Whenever people are nervous about interacting with others, they’re told, “Just be yourself!” But that is easier said than done—especially if you also suffer from social anxiety.

You might say you’re just introverted or bad with people; that you’re fine around friends but feel like you can’t speak up in a board meeting or a mingling event; or maybe you never would have considered yourselves socially anxious but have recently moved or started a new job, only to become isolated and unsure.

But Dr. Ellen Hendriksen proposes a groundbreaking idea: you already have everything you need to succeed in any unfamiliar social situation. As someone who lives with social anxiety herself, Dr. Hendriksen has devoted her career to helping her patients overcome the same obstacles she has.

With both familiarity and authority, Dr. Hendriksen talks the reader through the roots of social anxiety and why it endures; how it’s wired into our brains and how we can change our brains through our behavior; and how to quiet your Inner Critic (the voice that says, You can’t). Using her techniques to develop confidence, ease panic, and relax in the face of uncertainty, you can finally be yourself.