I heard this thing on a clip from the olympics: “I’m an evidence person, not an affirmations person” and I was like “damn, that’s why I really dislike the phrase “you got this.” And a lot of other phrases in that category of phrase.
I think it’s because they always felt empty. I have said this kinda thing too though! Probably many times! But it always felt off to me whatever side of the phrase I was on, and when I heard that thing about evidence vs affirmations it made a lot of sense what was going on there. And I was pretty sure at that point I could apply it to improv (after all, that’s the activity where I heard or used it the most myself)…. hence, this weeks episode.
So who I heard say that quote: Eileen Gu. A few of her recent interviews are the inspiration for a short series of videos about metacognition in improv (thinking about thinking). One of the things she said is that her confidence before competition comes from the specific preparation she’s done. The hours and the reps and breaking things down technically and stuff like that. Because of this, her brain trusts what she’s actually executed, and she draws from that archive when she’s under pressure on a world stage.
So it stuck out, her explanation, because my brain basically does the same analytical metacognition-y thing. If I tell myself “I got this,” my brain immediately starts listing reasons I might not. A lot of ’em, with footnotes. And now I’m arguing with myself instead of doing the thing I was trying to feel confident about. That dishonesty creates more tension, and tension is the last thing I need when I’m trying to perform and actually, you know, record a show. Is this you too? It’s not all of us, but I’m fairly sure I’m not the only one.
This is common in autistic and ADHD brains. The pattern-matching and inconsistency-detection runs STRONG. So when an affirmation isn’t backed by anything real, your brain flags it with a big ol red flag. And your confidence can actually drop further than if you’d never said the affirmation at all.
Evidence-based confidence is the topic of this weeks episode. It works differently that affirmations or manifestations because it gives the analytical brain something to verify.
What affirmations do (and where they fall apart)
An affirmation is a statement you repeat to yourself hoping it becomes true. Things like “I’m a good improviser” or “I belong on this stage.” They can feel good in the moment, and for some people, they work just fine.
The problem is that affirmations are belief-based. So if you have a rough scene or a rough set, the affirmation gets shaky. You told yourself “I’m a good improviser,” and then your scene fell apart. Or you couldn’t find the game, and because of that, you changed the scene. That affirmation you said now feels like a lie. And your confidence at that point can drop even further than if you’d never said it in the first place.
Evidence-based confidence works differently
Instead of telling yourself you’re good, you look at the things you’ve actually done.
An example: “I’ve run this opening format 12 times this week and I know how it works.” Or “I’ve practised initiation drills for the past month and I’m faster at those initiations now.” These are really specific and you can verify them. And because they are based on reality, a bad scene doesn’t erase them because those things already happened.
This also changes how you practise. If your confidence comes from evidence, then practice becomes the process of building that archive. Every rep, every exercise, every scene adds to that data bank where you’re accumulating specific proof that you can handle specific situations.
Most improv confidence advice falls into the affirmation category
Things like “There are no mistakes in improv” and even statements like “I got your back” are useful philosophies for how to treat your scene partner’s work. They’re nice, they sound supportive, and very often they are true. But they’re less useful as internal confidence strategies because they’re… kinda vague and you don’t really know the future until it has played out.
Evidence-based confidence in improv means keeping a specific, honest account of what you’ve worked on and what has actually improved. It means being able to say before a show, “I know I can do X because I’ve done it.” And it means that when something goes sideways in a scene, your brain can fall back on that archive instead of scrambling for a positive thought.
Watch or listen to this episode
This week’s episode of Your Improv Brain applies the above concepts to improv practice, neurodivergent brains and the nervous system, and adds specific exercises, but honestly the concept works everywhere.
Start building up that archive, friends.
Your Brain Knows When You're Lying to It: Confidence in Improv
Mentioned in this episode
Podcast with bonus episode: https://improvupdate.com/your-improv-brain
Eileen Gu response: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/-tbAaPXNeSg
Metacognition in improv series
The full series is now released. Here are the articles, YouTube videos, and podcast episodes. The playlists will be updated as the series is released.
Articles
Receiving improv notes and understanding how your brain rewrites the feedback
ADHD, Autism, Improv, improv exercises, Neurodivergent, Neurodiversity, Solo improv, Your Improv Brain Show
Every piece of feedback has two layers. There’s the content, the actual information about what happened in the scene. And then there’s the framing, which is how that information arrives. The tone of voice, whether it was said in front of the class or privately, whether your inner critic added its own spin before you…
How to stop defaulting to your old improv habits
ADHD, Autism, Improv, improv exercises, Neurodivergent, Neurodiversity, Solo improv, Your Improv Brain Show
You learn a new improv skill, you understand it, you could explain it to someone else in plain language, and then you get into a scene and your brain does the old thing anyway. The thing you did before you learned the skill. The planning ahead, the talking over your scene partner, the same safe…
Why "just be confident" doesn't work (and what to do instead)
ADHD, Autism, Improv, improv exercises, Neurodivergent, Neurodiversity, Solo improv, Your Improv Brain Show
I heard this thing on a clip from the olympics: “I’m an evidence person, not an affirmations person” and I was like “damn, that’s why I really dislike the phrase “you got this.” And a lot of other phrases in that category of phrase. I think it’s because they always felt empty. I have said…
Metacognition and improv: how to use your monitoring brain in a scene
ADHD, Autism, Improv, improv exercises, Neurodivergent, Neurodiversity, Solo improv, Your Improv Brain Show
“Get out of your head” is advice that almost every improviser has heard at some point. It makes sense as a goal, but it skips over something worth looking at: what your brain is actually doing when you’re in a scene. During the 2026 Winter Olympics, freestyle skier Eileen Gu gave an interview that got…
Podcast series
Episodes will be added to this list as they are added to the series. You do not have to listen to anything together, or in order… they all stand alone.
Video series
Episodes will be added to this list as they are added to the series. You do not have to listen to anything together, or in order… they all stand alone.
Receiving Improv Notes: How Your Brain Rewrites Feedback
Your Brain Rewrites Feedback About Your Scene (Here's Why & What to Do)
How to rewire your brain to break bad improv habits (plus… exercises!)
Your Brain Knows When You're Lying to It: Confidence in Improv
The Monitoring Channel: What Eileen Gu Taught Me About Improv
