Unscripted

App icon — 1024×1024
iOS app screenshot — practice conversation
iOS app promo screenshot

What inspired us

Promotion changes a relationship before it changes a title. First-time and newly promoted managers suddenly have to give feedback to a former peer, say no to an unreasonable request, set an after-hours boundary, or hold their ground when a senior stakeholder pushes back. Most rehearse these conversations alone — in the shower, in the car, at 2 a.m. — and then lose the words the moment the meeting starts. Leadership tools offer passive advice or a single "perfect" script; neither lets a manager hear a realistic response and practise a better approach safely.

What we built

Unscripted is a private rehearsal room for the conversations new managers dread. A manager picks a realistic scenario or builds their own, responds in their own words by text or live voice, and meets an AI counterpart who pushes back like a real person. Then Nia, their coach, gives one clear note — scored across directness, empathy, clarity, boundary strength and authenticity — and they try the conversation again. The aim is not to make anyone sound scripted. It is to help them walk into the real conversation with more choice, preparation, and a voice that still feels like their own.

The app includes a daily five-minute rehearsal, a learning path that breaks skills into practisable steps, three-minute quick drills, tailored practice where you choose who you face and how hard they push back, a custom scenario studio, text and live voice rehearsal, an evidence-informed Handbook with source attribution and "Ask Nia" article questions, progress and milestones, guest practice with no email required, and Sign in with Apple, Google or email when people want to keep their progress. Gemini powers roleplay, coaching notes, session recaps and article guidance through our own authenticated server, so no AI key ships in the app.

Shipaton track and category

RevenueCat Shipaton 2026.

Target category: Influencer Award — Career Coaching: Leadership Heather.

Unscripted is built for the Career Coaching audience in the Leadership Heather category: first-time and newly promoted managers who need to practise high-stakes conversations, get useful feedback, and build confidence before the real situation. Practice covers giving feedback, setting boundaries, saying no, leading former peers after a promotion, and responding to difficult pushback. The experience is private and low-pressure, and it rewards one authentic retry instead of prescribing a perfect script.

Monetization with RevenueCat

Unscripted is free to start, and Pro gives 3× the Free monthly allowance on every AI feature: 36 rehearsal turns instead of 12, 36 coaching notes, 3 live voice rehearsals instead of 1, 9 session recaps, 6 Ask Nia questions, and longer messages. RevenueCat powers the whole purchase lifecycle: a current offering with monthly and annual packages on a single pro entitlement, a 1-week free trial on annual that the paywall shows only when RevenueCat confirms the customer is eligible, purchase, restore, App Store offer-code redemption, and RevenueCat identities linked to the signed-in account. A RevenueCat webhook updates entitlements on our server, which enforces each plan's monthly AI quota, so access can't be unlocked on the device alone.

What we learned and challenges

The central design challenge was making AI practice feel responsive without asking people to disclose confidential workplace details or pretending there is one correct way to lead. We built around the manager's own words, a plausible counterpart, one focused note, and a single meaningful retry. We also kept the product's role clear: Unscripted is a private individual practice tool, not an HR surveillance system, performance-rating engine, or employment decision-maker. It does not retain raw microphone recordings by default. On the engineering side, we learned to keep every AI call behind authenticated, quota-enforced server functions, and to fail gracefully — a slow model reply shows a clear message instead of breaking the rehearsal.

How to try it

Install the iOS app from the App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/unscripted-hard-conversations/id6809192023

Source code: https://github.com/arj-co/unscripted

Finish the short onboarding and you land on Home — no account needed. Open today's recommended rehearsal, answer in your own words, keep going as the counterpart pushes back, then read Nia's note and try the conversation once more. Explore quick drills, tailored practice and the custom studio from the Practice tab, and the source-linked Handbook from the Handbook tab. To see Pro and the free trial, open Profile → Practice access; buying requires signing in with Apple, Google or email from Profile → Save progress with an account.

AI and technology

Gemini powers roleplay, coaching notes, session recaps and Handbook guidance through authenticated Supabase Edge Functions that enforce per-plan quotas. RevenueCat handles offerings, the free trial, purchases, restores and entitlements. The shared app is built with Kotlin Multiplatform and Compose Multiplatform, with an iOS-native layer for live voice, notifications, Sign in with Apple and Google, and purchases; sessions are stored in the iOS Keychain. Supabase provides authentication, data and the entitlement record.

Limitations

Unscripted is a practice tool, not employment, legal, or clinical advice. AI replies depend on Gemini's availability and can occasionally be slow. Live voice needs microphone permission and a network connection, and Pro features depend on App Store availability in the customer's region.