What if five minutes on a comedy stage could change the way you show up everywhere else?
You’re already good at what you do. You lead. You present. You negotiate. You make decisions, manage teams and navigate difficult conversations. You may even be perfectly comfortable speaking in front of a room full of people. But what happens when the script disappears? When you have to stand up in front of strangers and make them laugh?
That’s the Challenge!
The Funny Women Glitter Challenge is looking for a new cohort of up to 10 professional women to take on an extraordinary personal development experience spanning six months, culminating in a stand up performance at the world famous Comedy Store London in April 2027.
And you don’t need to be a comedian. In fact, that’s rather the point.
This isn’t a comedy course.
The Glitter Challenge is a fast-track coaching and development programme that uses comedy to help women build confidence, presence, resilience and an authentic voice.
You’ll learn how to write and perform stand up, develop material and connect with an audience. You’ll work with experienced comedy mentors and receive support throughout the process.
But the real challenge, and the real reward, is what happens when you step outside your comfort zone.
Comedy is the vehicle. Confidence, connection and courage are at the heart of it.
Stand up asks you to be present. To trust yourself. To take up space. To deal with things going wrong. To think on your feet. And to discover that you don’t have to be perfect to make an impact.
And the women who’ve already taken the challenge are the best people to tell you what that means.
“I thought I was learning how to do stand up…”
For previous Challenger Carla Harris-Marsh, the experience turned out to be about much more than comedy:
“I thought I was learning how to do stand up, but actually I was learning how to be seen, take up space and stop making myself smaller.”
Carla describes the experience as genuinely life-changing.
Read Carla’s full story: How The Glitter Challenge Changed My Life
That’s one of the things we keep hearing from our Challengers: the skills they develop on stage don’t stay on stage.
Danni Woods found that her stand up experience directly informed the way she presents in her professional life:
“I can apply the lessons I’ve learnt to my day job presenting and speaking…”
And Agathe Thorseth originally joined because she wanted to tackle her fear of public speaking and presentations at work. After performing her first stand up set at the Fringe, her perspective had changed dramatically:
“Now, after having made people laugh on stage in front of 80 plus people, nothing scares me!!”
Read more from the recent Challengers: Sparkling Fringe Debut for 2026 Glitter Challengers
From “I’ll never be able to do this” to “I don’t want it to end!”
The journey isn’t necessarily about becoming fearless. It’s about discovering that you can do something even when you’re nervous.
Donna Gray started the Challenge thinking:
“I’ll never be able to pull this off.”
By the time she reached the Fringe, her reaction was:
“OMG, I don’t want it to end!”
That’s the magic of the Glitter Challenge. You start with an idea that seems slightly ridiculous and eventually find yourself standing on stage, microphone in hand, doing something you weren’t sure you could ever do!
You won’t do it alone – be part of a community.
One of the most powerful parts of The Glitter Challenge is the community that develops along the way. You’ll be surrounded by women who are doing exactly what you’re doing: taking a risk, trying something new and discovering what happens when they stop playing it safe.
You’ll be coached through workshops, bootcamps, and one-to-one mentoring sessions with comedy professionals, plus there are lots of opportunities to practise with your cohort cheering you on.
Harriet Minter, who returned for a second Glitter Challenge, explains why she came back:
“Stepping outside my comfort zone was so empowering that I wanted to return to hone my skills, take on a bigger stand up performance, and push everything to the next level.”
There’s a bigger reason to do it.
In addition to investing in yourself, The Glitter Challenge is also about helping other women find their voices.
Funds raised after costs support The Glitter Project, Funny Women’s outreach initiative providing a safe and supportive space for women to develop confidence and creativity through humour.
The Glitter Project honours the legacy of the late Jo Fletcher-Cross, a much-loved Funny Women board member and passionate supporter of women, comedy and creativity. Recognising that we all need a bit of glitter in our lives, we created a national outreach initiative that ensures accessible and low cost support.
You’re helping create opportunities for other women too.
So… could you do it?
Maybe you’ve secretly always wanted to try stand up.
Maybe you’re a confident professional who wants to challenge yourself in a completely different way.
Maybe you’re brilliant in the boardroom but want to become more spontaneous, authentic and fearless.
Maybe you’ve reached a point in your career where you want to stop playing it safe.
Or perhaps the idea of performing stand up at an iconic venue sounds completely terrifying – and that’s precisely why you can’t stop thinking about it.
You don’t need to arrive confident.
You don’t need comedy experience.
You don’t even need to know whether you’re funny enough.
You just need to be willing to take the first step.
Previous Challengers came from different careers, backgrounds and levels of confidence. What they had in common was a willingness to try something that scared them.
In the words of one of our Challengers:
“This is an incredible opportunity for anyone, no matter your experience or confidence level.”
Want to find out more?
The Glitter Challenge is a carefully planned bespoke programme of personal development and we curate our cohorts so that you get the most out of the experience.
If you’re curious to know more about the next opportunity to take part, please email info@funnywomen.com with “I’m up for the Challenge” in the subject line. We’ll send you everything you need to know, including dates, costs, what’s involved and what you’ll need to commit to.
There’s no obligation to sign up at this stage. Just ask for the details and the costs, have a read, ask questions and decide whether The Glitter Challenge is right for you.
STOP PRESS: We are recruiting for the next cohort now and the programme will launch in October 2026 culminating in a show at The Comedy Store London on Wednesday 14th April. A second cohort will be launched on 1st May 2027 with the final showcase taking place at the Edinburgh Fringe, the world’s largest arts festival, in August 2027.
