Lunch & Learn Series: How to Quiet the Noise: Shifting Your Relationship with the Inner Critic (Online Event)
A 45-minute interactive Lunch & Learn inspired by Tara Mohr’s Playing Big: disarm self-doubt, uncover its hidden safety instinct, and take the driver’s seat back with your core values.
Date: Thursday, January 14, 2026
Time: 12:10 – 12:55 JST (45-minute focused lunchtime session)
Location: Online via Zoom
Investment: ¥3,000 (Special pilot rate), ¥2,500 (Alumni)
Registration: https://lunch-and-learn-2-inner-critic.peatix.com
About the Event
Have you ever noticed that just as you prepare to speak up, pitch an idea, set a boundary, or step into something bolder, an internal voice pipes up?
"You're not ready for this."
"Don’t make a fool of yourself."
"Who do you think you are?"
In her acclaimed framework Playing Big, author and coach Tara Mohr highlights a vital truth: the inner critic is not proof of incompetence or unreadiness. It is an automatic physiological safety mechanism triggered whenever you approach the edge of your comfort zone.
Trying to argue with, suppress, or drown out that voice rarely works—it usually makes it louder. Real freedom comes from shifting your relationship to it: learning how to hear the critic's underlying fear without giving it the keys to your life.
Why This Session?
As a trained Playing Big facilitator, I am spending this year deeply re-engaging with the curriculum as an active alumna—applying these tools directly to my own self-coaching and growth edges. Because this body of work creates such profound, lasting shifts, I am hosting these community Lunch & Learns to make its core ideas accessible to everyone in focused, digestible, bite-sized formats.
Who Should Join
This session is designed for anyone who feels the friction between what they want to do and the self-doubt holding them back:
Professionals, creatives, entrepreneurs, and leaders preparing for a new project, role, or visible step.
Anyone prone to over-preparing, second-guessing emails or ideas, or staying silent when they have something valuable to say.
Alumni of our previous session looking to build on their internal compass and alignment work.
Anyone seeking grounded, practical self-coaching tools that bypass generic "just be positive" advice.
What You Can Expect
A Low-Pressure, Respectful Environment: Join during your lunch break with your camera on or off. You can participate actively in the chat or simply reflect in your notebook.
Hands-on Micro-Practices: Minimal lecture, maximum application. We immediately translate the concepts into quick, personal exercises.
A Grounded, Compassionate Perspective: No forced cheerfulness or aggressive "hustle" mindset. We treat our internal dialogue with curiosity, dignity, and practical humor.
What You Will Get Out of It
Instant Psychological Distance: By giving your inner critic an external identity and persona, you break automatic identification with it—realizing in real time: "That is just my critic talking, not objective reality."
De-escalation via Compassion: The ability to spot the evolutionary safety instinct behind catastrophic thoughts, helping you calm your nervous system instead of spiraling into frustration.
A Reclaimed Steering Wheel: A concrete boundary phrase and a chosen core value (like courage, service, or curiosity) that you consciously put in the driver's seat when making decisions.
What to Bring
A pen and a sheet of paper (drawing materials, markers, or colored pens are great for the character sketch!)
One real-life situation where self-doubt is currently nudging you to play small
Your lunch, a warm cup of coffee or tea, and a curious mindset
About Jennifer Shinkai
Jennifer is a Tokyo-based facilitator, coach, and creative practitioner passionate about identity, inclusion, and human connection. Known for her ability to create deeply meaningful, psychological safe spaces, Jennifer integrates concepts of mindfulness, Ikigai, and communal reflection into her work. As an artist and facilitator, she loves exploring the storytelling power of everyday objects and helping people navigate complex cultural contexts through collaborative experiences.