Grateful for the community's inclusive pricing and responsive staff. I can't tell you how many times my debit card was declined due to my own mistakes, and I truly appreciate the company's continued care and generosity. I'm genuinely surprised by how much I've grown through this process and would recommend the journey to anyone. There are so many kind, supportive people here navigating the same challenges with shyness and anxiety. read more

As a college student and actor that has been at the Jaunty gym for about a year and a half, I'm really happy with my experience. The service they offer is thoughtful, affordable, and does something really valuable in this age where we're all trying to connect at better and deeper ways. My jobs throughout my life have all been forward facing and social. I'm definitely not a wallflower, but I believe there's always more room to grow. From my time there a lot of the mechanics I've learned there from threading, to "weaving," has led to better, richer conversations and I'm trying new stuff and growing everyday. It's a safe, place where people can experiment, fail, succeed, and all the things between. Also, I was satisfied enough with my experience to invest in personal coaching. I wrote this partially as a way to repay the place that's been so great for my growth, but also because I think the review below is rather cynical: there are a ton of people who get a ton of value, learning, and community out of the Jaunty gym. If you've ever wanted to grow socially, give it a look read more

The Architecture of Manufactured Community & Empathy: A Look Behind the Curtains of Jaunty "the social" Gym I signed up for Jaunty Social Gym hoping to brush up on my social skills and maybe learn something new. By enrolling in their courses covering charisma, conversation, and assertiveness, I was openly seeking genuine personal growth. While the platform promises an organic, supportive community, my actual three-month experience revealed a highly transactional system that leverages user vulnerabilities for profit. Here is the reality of my journey: The Pros (What Appears Promise-Rich)The Concept: The idea of a dedicated space to practice social frameworks, body language, and approaches is highly appealing on paper.Initial Polish: The training material and lessons present themselves as a polished, superficially sophisticated system. The Cons (The Transactional Reality)Grossly Overvalued Pricing: The platform funnels clients toward 1-on-1 coaching costing an exorbitant $400 to $500 per 60-minute session. This price point vastly exceeds what licensed psychotherapists or credentialed communication specialists charge. Additionally, the predatory nature of this business model features morally questionable conduct from members that is actively encouraged. Corporate Sales Tactics: When I questioned these extreme rates, Instructor and Business Partner Leigh Ann dropped the supportive persona and deployed retail sales scripts, telling me to wait for an upcoming promo so I could "bundle and save." Manufactured Environment: The platform relies on hired actors as practice partners. This proves their ecosystem cannot thrive organically; they must import paid talent to simulate a receptive community, creating an artificial loop rather than real-world self-sufficiency. Questionable Culture: The platform actively praised intrusive real-world behaviors--such as celebrating a male participant who passively bragged about targeting on-the-clock service workers to practice flirting. This exploits retail workers whose jobs mandate politeness. The Breaking Point: A Total System CollapseThe definitive proof that this is a corporate sales funnel occurred when I respectfully posted these exact concerns on our internal forum: The Owner's Panic: The founder, Eric Waisman, panicked. His social poise immediately shattered into defensive damage control. Refuting my claims with what his business actually was, he was essentially and ironically pitching his business to other members. He tried to force our debate into a private 1-on-1, and permanently banned me when I declined. The Automated Glitch: Immediately after the manual ban, their automated retention email system broke rank and exposed their entire operational loop. Despite being banned by the owner himself, the automated system chased my capital anyway. The system sent an email to my blocked account deploying a fully unedited, seemingly personalized script. Crucially, this automated message was signed directly by the owner, Eric, stating:"Do you remember why you joined Jaunty? I've been tracking your progress, and I saw you were closer to a breakthrough than you thought. Come back for 1 month, completely free. No strings attached. Why? Because I've seen too many people give up right before their 'click' moment, and I don't want that to be your story." read more

Holy crap this is one of the best decisions Ive made to start off the year. The Instructors really care about your development and are quick to respond, you're surrounded by members of your cohort who are after the same thing, and the classes are fun and informative. Expect to see changes but ONLY if you put the time in! 2-3 sessions a week minimum! Any less and you wont see the benefit. Trust the process and see the results read more

WARNING: UNFAIR BILLING PRACTICES I am extremely disappointed with Jaunty. I signed up for a set of 5 classes, yet they turned it into a recurring subscription without my clear authorization. They have been charging my credit card for over 9 months without providing any further services. Despite trying to resolve this, they have made it nearly impossible to cancel or get a refund. For a company that claims to teach "social skills" and "communication," their lack of transparency and unresponsive customer support is shocking. Avoid giving them your card details. They are a subscription trap. I forget to tell that their content is totaly not useful ,. read more

This review is for Jaunty gym, I haven't taken the 6 week masterclass but have heard good things about it. When I signed up for this from a Facebook ad I wasn't sure what to expect, but it wasn't a big investment, so I went for it thinking there was a high chance I might cancel the subscription after a month. But I really surprised myself by how much I've come to love the program! The instructors are absolutely fantastic and often stay late because they really want their students to get the maximum benefit from the classes. I've messaged and voice memo'd with a few of them one on one and they really take the time to check in and offer individualized coaching/advice as part of the monthly package. There is the option to purchase additional one on one coaching, but I haven't even needed to because the curriculum and messaging have so far been enough for me. The program has altered my entire view of conversation and interacting. It's amazing to me that it even exists because it's such a unique service. Think of it as improv meets toastmasters bundled into mini courses. My favorite part of the courses has been the constructive feedback from the instructors and peers during the practice sessions. Some of the skills I've learned that I've found invaluable in my personal life are threading, weaving, and the combos of bridging and pivoting, or validating and pivoting. Most people do these to various degrees, mostly subconsciously, in conversation, but now, when I'm listening or talking, I'm able to consciously detect those transition moments, and navigate/steer the dialogue without coming across as abrupt or dismissive, and with minimal change to the flow, if that makes sense. And I could recognize, for instance, times that I had pivoted without validating first, and inadvertently made someone feel dismissed, or kept the topic on them for a sustained period of time without threading, and made them feel interrogated. Prior to this I had read books by Patrick King and Chris Voss (on conversations and negotiations), which were definitely insightful and interesting, but lacked the critical component of practice and feedback that make the ideas 'stick'. read more

The atmosphere is great, but the receptionist staff often seems unfair and dismissive, creating an unwelcoming feeling

When I came across Jaunty I was hooked by the fun social games that we played. Then I took a small consultation, where I met Eric, he was charming and nice, so I went for it and payed A LOT of money to a part of a 6-week social zoom class. Which was TOTALLY worth my money, in all honesty I learned so much about myself and was pushed outside my comfort zone. We touched on a little of everything in the way we communicate with our body language, assertiveness, and our beliefs. My ultimate favorite in this course was putting our new skills to practice and approaching strangers! As I look through my notes to share with my fellow Yelpers, one thing I would love to share is SLICE; that stands for Slow down when talking, Loud voice, Interrupt, Commit and Expect Success. Meaning if your going for it, put forth your best effort and be SUCCESSFUL. As a cherry on top I met amazing people from LA, The Bay, New York, Colorado and the teachers Eric and Craig all from the comfort of my home. So, If your seeking to make lifestyle change or are open minded JAUNTY is for you! Piece of advise don't half a$$ it you will waste your time and money; this is not for the faint of heart. read more

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Took the free seminar on some selected social skills for adults. This introduction to their program was excellent and would recommend to anyone. I have not yet decided whether to pay for a full class but am strongly considering it since the introduction was so good. read more

A friend of mine suggested this free meetup to me to improve my social skills. The first class was free, and they offer two free classes in S.J each month in the evening. I only went there once. I found it odd to how one of the speakers, Eric, followed me & only me outside when I was looking for the bathroom. I was planning on leaving & I'm sure he could sense that. Lots of people were coming & going in & out of the room. I was told it's a secure building, but that's never happened to me before. Anyways, the speaker was Melissa who was engaging & funny, but to make a long story short, we were all offered a special one time $20 one on one session for an hour. I stupidly paid for that useless hour. Everything she told me was stuff I already knew about myself. Or stuff that I could easily find in a book or online. Two people I know including my friend thought it sounded like a scam too. The actual real class costs $250-300! It lasts for a few weeks I think & it requires lots of homework in the form of a huge stack of papers. Melissa was the person that I talked to & she didn't know how to answer some of my questions & said that she's not a counselor & that I have a lot of issues that she couldn't help me with. That should tell you something right there. Not even a licensed psychiatrist charges that insane price as far as I know! I don't think these classes will do any good for someone with social anxiety. Go to a specialist & get on the right meds & educate yourself & get free online support or hire a psychologist or psychiatrist if you can afford one. I'm not crazy. I've been hurt by people who have looked down on me, judged me, shunned me, bullied, and ridiculed me for having this issue. Some people are just nasty narrow minded morons. Not everyone can be an extroverted life of the party type no matter what. So to all you judgy types out there, stay the hell away from me please. And please keep your ignorant opinions & attempts to try to mold me into your clone to yourself. I'm not interested in being just like you. I'd like to have more confidence & know how to talk to people with ease, but that's it. This is probably a scam. Why did no elite rate them 5 stars? Why was no mention of how much their classes cost? Think about that! Red flag alert! All those five star reviews are probably all written by people who work there, they'd friends, or paid reviewers. They don't offer any validation for parking either but at least the office is nice & there are some free snacks & drinks there. At least I think they were. If not, ooopppss, I think I recuperated most of my $20 from that then, sorry, lol. read more

The social intelligence I gained from this course has catapulted my personal and professional life at an all time high. I completed the course three years ago after which I'd gain deep, adventurous, and mentally stimulating experiences since I had learned how to lean into society. I gained life long friends within the Jaunty network. We see each other regularly, keep in touch, have laughs, real talk, and make long-lasting memories (with enviable pictures to boot!). I gained courage to embrace myself whole because I knew I now know how to get support. I've even deepened my professional network having met & collaborated with notable tech/non-profit/profit/political players around Silicon Valley just because of Jaunty skill applications. I've currently leveled-up in employment (i.e. earning, satisfaction) and I always credit Jaunty skills for it. I personally am individualistic in nature and so the negative connotation of "joining" would be what I'd say have to be most psychologically challenging for me and others who are the same. However the full program was able to mitigate that for myself. And gave me tools to thrive and enjoy a world where there are humans to be faced, careers to be built, connections to be had, and life to be lived. If you're interested in expanding how you experience life... If you'd like to figure out leveling-up on your own in a shorter period of time... If you have a smidge of self-love to invest in yourself... Then, I recommend getting on the Jaunty ride. I'd have to say the returns yield pretty high. read more

I love the tag, "Jaunty The Gym for Your Social Life". I think this best describes Jaunty. Let me explain. I worked in the fitness industry or some variation of it for over 10 years before switching paths. When I worked in the fitness industry one of the things that we saw time and time again was although there was no shortage of information, there was a shortage of guidance and direction in the industry at that time. Sure there were hundreds of magazines, DVDs, articles and exercises out there but no one really ever guided people. We started to pick up on this and we started running group bootcamps, instructor lead seminars and classes. We found that people often got the best results when in a group or a class for many reasons. To name a few, group accountability, comradery built and when it was structured people could build upon what they already learned. So what about Jaunty? I was always into personal self development. I read many of the classic books on investing, finance, education, fitness and communication. I read 'How to Win Friends and Influence People', I watched many online videos, I watched Tony Robbins, I even took a few online video classes. They were good, but something was lacking. I used to think "man if only I had a friend that I could talk to about this, that could push me or check in or that could just talk to a bit to see a different perspective on a situation". I was scrolling through Instagram one day and saw an ad for Jaunty. I thought 'Sure, sounds interesting.....let's take a look.' Poked around for a bit and left my info on a form. I expected to get some generic email back, instead I got an email back asking to set up a Zoom call. Hopped on a zoom call and that really stuck out to me. It was someone I could have instant feedback with. So I went ahead and signed up for the class. I thought the class was really interesting and thought provoking, even going a bit into human psychology and interaction. In addition to the classes themselves you have a group of like minded people who can take you further. There are challenges that force you to get out of your comfort zone. I want people to understand that no matter where you are in life, improving communication skills can help, asking your boss for a raise, making a sales presentation, meeting a new person, asking out that person on a date, starting a new job the list goes on and on. I think that many people think that either you're a social person or you're not. You label yourself as an introvert or an extrovert. And it simply isn't the case. Many, many people including myself struggled with anxiety. What better way to kill anxiety than to build up one's confidence? What better way to build up confidence in communicating than to learn the skills to improve communication? read more

What an awesome workshop. Eric and Craig are great instructors. This experience and the skills I learned are priceless. If you are looking to have abundant, meaningful connections with more people, this is the class for you. It will teach you skills that will help with your personal and professional life. read more

I cannot show more appreciation to Eric, Craig, Ann Marie and Jan. They spent their time, efforts to help us be more social and conquering our social anxiety. Even though I'm still anxious to talk to new people, I'm feeling more excited and happy instead after Jaunty. I'm able to connect to people in a different way, less judgmental and more welcoming. Surprisingly, I learn something new everyday by talking to people. The human connection that we are missing in the world should not only be resolved by machine or social media. Let's talk to each other and connect again! I'm so happy to talk to a new person everyday after Jaunty. All alumni are friendly. Come check them out. read more

Can't say enough good things about Jaunty and the crew that runs it. I took the six-week course about three years ago. Learned so much about social skills and psychology, how to lift people up, and how to have boundaries as well as better self-esteem. Our class had a blast going out to bars to do the homework together. I pushed through my fears and had some lovely surprises. And have ever since been part of a fantastic fun-loving community of genuinely kind and sincere people. I just had a long lunch today with a few friends I made through Jaunty. I still review my notes for inspiration. You get what you put into it. read more

Taking the full course (about a year ago) was one of the best decisions I've made. I'd just moved to SF from a rural area and was quite introverted/shy. Eric's engaging teaching style + well-setup partner homework assignments brought me up to speed socially. I've really come to enjoy city life as a result. If you're on the fence, go for it. It's worth every penny. But do be ready to go outside your comfort zone! (they do make this easier, but it's still necessary) read more

Jaunty is awesome! I was fortunate enough to stop by at one of the free classes with no intent at all of taking the course. I learned so much that it was just a no-brainer. We invest so much money in so many various walks of life without batting an eye, but with social interactions + learning about ourselves, we spend next to nothing and its arguably 10x more important and impactful. Give Jaunty a try and don't look back. Took the class over (2) years ago and it still makes a huge impact on my day to day now. read more

Absolutely love the Jaunty 6-week class. Being shy, I've done improv, acting, comedy, Toastmasters, mediation... This class is the most direct and effective. Within weeks, I was comfortable approaching strangers, having fun impromptu conversations, making them laugh. What I found most helpful: high status humor, weaving (small talk structures), assertiveness skills, and cognitive reframings of rejection. Eric's sense of humor and positivity are infectious. One of the most unique and useful part of this class is the social network for students. Not only do students get together several times a week to practice, even after the class is over, Craig and alums continue to organize practice sessions and social events (via GroupMe). This is one of the most fun and useful classes I've taken. read more

Eric is great. The information he has is pure gold. It has made a huge difference in my life and how I relate to those around me.

I wanted to to wait a while before Yelping Jaunty to see what the lasting effects were after the class. I took the full course about a year ago and I can say that it changed my life more than any other experience I can think of. I went from being a somewhat recluse and anti-social type of person to a very comfortable socially enabled person. I have dramatically expanded my circle of friends and have grown into an assertive and vocal man at work. The Course: The content was excellent. I appreciated seeing that social intelligence is basically knowledge of the skill sets, which I can now say is definitely learn-able! The course built my true confidence and and gave me positive experiences, I also made the best of friends in this class who I still can call upon in any situation (I am truly grateful for you all!). Eric and Craig's teaching style worked well with everyone in my class and they went above and beyond to make sure we all "got it." This was the change I needed. read more

I signed up for Jaunty's Eventbrite mixer and figured I'd probably learn something. I'm pretty skillful at social interactions, but I'm always on the lookout to improve. Eric, the founder, covered neuroscience and social behavior quite well. He has a solid understanding and he used several good illustrations and familiar examples. Nicely done. Then...he has us do some group exercises upstairs. Excellent!!!! I actually learned quite a bit and reinforced some previously learned skills. Eric, being a smart entrepreneur, gave us 4.5 Hours of free workshop time. Wow!! Then he extended a deeply discounted first private session to all attendees. Again, smart marketing. Me, being a smart person who knows value when I see it, jumped all over that. I've reread my notes today and had the opportunity to use two of the techniques we practiced last night. I recommend taking this workshop and seeing how this may benefit you. The risk is limited to your time. Give it a whirl. read more

Excellent program. Concepts are simple and clearly explained, Supportive environment, encouragement to practice. Far more effective than traditional "therapy" for developing social self-confidence. read more

I studied one-on-one with Eric and it was extremely helpful! His hands-on work with eye-contact, conversational agility, and humor is unparalleled. He was friendly and gently corrected and challenged social misconceptions I've held for years. I am a computer programmer and some of the best advice I've heard goes something like this "20 years from now all the technologies, API's, and languages it took so much effort to learn will have changed. Focus on learning how to work with people and getting along with others. That is one of the best investments you can make!" Eric provides an awesome way to hone social skills that I've never seen before! He has my highest recommendation. read more

Very high energy personal training! Eric is very passionate about what he is doing and an actual expert in the field. Would highly recommend to anyone who is trying to learn how to push oneself outside of personal boarders, learn skills to be more open-minded in social situations as well as to discover psychological blocks and break them. read more

I love Jaunty! The content taught in this class is invaluable. Especially in times like these.

I really enjoyed Jaunty's Meetup event with Eric. I didn't think I'd get so in to it, but it was a lot of great advice, neatly woven together. Eric is an excellent moderator, and I enjoyed his intro speech. Unlike someone delivering a spiel, he encouraged questions from us. Even with a super skeptical guy in the audience, it went smoothly. The group exercises -eye contact and threading conversation games- were excellent. Truly challenging for me. Definitely try it! read more

I took the Jaunty social intelligence course in early 2019. I decided to enroll in the course with the intention on building my confidence in social settings, both professionally and personally. I'm an introvert, but I don't consider myself a shy person. Before Jaunty, I'd built a respectable amount of success by developing connections with the people around me. But it didn't always feel authentic and I got to a certain point in my life and career where I was feeling less and less like my true self. I found Jaunty online and thought I'd give it a try. It's been several months since I completed the course and I can say that it's one of the best investments I've made in my personal development. I can't pinpoint exactly why the teachings in the class have been so influential in how I develop and strengthen natural rapport with people. I believe it's because of the extensive amount of testing and research the founder Eric put into creating the foundations of the course and seeing the impact in his own life, then developing a way to bring that to others. Not sure why it works, it just works. The principles I learned in Jaunty, combined with my meditation regimen, are continuing to reinforce that my voice, your voice and the beauty in all of us are here to be seen and heard, not hidden behind our own fears. read more

I just went to one of Eric's 3 hour meetups with about 30 other people. The time flew by so fast because he taught for half the time and we did paired exercises for the rest. I'm almost 64 and I wish that I had met Eric 50 years ago. What he has taught me would have been so great in high school and over the years since then. I will be taking his set of classes that starts in December and hope that all of you will consider taking the time to invest in your self-improvement. He is a gifted teacher and brings to you years of self-learning and thousands of hours observing and being a part of social interactions. The meetups are free. So if you don't believe me, spend an evening and learn from a master. read more

After taking Eric's classes I'm feeling socially confident now for the 1st time in my life! I now have many tools at my disposal to reach out and get what I want socially. And to feel fully aware and in control, is an amazing gift that I'm very thankful for. I tell others now that I'm an eye contact Jedi Knight from all of the 5 minute eye stare exercises! The classes were a huge investment in myself and am thankful for the work Eric does. I look forward to my next class read more

Totally recommend a Jaunty course to those looking to broaden their understanding of social skills and human interaction. Eric is a great instructor and really knows his stuff. I loved how we role played in class and did some digging in social psychology. Awesome venue, effective course. read more

When I first walked into an intro session of Jaunty, I felt the intensity of the program in an exercise that challenges people to take space with the first glance, the first blink. Of course, that's barely scratching the surface. From the beginning, I wrestled with ideas they taught because one of their goals is to break patterns we've embraced all our lives to help connect better and perhaps communicate more effectively. For someone who is a connector, I had to see what lessons I could learn from Eric. It's simple tools like pausing and taking time to be in a moment that serve as effective strategies for me in both business and personal settings. Also, I do think the individuals in the class brought added value in this experience as many of them are people I respect and learned many more lessons from. I still find myself raising various questions about the validity of structures in very unique dynamic situations, but I am happy, nonetheless, with some significant results I've seen in learning how to deal with difficult personalities and drawing the right crowd. Cheers to that, Jaunty! read more

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Went to the free workshop with my friend, I came with absolutely no expectations and was suprised by how good the workshop was! I consider myself socially involved, and realized during some exercises that I have plenty to learn. Thank you Jaunty! Thank you Eric & Craig looking forward for the one on one meeting. read more

Great hands-on course on how to improve social interactions. First we undid typical mistakes such as fidgeting or speaking at low voice. We then learned skills to improve our interactions. All the skills are applicable in business, daily and dating life. The emphasis was on approaching people. Overall the course was helpful and worth it. read more

Excellent course, extremely useful and informative. Also, a great community to be a part of. Would recommend.

I went to a Juanty introductory session after seeing it posted on Meet Up. As someone who has always had an interest in enhancing my social life, I was intrigued and eager to attend. I had never been to the WeWork building before and was pleasantly surprised to discover what a creative atmosphere it offered - highly conducive to group interaction. Our instructor was Eric - a warm, welcoming and clearly gregarious fellow. He delved into some course material on social behaviors, skills, and strategies before engaging the group in fun exercises. Even though this introductory class was just an appetizer, it was enough to capture my attention and sign up for the six week course. I am so glad I did! Over the course of the next six weeks, I gained a wealth of useful knowledge to help me in social situations. The skills I learned improved my ability to interact with ANY one, whether my intentions were for business networking, pursuing a romantic interest, or just making a new friend. My self-confidence was invigorated and I no longer despaired that I would be awkward or uninvolved in social settings. After the course was over, I was able to put my newly acquired skills to the test at a recent business function. I had a blast socializing with many people there as my interactions were practically effortless. I was able to engage people I never met before and it came naturally. I was devoid of the worries, fear, and angst that once plagued my social past. I have a new attitude. I enjoy meeting new people a lot more now. The advice I would give to anyone who is interested in honing their social skills would be to attend one of the introductory meetings and try it out. You will have the opportunity to practice your social skills in a fun, safe, and non-judgmental environment with others. You will practice stepping out of your comfort zone in a fun way while helping others to do the same. You have nothing to lose and a lot to gain. I only wish I could have attended Jaunty years ago! read more

This is definitely a class worth taking for anyone that wants to catapult their life to the next level. I see myself as fairly confident in most social situations, though now with experiencing this, I've gone beyond. I really cannot wait to meet with these guys again! read more

Next level social counseling. Don't let your social skills get left in yesteryear.

I have been looking for ways to improve my social anxiety. Looked at classes online, voice coaches, and tons of research on toastmasters. I finally found Jaunty!!! I have to say that this is the REAL DEAL. If you can at all close your eyes and try to imagine what your ideal self would look like, and if you could give yourself advice on how to be that person, the first advice you would give yourself would be to sign up for this class. This class is really a bargain - I have taken so many courses in my life, and for the quality, thought, and thoroughness you get at Jaunty, it's truly an incredible find. Additionally, once you go through the class, it's not over - you then gain access to an entire Jaunty Alumni group who are just a bunch of awesome, supportive, over achievers, just like you (if you're reading this). I definitely recommend 100% for everyone to take this course - the sooner the better! Good luck read more

Even if you feel you know everything about social interaction....there's much more to learn. There is NO BETTER place and NO BETTER instructor than Eric to learn new and sharpen those existing social skills. Eric and Jaunty create a fun, non-threatening atmosphere in which to improve your skills. I highly recommend it! read more

I enjoy meeting people but have never felt completely confident introducing myself to strangers and keeping conversation going. Jaunty classes gave me new skills and perspectives for different social situations and expanded my idea of what is possible. While expensive, the classes were worth it. Thanks Craig for encouraging me and others to build connections with more people. read more