SocialSelf Review: Is the Social Skills Accelerator Worth It?

TL;DR

• SocialSelf (founder David Morin, founded 2012) sells the Social Skills Accelerator which runs three months and includes three live coaching sessions per week. It’s a serious option if you want live feedback.
• Lower-commitment routes exist. Toastmasters is a peer-led club; guests can visit for free before joining. Charisma on Command is self-paced.
• Higher-commitment routes exist too. Dale Carnegie is instructor-led over several weeks.
• Our own option: the Art of Charm X-Factor Accelerator is a 90-day program. I cover it at the end, and I’ll be upfront that it isn’t the right pick for everyone.

I’m AJ Harbinger, co-founder of Art of Charm. We compete with some of these companies, so I’ve kept this to verified facts and said plainly where a rival is the better fit.

What is SocialSelf, and what do you get?

SocialSelf is a social skills and confidence company founded by David Morin in 2012. Most searches for a “david morin course” lead to one of two products.

Social Skills Accelerator: See their site for current enrollment details. It runs three months and includes three live coaching sessions per week and five course programs with lifetime access.

Self-Conscious to Confident: This focused option targets shyness or self-consciousness specifically.

Is the Social Skills Accelerator any good?

This social skills accelerator review rests on public sources. I haven’t taken the program, so I can’t judge the coaching itself.

On Trustpilot, reviews are mostly positive. Some reviewers say the program is too basic.

That fits what the structure suggests. The live sessions and lifetime course access are the selling points. If you already read widely on social skills, “basic” may be a fair complaint. If you’re starting from scratch, basic may be what you need.

Who is SocialSelf best for?

SocialSelf is probably a good fit if:

• You want scheduled, live sessions rather than videos alone.
• The commitment level fits your schedule and you’ll actually show up.
• You want to keep the course material for life.

It’s probably not the best fit if you only want a low-commitment introduction to the material. The options below cover that.

How does SocialSelf compare with the alternatives?

Option	Format	Best for
SocialSelf Social Skills Accelerator	3 months, 3 live coaching sessions a week, 5 course programs	Live coaching and structure
Charisma on Command (Charisma University)	Self-paced, community	Self-paced beginners
Toastmasters	Peer-led clubs, prepared and impromptu speaking	Public speaking practice
Dale Carnegie Course	Instructor-led over several weeks	Classroom-style training
Art of Charm X-Factor Accelerator	90-day program	Structured 90-day approach

What about Charisma on Command?

Charisma on Command sells Charisma University. It’s self-paced, has a community. See their site for current enrollment details.

Reviewers on r/CharismaOnCommand call it beginner-friendly. They also say it mostly structures material that is already on the free YouTube channel.

Choose it over SocialSelf if you’re disciplined on your own and want a lighter-commitment option. Choose SocialSelf over it if you need live sessions to stay accountable.

Read our Charisma University review for more.

Is Toastmasters a good fit?

For one skill, often yes. Toastmasters is a peer-led club. It’s one of the simplest structured options. Clubs are peer-led and include prepared and impromptu speaking with peer evaluations. Guests can visit for free, so you can test a club before joining.

The catch is scope. Toastmasters is about speaking. It won’t coach you through dating, friendships or networking. It also depends on how good your local club is.

Best for: anyone who wants public speaking practice with the simplest commitment.

See our Dale Carnegie vs Toastmasters comparison for more context on speaking-focused options.

What about Dale Carnegie?

The Dale Carnegie Course is instructor-led over several weeks. Local franchises run their own programs. See the official site for details in your area. The instructor-led classroom format is a bigger commitment than peer-led or self-paced options.

Best for: people who want a classroom setting, and whose employer might sponsor it.

Are there dating-focused alternatives?

If your goal is dating specifically, you’ll see a few names.

• The Attractive Man runs in-person bootcamps, such as the Natural Attraction Bootcamp, that include cold-approach practice. See their live training page for details.
• Love Systems historically sold 3-day in-person bootcamps. Reviews are mixed, so read several recent ones before deciding.
• Real Social Dynamics is reported to no longer sell pickup courses.

These are narrower than SocialSelf. They suit people who want in-person approach practice, not general confidence work.

For a full breakdown, see our guide to the best dating coach for men.

How does Art of Charm compare, and where are we criticized?

Art of Charm started in the 2007 era as a podcast and coaching company. More than 12,500 people have been through our programs. Our old in-person bootcamp no longer runs.

We’ve been criticized in public. A 2024 post on r/socialskills said our paid content wasn’t worth it. Older reviews called some academy content dated. Those are fair things to weigh. Read them and decide for yourself.

Where we may fit better than SocialSelf: if you want a 90-day structure and the X-Factor Accelerator’s approach appeals to you. Where we don’t: if you want the lightest commitment (Toastmasters or Charisma on Command) or a classroom (Dale Carnegie).

For a direct comparison, see Art of Charm vs Charisma on Command.

How do you pick?

1. Lowest commitment, speaking only: Toastmasters.
2. Self-paced and beginner-friendly: Charisma on Command.
3. Live coaching sessions each week: SocialSelf.
4. Classroom training, possibly employer-sponsored: Dale Carnegie.
5. A 90-day program from Art of Charm: the X-Factor Accelerator.

Not sure where you stand? Take the Influence Index quiz to see which skills to work on first.

Ready to look at the X-Factor Accelerator?

The X-Factor Accelerator is Art of Charm’s 90-day program. It includes a 1:1 onboarding call with Johnny and weekly group coaching (Tuesdays, 7 PM ET). Check the program page for current details.

If you’re weighing it against SocialSelf, put the two program pages side by side. Compare length, format and what you personally need. Pick the one that fits you, not the one with the better pitch.

See the X-Factor Accelerator program page

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