Judith — CBT coach for social confidence

Concrete steps. Clear progress. Test what works.

Try your first CBT exercise with Judith — 2 minutes, no email needed

Judith is Verke's CBT coach for the kinds of moments where your brain treats a normal social situation like an emergency. Public speaking, a date, a work party, a conversation you need to start — Judith breaks the next step down into something small enough to actually try, then helps you look honestly at what happened. The method is practical, not motivational.

• Fear of public speaking. Fear of being the center of attention is one of the most common anxieties — even more feared than heights or flying. A racing heart and worried thoughts aren't weakness; they're a natural response.
• Anxious at social events. The flutter in your stomach before a gathering and the urge to duck out early are your brain's response to perceived social pressure — not a verdict on who you are.
• Difficulty making friends. Building new friendships as an adult is harder than anyone admits. Worrying about judgment or rejection when you reach out is a normal part of the experience, not a personal failing.
• Social discomfort. Everyday interactions can feel overwhelming when you're tracking every possible misstep. Many people share this, and there are concrete ways to lower the volume.
• Fear of rejection or criticism. Worrying about other people's judgments is a natural protective response. Often your brain is overestimating both the likelihood and the consequences of rejection — and that's something you can test.
• Feeling uncomfortable with attention. Heightened self-consciousness when others are looking is something most people experience. Your discomfort with attention is a common reaction, not a defect.
• Dating anxiety and confidence. The butterflies, the second-guessing, the worry about rejection — they aren't signs of weakness. They're your brain responding to the vulnerability of opening yourself to connection.
• Something else. Whatever you're working on, it doesn't have to fit neatly into a category. Bring it as it is — Judith will work from what's actually in front of you.

CBT pays attention to how thoughts, feelings, and behaviors reinforce each other, then runs small experiments to test whether your go-to thought actually matches reality. With Judith, that usually looks like: name the situation you're avoiding, identify the thought that makes it feel larger than it is, and pick one small thing to try this week. Not a leap. Something you can honestly do.

Judith remembers what you tried last time, what happened, and what you want to try next — so progress builds instead of resetting every conversation. You can write in text or talk by voice, whichever is easier. For the full explainer of the method Judith uses, see Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT).

Some days you want to type out what you're tracking. Other days it's easier to talk — and Judith can do both. Voice sessions run up to 20 minutes as a phone-call-style conversation, and a summary posts back to the chat so you can pick up later. Bookmark the reframes that land, and Judith remembers what you've been working on across weeks and months. Read more about how CBT works.

Your conversations with Judith are end-to-end encrypted. You can sign up anonymously — no email or phone number required — and your 7-day free trial starts at $1.99/week after that. No credit card needed to start.

• Dreading social events? Why — and what to try before canceling
• Scared to speak up at work? How to start — without forcing it
• Afraid of being judged — how fear of judgment actually works
• Social anxiety vs shyness — what's the difference, and when does it matter?