxiety management techniques in a safe supportive group, get gradual exposures and desensitize your nervous system.
$1, 597.00
Get on the waitlist. You'll be notified when spaces open up.
Our method is not painful!
It's not about gritting your teeth and enduring the pain. It's about going into speaking situations with proven strategies and taking baby steps that are totally manageable for you.
Kevin's Experience With the LAB
"Stuck before I came to the LAB"
Well, I gotta say, Cheryl, I was stuck before I came to the LAB. So you get to take credit for a lot of that practice that I put in because I didn't know where to go before I started SpeakMeister.
"Improve within weeks or months"
It happened pretty quick for me, I would say. And I'm sure you see this too in the LAB all the time. People improve within weeks or months. It doesn't take years for them to see improvement.
"I can speak up"
My goal was never to become like an amazing public speaker. I just wanted to feel normal when I had to give presentations. I feel like I'm there and I'm happy with that.
I've improved a lot. I can speak up in meetings now without any problem. I can give a, I can be signed up for a presentation weeks ahead of time, months ahead of time, and I'll be able to enjoy my life. And I will not over-prepare anymore for those presentations, which I used to do a ton.
"Knowing what to target"
What helped the most? For sure like understanding the sort of the theory behind all this exposure therapy stuff and like knowing what to target that was that was like the start of it all. Like what what you teach around breaking the cycle. And then once for me, once like I had the theory, my problem was, you know, being motivated to get the practice in and get the reps in.
"Finding the right exposures"
Before I joined the LAB I had been working with my therapist one-on-one and we, we would do we would do impromptu speeches within therapy. So it was just him as the audience, but we always talked about like, what's the next step. And I had this list of activities that had varying degrees of anxiety for me.
The step up from that one on one therapy, impromptu speaking was like, I think it was like sign up for a presentation at work, which is like so far of a jump that I just couldn't bring myself to do it. So the lab was like a nice in between, but also, I guess what I'm trying to say is it's, it is scary to do the steps - the reps - these different ways to induce the anxiety. So to find like something smaller that's enjoyable or not as bad was really important.
I see this sometimes. Like on Reddit, there's like a public speaking subreddit, I'm sure you know about. What can I do to practice? And people always say Toastmasters and they're like, but that sounds so scary to me. And like, that was also my problem. Like where I was at and where Toastmasters was, was so far of a gap. And I didn't know about all these little things that you could do in between. Like for example, the LAB is definitely something that's in between because you're in a safe space. You're with other people that are having the same problem as you. Once I was able to find exposures that were at the right level for me I, it became pretty smooth of a journey, like a smooth increase in like level. Before that my main problem was really like finding the right exposures.
Mentoring + Practice = Calmer You
You will be guided, mentored and trained by an expert for 365 days
Master
Class
Online Lessons
explaining anxiety techniques
Unlimited Practice Clubs
facilitated by
members
Monthly live
Mentorship Groups
facilitated by
Dr. Mathews
One
1:1 meeting
private meeting
with Dr. Mathews
"This was an amazing course"
I strongly recommend it for anyone who is serious about overcoming public speaking anxiety. Dr. Mathews walks you through a deep understanding of what causes public speaking anxiety, teaches you tools to overcome this anxiety, and so much more. I now have a plan in place that I feel confident will get me to where I need to be and most importantly I know that I’m not alone. I look forward to continuing to develop myself and sincerely appreciate Dr. Mathews’ kindhearted and no-nonsense approach.
RN // Military Officer
"The course was a complete game changer for me!"
My presentation at the conference went well! I was very calm during the presentation. I wouldn’t have even been able to imagine I could have pulled this off just a couple of months ago.
I am very happy that I did the presentation instead of going to extreme lengths to avoid it again. It’s very liberating to know that I can do it and I don’t need to come up with yet another excuse to avoid it.
NP // Finance Executive
"I don't know how but I was so calm the entire time! "
The interview went well. I don't know how but I was so calm the entire time! You were a huge help. I could not have done this without you. And.. they've just offered me the job. In shock! This was literally all because of working with you. I wasn't even nervous at all. Thank you so much honestly I owe it all to our sessions!
RK// Research Manager
"It is life changing."
Today's webinar was a great success! I did 20 mins to an audience of 50 people. I also did a 10 minute briefing with no notes to a board member. This was the first time in recent memory that I haven't dreaded doing something like this with high stakes. All of what you told me is starting to happen. I am starting to realize the power and control you have in a presentation with pausing and the delivery in general. It was a very important moment today to do this for the client. In all my career, I never delivered a presentation or briefing so comfortably. It is pretty incredible to actually see and feel progress. It is life-changing.
AJ // Lobbyist
"The LAB was an invaluable experience for me."
It was something I had been looking for over the past year. I am glad I found Dr. Mathews and was able to attend her Lab. She is very committed to the participants and their concerns, and provides very useful guidance. During the Lab I was able to practice impromptu speaking, and to learn how to organize my thoughts, and how to control my levels of anxiety when speaking. Also, I received valuable feedback not only from her but from other participants, and this has helped me to increase my self confidence, and to develop more positive thoughts about self. I recommend this Lab very highly as it offers ways to become calmer when speaking before other people, and to enjoy sharing with others without having fear or a feeling of panic.
SD // Trainer
"Provides an insightful understanding of speaking fear and achievable steps for overcoming it."
The LAB was a wonderful experience! I was able to finally learn valuable techniques to help me better manage anxiety in a very safe environment.
I met others with the same challenges in the LAB and that made it a lot easier for me to relax and realize that we were all on the same journey and were there to help each other. Dr Cheryl was also very helpful in patiently guiding us through our sessions and helping us create new thought patterns. Also, I learned a lot from the feedback from others in the group. The feedback was so helpful.
After the first two sessions, I began to see my anxiety coming down through lots of practice opportunities I got in the lab. In one lab session, I gave a 5-minute talk and I was so happy because I knew I could do it.
Toastmasters is great but it was too overwhelming for me. The LAB however gave me a way to work on my anxiety gradually in a very manageable way. After the LAB, I am now confident that I have the tools to join a toastmasters group online to increase my practice opportunities.
Overall, the LAB was an awesome experience and I would encourage anyone who may be struggling with speaking anxiety of any sort to take part in it.
IB// Engineer
Who should attend?
If you struggle with any of these situations or symptoms, this course is for you.
Situations
Situations
Situations
What happens
in the LAB?
Note: I am redesigning the LAB. This video will be updated soon.
Unlimited Practice Clubs.
It's like going to the gym:
Do the "reps"
facilitated by
members
The LAB includes a 1-year membership to the Practice Clubs.
The Practice Clubs meet on weekdays and weekends for 30-60 minutes. The Practice Clubs are focused on practice and repetition (vs. the monthly mentorship groups that have more discussion and coaching). The meetings take place on Zoom.
Unlimited Monthly Mentorship Groups on Sundays 11:00-12:30 Eastern Time
facilitated by
Dr. Mathews
Attend live mentoring meetings (1.5 hours each). You'll learn anxiety management techniques in a very supportive group with coaching from Dr. Mathews.
Attend as many group meetings as you want for 1 year.
One 1:1
meeting scheduled
at your convenience
one-on-one meeting
with Dr. Mathews
Attend a private meeting with Dr. Mathews (1-hour). We'll collaboratively design your personal improvement plan tailored to you. Once you enroll in the LAB, you'll receive a link to my online calendar.
Dr. Cheryl Mathews
Course Author
Doctor of Psychology (Psy.D.)
Early in my career, I had debilitating speaking anxiety and had to figure out how to overcome it. I know how painful it is—it put my career and life goals on hold for over a decade. Then I attended a public speaking phobia program that was a game changer (it no longer exists). I went on to become an executive in major corporations and tech startups where I continually faced high-pressure speaking situations. In this course, I've pulled from my own experience and from speaking anxiety research to explain why anxiety and panic happens and how to get unstuck. No matter what level of anxiety you have, it is possible to get better.
Pricing
One private meeting with Dr. Mathews, monthly live mentorship meetings for 1 year, and unlimited practice clubs for 1-year.
And lifetime access to the Masterclass and private groups and forums.
FAQs
Yes. Once you purchase the course, you’ll receive an email with a link to start the course. You’ll also get access to your courses from the left navigation panel.
I’m typically free to start right away - often within 24-hours after you enroll in the LAB. Once you enroll, you'll receive a link to my online calendar so you can find a convenient time to schedule our one-on-one meeting. I’m available 9:00am - 3:00pm New York Time and I can offer additional scheduling options early morning and late afternoon if you need them. I don't usually meet on weekends because I lead groups on Saturday and Sunday, but I might be able to meet weekends if that is your only option.
Once you enroll, we can discuss when to start in the groups. Contact me with questions at DrCherylMathews@gmail.com.
Once you enroll in the LAB, you will receive a link to my online calendar where you can schedule the private meeting with Dr. Mathews. You will also receive a link to an online calendar to reserve your spot in the group meetings.
The live monthly mentorship groups meet Sunday from 11:00am - 12:30pm New York Time. You will receive a link to an online calendar so you can reserve your spot for a specific date. Book your spot by Friday each week.
Overcoming high speaking anxiety takes time because the fear center in your brain is programmed to believe that speaking is dangerous. It takes time for the fear center to trust that certain speaking situations are safe.
Most participants in the SpeakMeister program see a 50% reduction in their fear within 8 weeks. There is continual progress at 3, 6, 9 and 12 months. It’s like going to the gym to improve your physical fitness - it requires practicing the right way over time to make progress.
Add the LAB to your cart and checkout with a credit card.
Yes, I work with people from all over the world. There are many people who participate from Canada, Europe, Africa, and Latin America.
If you live in Asia, Australia or New Zealand, I recommend you schedule a 30-minute free consultation. We’ll need to discuss adapting some aspects of the program as you probably won’t be able to join the groups on weekends at 11:00am New York Time. We’ll also need to find one-on-one meeting times that work for both of our time zones.
There are usually 4-10 people in the live monthly mentorship group. The group is extremely warm, friendly and supportive and everyone is working on reducing their fear of speaking.
People join the group at different times so there will be people who have joined the group before you. The group is extremely warm, friendly and supportive.
I have the same educational credentials as a Psychologist (Doctor of Psychology in Clinical Psychology) but I don't practice as a licensed Psychologist. I practice as a Coach.
One of the advantages of working as a Coach is that individuals from any location can participate in this program. Licensed Psychologists can only see clients from the state in which they are licensed (licensure is regulated by each state in the US). As a Coach, I can work with people from all over the world.
Coaches work with high-functioning people who want to improve their performance in specific areas such as speaking in groups. LAB participants are typically high-functioning professionals who want to advance their careers, achieve specific goals and improve their quality of life. This fits well with a Coaching model.
Because I am not a licensed Psychologist, I don't take insurance. Your Health Savings Account (HSA) or flex spending account most likely cannot be used for coaching.
The information that you share with me as part of this coaching relationship is confidential.
The only exceptions to confidentiality are where a client threatens to harm someone else or harm themselves. In those rare cases, I'm required by law to report to the appropriate agency.
Also be aware that the Coach-Client relationship is not considered a legally confidential relationship (like the medical and legal professions) and thus communications are not subject to the protection of any legally recognized privilege.
Yes, join the SpeakMeister Practice Clubs.
I don’t offer discounts - the price just covers my time and costs.
I don’t offer refunds because, once you enroll in the LAB, you are able to download all of my copyrighted course materials. I spent years doing research and developing this course. It doesn’t make sense for me to allow someone to buy the course, download all the copyrighted materials then get a refund.
The key factor that makes the difference is how motivated you are and if you’re willing to put in the work desensitizing (i.e. gradual exposure). Even after the LAB is over, it requires continuing to desensitize - otherwise your anxiety will come back. So it’s a long-term commitment. If you are motivated and committed, then you’ll most likely benefit from the course. If not, then I definitely would not invest the money. Ultimately, I can’t guarantee that this will help everyone, but based on previous participants, it has been life changing for many.
Anyone who has high anxiety or panic attacks when speaking to others.
"Confidence I'm on the right track"
Our 1:1 meeting gave me confidence that I'm on the right track. I really liked the LAB group and that we did an exercise that is close to what could happen at work. You're amazing, Cheryl! Thank you so much for your support and all the hard work.
"I presented calmly"
I presented calmly at the in-person board meeting. I was very calm. I wouldn’t have even been able to do that a few months ago. The hypnosis audio really helped me.
"Zero anxiety in some work situations that used to cause panic"
This course is really helping. Exposure therapy really works and I'm going to use it in other areas of my life. I updated my anxiety levels on my Personal Improvement Plan (PIP) and I now have zero anxiety in some work situations that used to cause panic.