Free 10-Day Challenge

Say the Thing.

Quiet the inner critic that has been talking you out of difficult conversations and finally have the one you keep putting off.

Yes, I agree to receive emails from you and WhatsApp messages from The People Mentor relating to the Say the Thing 10-day challenge. I understand that I can opt out at any time.

How it works

Three stages. Ten days. One conversation had.

Each morning you get one short prompt — a post, a voice note or a short video — and one simple exercise. That is it. Around 10 minutes a day.

Days 1 to 3

Spot the critic

You learn to recognise the inner voice that has been making avoidance feel reasonable, and see exactly where it is showing up in your working relationships right now.

Days 4 to 6

Understand what it costs

You see the real price of the avoided conversation — on the person, on the team, and on you — and start preparing to have it without bracing for the worst.

Days 7 to 10

Say the thing and follow through

You prepare the conversation properly, have it, and follow through. By day 10 you will know what your inner critic predicted versus what actually happened.

What you will leave with

By day 10, here is what changes.

01

You will catch the voice that has been talking you out of hard conversations and stop mistaking it for good judgement.

02

You will understand exactly how your inner critic is affecting your working relationships, not in theory, but with the specific person you have been avoiding.

03

You will have a way to steady yourself in the two minutes before a conversation, so you walk in clear rather than braced.

04

You will have one real conversation you have been putting off, prepared properly and actually had, before the ten days are up.

05

You will stop confusing directness with hostility, and kindness with staying quiet.

06

You will leave with a method you can use again. Not a one-off pep talk.

Yes, I agree to receive emails from you and WhatsApp messages from The People Mentor relating to the Say the Thing 10-day challenge. I understand that I can opt out at any time.

10 days. One prompt a day. One real conversation had.

This is free. It takes around 10 minutes a day. And it ends with a conversation you have been putting off.

How it works

Three stages. Ten days. One conversation had.

Each morning you get one short prompt — a post, a voice note or a short video — and one simple exercise. That is it. Around 10 minutes a day.

Days 1 to 3

Spot the critic

You learn to recognise the inner voice that has been making avoidance feel reasonable, and see exactly where it is showing up in your working relationships right now.

Days 4 to 6

Understand what it costs

You see the real price of the avoided conversation — on the person, on the team, and on you — and start preparing to have it without bracing for the worst.

Days 7 to 10

Say the thing and follow through

You prepare the conversation properly, have it, and follow through. By day 10 you will know what your inner critic predicted versus what actually happened.

Your guide

I am Nicola Richardson

I have spent over 40 years working with managers. In that time I have seen the same pattern come up again and again. Capable, caring people who know exactly what they need to say and cannot bring themselves to say it.

This challenge exists because the internal shift comes first. Before you have better words, you need a steadier mind. I know that because I lived it. The work I bring into these ten days helped me enormously during one of the most difficult periods of my life, and I have seen it do the same for the managers I work with.

I am a Chartered Management Institute qualified coach and mentor. Everything I share comes from real situations with real managers. Not theory.

It starts here

Say the thing. Finally.

One conversation you have been avoiding. Ten days to get there. A live kick-off call to start, one prompt a day to keep you moving, and a group to reply into when you have done the work. Free.

Before you join

Let's make sure this is right for you

This is for you if…

  • You manage people, and there's a conversation you've been putting off. Maybe more than one.
  • You soften the message, say yes when you mean no, or quietly fix things yourself to keep the peace.
  • You care about your team, and the avoiding is starting to cost you and them.
  • You can spare a few minutes a day, and you're willing to have one real conversation by the end.
  • You'd rather build the nerve to handle these yourself than wait for a script for every situation.

This probably isn't for you if…

  • You want a word-for-word script so you never have to feel uncomfortable. This builds judgement, not lines to recite.
  • You'll happily read every post and do none of the exercises. Nothing here changes unless you take the small daily action, and actually have the conversation.
  • You're sure the problem is always the other person, and you'd rather not look at your own part.
  • You're already at ease with difficult conversations. If so, you don't need this, and that's a good place to be.

Yes, I agree to receive emails from you and WhatsApp messages from The People Mentor relating to the Say the Thing 10-day challenge. I understand that I can opt out at any time.