Leading the way in the energy transition, we provide specialised talent solutions across battery storage, EVs, and sustainable infrastructure&mdash;empowering companies to meet the challenges of a cleaner, greener future - Visit <a href="https://sr2cleanenergy.com/">SR2CleanEnergy</a> to discover more or contact our team.

Super-charge your team with world-class Battery Storage and Electric Vehicle talent

CLEAN ENERGY

Across the DDaT disciplines, we provide experts who ensure that complex projects across government departments are delivered on time, on budget, and to the highest standard - Visit <a href="https://sr2consulting.co.uk/">SR2Consulting</a> to discover more or contact our team.

SR2 is the leading resourcing partner to some of the world’s biggest consultancies and high-growth startups.

CONSULTING

Our commitment to social responsibility has created a network of purpose-driven candidates and clients to our mission. Together, we&rsquo;re creating positive change - Visit <a href="https://sr2techforimpact.com/">SR2TechForImpact </a>to discover more or contact our team.

We align purpose-driven professionals with organisations focused on creating meaningful change across sectors.

TECH FOR IMPACT

When we tell some people we’re a <a href="https://www.bcorporation.net/en-us/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">B Corp</a>, they often smile and nod. That’s because the chances of finding a recruitment company that’s B Corp accredited is so small, it’s unlikely you’d have heard of it before.What is a B Corp?Certified B Corporations are leaders in the global movement for an inclusive, equitable, and regenerative economy.It’s that stamp of approval that says, as a business you value society and the environment. We’re proud to be part of the movement.

We’ve donated over £250,000 and 1400+ hours of volunteering in the first five years of business. And we want to give even more. We love bringing clients along on this journey. Click below to find out about our current charity partner, and how you can get involved.Our Mission.We put people before profit. If that sounds like an empty promise, keep reading. We believe financial success shouldn’t be in lieu of social responsibility but work with it hand in hand. This belief runs through the core of our DNA

Understanding why a recruiter joins a company is tricky business. But we think we’ve got it nailed.

Ever heard of a company founded because of a book about giving back? You have now. The rousing ‘People Over Profit’ by Dale Partridge is why we exist.In the book, Dale outlines the 7 core beliefs that enable business leaders to break the old ‘profit-first’ cycle, achieve incredible success and have a huge impact, all by simply putting people first.And that’s what we’ve done. We’ve made recruitment, an industry which is inherently people-centric, about the people.So whether it’s our customers, our team, charity partners or communities – it’s people over profit.&nbsp;

We connect the best and brightest in tech &amp; digital talent across the UK, US and Europe with awesome, impactful and innovative organizations.We regularly turn down work if we don’t believe in the business. Our values have to match. This ensures we have more time and energy to represent clients we truly believe in, and do so 100% authentically forging stronger relationships between you and the candidate market.We’re big fans of those companies harnessing tech for the good of the planet and society and do all we can to help them build diverse and capable teams introducing new ways of working for great impact.

It's super easy to get started and get access to lots of great volunteering opportunities, Simply sign up, fill out your profile, search and apply.

We want Technology Volunteers to be as simple as possible in supporting your journey in finding the right people to get you moving along with tech. That's why, for now we'll manage your project listing and account for you, no need to sign up or register. If you would like to have your project listed on our site and have our wonderful volunteers come knocking at the door - all you need to do is give us a shout and we'll be in touch

<h3 class="heading purple">Are you a charity needing support?</h3>

The SR2 team has a track record of building teams of exceptional people with specific skills and backgrounds including Software Engineering, DevOps, Product, Data, QA, UCD and Transformation. What’s certain is you’ll only ever work with someone who knows your market inside out and, if we don’t cover it, we won’t pay lip service.It doesn’t matter whether you’re in the private or public sector, whether it’s your first hire or you’re scaling a team… we’ll find you the very best talent in the industry. Find out more and meet the heads of our Private and Public sector teams in the videos below.&nbsp;

<h3>Unser Auftrag</h3>Herzlich willkommen bei SR2 – der sozial verantwortungsvollen Personalagentur! Wir haben es uns zur Aufgabe gemacht, die besten und klügsten Talente im Bereich Technik und Digitales in Großbritannien, den USA und Europa mit großartigen, einflussreichen und innovativen Unternehmen zusammenzubringen.Aber wie geht eigentlich „sozial verantwortungsvolles“ Rekrutieren? Im Prinzip wie die Personalbeschaffung – nur besser. Wir stellen die Menschen über den Profit und behandeln niemanden wie eine Ware oder Mittel zum Zweck. Wir kümmern uns um die Gemeinschaft und die Umwelt und engagieren uns für das Gemeinwohl.Nachdem wir unsere preisgekrönte Agentur in den letzten 6 Jahren in Großbritannien aufgebaut haben, glauben wir, dass unser sozial verantwortungsvoller Rekrutierungsansatz auch in der pulsierenden Technologielandschaft Deutschlands funktioniert. Unser europäisches Team besteht aus Experten, die sich auf die folgenden wichtigen Tech-Sektoren spezialisiert haben: Cloud, SRE und DevOps, Computervision und maschinelles Lernen, Produkt- und Daten-Engineering.Wir sind mehr als nur Personalvermittler – wir sind leidenschaftliche Verfechter eines sinnvollen Wandels. Wir können dabei bereits auf eine Erfolgsbilanz auf dem deutschen Markt zurückblicken und haben uns darauf spezialisiert, hochkarätige Tech-Talente mit einigen der führenden „Tech for Good“-Unternehmen des Landes zusammenzubringen: von FinTech über HealthTech und Beratungsunternehmen bis hin zu Cybersicherheitsfirmen.Erfahren Sie mehr über die neue Ära der sozial verantwortungsvollen Rekrutierung und lernen Sie unseren CEO Chris Sheard und das Team Europe kennen:

<h3>Our charity commitment</h3>We make two charitable donations every year representing 5% of our profits&hellip; and that&rsquo;s not all.To support organisations who are close to our heart, every member of the SR2 team will volunteer 2 days of their time to support them throughout the year.In the six years since our inception, we&rsquo;re blessed to say we&rsquo;ve given over &pound;250,000 to local charities and supported them with over 2000 hours of our time.You&rsquo;ll be pleased to know we&rsquo;re not stopping there.If there&rsquo;s a charity close to your heart, one that is integral to your community, help us out by <a href="mailto:info@sr2rec.co.uk" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">suggesting</a> them for a future donation.

We have teamed up with <a href="https://thefutureforestcompany.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">The Future Forest Company</a> to help unf*ck the future! For every placement we make we will be planting a tree. The Future Forest Company are UK based and the candidate gets sent the pic and location of their sapling so they can go and visit their tree!

Sind Sie also auf der Suche nach Ihrer nächsten spannenden Herausforderung in der vielfältigen deutschen Tech-Branche oder möchten Sie mit einer Agentur zusammenarbeiten, um ein Tech-Team aufzubauen, das nicht nur Ihren Erfolg vorantreibt, sondern auch einen positiven Beitrag zur Gesellschaft und zu ethischen Tech-Praktiken leistet, dann sind Sie bei uns in den richtigen Händen.

<h3>Make a Referral</h3>We&rsquo;re giving YOU the opportunity to make a big difference to a charity of your choice. It&rsquo;s easy &ndash; for every successful referral (be that a candidate we place, or position we fill) &ndash; we will donate &pound;250 to a charity of your choice.Guaranteed warm fuzzy feeling inside.

Thanks for being here and welcome to Women Rock – a voice for diversity in tech! Here you will find some of the most inspirational stories about ED&amp;I in the tech industry. Women Rock was created by SR2 co-founder and all-round positive vibe advocate Alicia and exists to help transform the industry and create a positive movement!

We can match your employees and teams with innovative and exciting projects based on their tech skillset & the causes they are passionate about. Technology Volunteers offers remote, in-person, individual or team volunteering so whatever your preference or team set up, there will be a project to suit your organisation needs - all you need to do is get in touch with the team and we'll take it from there!

<h3 class="heading text-white">Are you a business looking to develop your volunteering initiatives and improve you CSR</h3>

<h1>Events</h1>Community’s at the heart of everything we do. It’s even represented in our name.We support local charities and give back to the local tech community with our monthly meet-ups.We run a number of events every month, covering all forms of tech disciplines and important topics like ED&amp;I in tech.See what’s coming up in your area and make sure you register to get notified of the events you want to be involved in.

We understand the power of community at SR2 – it’s through community we can push our limits, discover new ideas and lend motivation to those who need it.We’re proud to support local charities and give back to the local tech community with our meetups. We facilitate, sponsor and support a number of events every month, covering various tech disciplines, leadership and important topics like ED&amp;I + more.See what’s coming up in your area and make sure you register to get notified of events you want to be involved in.

<h4 style="text-align: center;">OUR MISSION - to have 10,000 volunteers on the platform and to have completed over 100 charity projects by 2025</h4>

Menschen stehen über Profit.

We will boost your Brand. Bolster your Business. Propel your Purpose.

Wir Sind SR2.

Spezialistin IT Rekrutierung, ohne das Ego

We exist to harness the power of recruitment to create meaningful change across the world.&nbsp; Our mission is simple but profound: to connect purpose-driven talent with industries that shape a better future.

BUILT TO MAKE AN IMPACT.

We’re building something special here. But that’s not possible without first building the lives of our people.You’re the glue that binds us, and the fuel that propels us.We use our prowess for good. We enrich the lives of those we work with, and give purpose to those who help us achieve it.If you’re seeking a position that’s more than a job, get in touch, and let’s discuss how we can change your life.Like we’ve already done for these people...

<h1 class="heading mb-4 slideUp">European SQUAD.</h1>Our European division was set up during the pandemic and are now a strong team helping shape the future of tech start-ups around Europe.

<h1 class="heading mb-4 slideUp">Ops Team.</h1>The operations team are the backbone of SR2. From the Contractor Care and Finance teams to Marketing and L&D – the Ops team work insanely hard to support the wider company and most importantly maintain our culture.

Every single one of us believes social responsibility can not only be synchronous with financial success but magnify it. Chris founded SR2 on that belief and every employee carries the torch. Our commitment to social responsibility is present in everything we do. We’re honest, transparent. We’ve got integrity in spades.We know all there is to know about Tech recruitment. Knowledge we’ve built up over years in the game. Knowledge is power, they say. And with great power comes great responsibility. Welcome to SR2.

JOIN THE SQUAD.

Welcome to the SR2 blog where you will find everything from tech industry news and info on our tech meet-ups to what volunteering we've been doing, cute pics of dogs and everything in between...

JOIN THE SQUAD.

Technology Volunteers enables kind and generous tech professionals to connect with underfunded charities to work on important, purposeful and fulfilling projects that will help charities continue to create positive impact around the world.

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<h2>HI CHRIS, HOW ARE YOU TODAY? AND HOW ARE YOU OUT OF 10?&nbsp;</h2>
I am great thanks; a solid 8 I would say.&nbsp;
<h2>WHERE DID YOU FIRST HEAR ABOUT TALK CLUB AND HOW DID THIS PARTNERSHIP COME ABOUT?</h2>
They first came on my radar through Instagram I think and then they just kept popping up everywhere and seemed to be doing amazing things all the time so I reached out to <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/gavinthorpetherapy/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Gavin </a>and we met over a coffee and he shared the full story of <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/talkclubcharity/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Talk Club</a>, how it started, the journey and where they want to take it which was inspiring and incredible what they have achieved in such a &nbsp;short space of time both in terms of growth but more importantly impact. They are incredible.&nbsp;
<h2>AS THE CEO OF SR2, WHY DO YOU BELIEVE IT'S CRUCIAL TO PRIORITISE THE MENTAL HEALTH OF THE TEAM?&nbsp;</h2>
Put simply, the better people feel the better people will perform so it should be a priority for any business.&nbsp;
<h2>HOW DOES PRIORITISING MENTAL HEALTH POSITIVELY IMPACT THE OVERALL PERFORMANCE AND PRODUCTIVITY OF THE TEAM?</h2>
I hope it provides further evidence that we care no1. We have been the very first business to do this partnership with Talk Club and offer this support and service to our staff alongside many other health and well-being benefits we offer the team like weekly boot camps, HEKA Wellbeing allowance, unlimited holiday, and financial coaching. The 3 key pillars Talk Club focuses on for mental fitness are Sleep, Diet and Exercise. Whilst people need to take accountability for themselves and what they do day-day to positively impact those 3 key pillars, if we can create an environment that helps support, foster, and encourage good habits against those pillars then I have no doubt it will positively influence their lives and mental fitness as well as their performance and productivity at SR2.&nbsp;
<h2>THE PILOT HAS BEEN GOING FOR TWO MONTHS NOW, HOW DO YOU THINK IT HAS GONE? WHAT FEEDBACK HAVE YOU HAD AND HAVE YOU SEEN ANY DIFFERENCES IN THE TEAM?&nbsp;</h2>
I naturally haven&rsquo;t had huge amounts of feedback as it&rsquo;s a confidential service however the fact every week is booked out solidly tells its own story. We also provided extra sessions with our MHFA practitioners that we have in the business who are around every day. These have been hugely useful sessions and helped give some insightful feedback. Lots of businesses have MHFA&rsquo;s in the team but so often overlook who is looking after them. MHFA&rsquo;s are on the front line of your business and people naturally will speak with them in that role and share and unload a bit at times which can weigh heavy on that individual. We have had monthly sessions as a team of SR2 MHFA&rsquo;s and these have been incredible to help support each other and share so without doubt this has been a positive step for the business.&nbsp;
<h2>DID YOU HAVE A SESSION AND WHY DO YOU THINK IT WAS IMPORTANT THAT YOU GOT INVOLVED?</h2>
I have yes. Not something I have ever done before, to be honest, but I wanted to take myself out of my comfort zone a little as I am not a big talker in truth and see what it was like firsthand. Being a CEO can be a lonely place at times, to say the least, and having had my session I felt noticeably lighter and better for it. I had been attending the group MHFA&rsquo;s sessions as I am a trained MHFA myself and those sessions were incredible and very reflective for me and then 121 was no different. Having never done anything like that before, I came away feeling super positive and I will book in future chats if I can squeeze in.
<h2>ARE THERE PLANS TO CONTINUE WITH THE TALK CLUB SESSIONS?&nbsp;</h2>
100% we have piloted it for 3 months and I feel like it has been a huge success in what&rsquo;s been a difficult year for everyone with the recession and cost of living crisis and everything else going on in the world right now it has been a hugely beneficial additional layer of support to our team.&nbsp;
<h2>WOULD YOU RECOMMEND THESE SESSIONS TO OTHER BUSINESSES AND WHY?</h2>
A total no-brainer if you genuinely care about your people. &nbsp;

1 in 7 people experience mental health problems in the workplace

Why I want a mentally fit business | Chris

Self-care means taking the time to do things that help you live well and improve both your physical health and mental health. When it comes to your mental health, self-care can help you manage stress, lower your risk of illness, and increase your energy.
<h2>But what does self-care mean to me?</h2>
Self-care to me is giving myself time to do the things I love, feed my soul, and fill my cup. Life can become super busy, and we can almost forget to spend time on ourselves and with ourselves. Self-care has become a non-negotiable to me over the past 4 years, at least once per week I spend a full day by myself doing whatever makes me feel good, normally a Sunday resetting for the week ahead. I also make the effort to give myself at least an hour a day doing something that makes me feel good.
Self-care can sometimes have a misconception of being a face mask and a movie, while that is someone&rsquo;s ideal self-care routine for other people it&rsquo;s ticking off things on their to-do list. It&rsquo;s different for every individual person as it&rsquo;s personalised to what fuels you, grows you and makes you feel good. A book that really helped me with this is<a href="https://www.waterstones.com/book/working-hard-hardly-working/grace-beverley/9781529159004" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> Working Hard or Hardly Working</a> Grace Beverly
I have noticed a huge shift in my relationships, creativity, energy and view on life since making this a priority. Being able to give more to my friends, family, and career has made a significant difference as I have refilled my own cup, and given myself the time to emotionally and mentally rest as well as physically.
Types of self-care I love:
🙏 I will walk every day with a podcast for at least an hour
🙏 Buying a coffee and a croissant
🙏 Spending time in the gym
🙏 Journalling before I go to bed
🙏 Meditation/Yoga
🙏 Cooking
🙏 Cleaning the house
🙏 Working through my to-do list
If you don&rsquo;t currently have self-care in your routine, the best place to start is to write a list of the things that make you happy and you love to do, then a list of the things you enjoy that keep you healthy both physically and mentally and slowly start to implement them into your current routine.
&nbsp;
<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/char-johnson-06a70179/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Post by Char Johnson</a>

What Does Self Care Really Mean? | Char

Incredibly proud of everyone at SR2 after being awarded with the Recruitment Agency of the year (50-100 employees) at the coveted annual Recruiter Awards. But we didn't stop there...our Director and people over profit brainchild Chris Sheard was voted entrepreneur of the year (absolutely well deserved and overdue recognition IMO) Rewind back just shy of 5 years and Chris, Nath and Alicia were in a tiny broom cupboard office in Central Bristol looking at one another wondering where and how to start (pick up the phone but call who?!) Now we have a team of 60+ absolutely legendary, hard-working, humble humans, multiple offices, we’re donating huge sums of money to impactful charities on the regular (£18,000 to Talk Club earlier this week for instance) and winning some of the most sought-after awards available in the industry. Just wow. Thank you to everyone who has played a part in our journey so far - clients, candidates, supporters. We value you all so much and rest assured, this is just the beginning!

Another one of those pinch yourself moments…

What. A. Night | Nath

Loneliness is a feeling that people fear, a feeling that people try everything they can to avoid, but also a feeling that a lot of people have experienced, yet one that not often gets spoken about. It&rsquo;s a feeling that is commonly associated with the elderly or individuals who live in isolated places but in reality, it has no boundaries. Even the definition of loneliness &ldquo;sadness because one has no friends or company&rdquo; seems simplistic and somewhat disheartening. Is it any wonder that in a world where popularity reigns supreme that more people don&rsquo;t admit to feeling lonely!? The truth is anyone can feel lonely. You may be in a room surrounded by friends and family that you love and still feel lonely. At different points in my life, this was me. I wanted to write this blog to raise awareness about loneliness but also to reassure anyone that is struggling that it&rsquo;s OK to admit to feeling lonely.
To give you some context, I&rsquo;m someone who loves making meaningful connections with others. I&rsquo;m not one for big social situations but give me a long walk where I can have a deep conversation with a friend and I&rsquo;m in my element. I&rsquo;m one of those rare people nowadays who never choose to work from home because I crave being around people and thrive off my interactions with my colleagues in the office. Like many people, Lockdown was a tough time for me. I live with my mum and stepdad in a little village just outside Bristol, where my school friends have all moved away and I hardly know anyone in the area anymore. Although a scary, uncertain time, I would be lying if I didn&rsquo;t say there was some excitement about being put on furlough during a heatwave. For the first time since leaving university, I didn&rsquo;t have to work! I had the &ldquo;freedom&rdquo; to do what I wanted, with the only thing on my agenda was to sit in the garden and get a nice tan. &nbsp; However, that excitement soon turned into restlessness and extreme feelings of loneliness. Although I&rsquo;d still speak to friends on the phone, had countless obligatory lockdown quizzes and even attempted some virtual cook-along, after I&rsquo;d come off them with deep feelings of loneliness. These interactions always felt too short for me. Everyone would leave the call and I&rsquo;d still feel unfulfilled, and the feelings of loneliness heightened. I never felt like I was connecting with anyone on the same level that you do when you&rsquo;re together in person. I was left alone and waiting for a message, a call, or even another terrible quiz just to alleviate some of the feelings of loneliness. Looking back, probably one of the unhealthiest things I was doing that exacerbated how I felt was seeking connection through social media. I&rsquo;d scroll and scroll only to see posts of what I perceived to be my friends enjoying their time on Furlough with their other halves &ndash; if there&rsquo;s anything that makes you feel lonelier it&rsquo;s seeing others happy and connected. There was a point where I couldn&rsquo;t cry any more tears and decided to speak to a therapist. In this safe environment, I was able, to be honest about how I was feeling and talk about emotions that I had kept in for years and that I needed to talk about to heal. Therapy allowed me to connect with someone who could provide the support and understanding that I needed and to connect to myself for the first time in years.&nbsp;
<h2>Can I ask you a question? If you could do anything, with unlimited money and the freedom to travel anywhere in the world, what would your perfect day look like?&nbsp;</h2>
I had this discussion at lunchtime with a couple of friends, and it threw me a little. I found myself trying to think up something extraordinary&mdash;a grand experience involving sailing across the Caribbean on a luxurious yacht with all my friends. We would embark on thrilling scuba diving adventures, and tuck into a delicious 5-course tasting menu while watching the sunset on a pristine, white sandy beach...Sounds idyllic, doesn't it? But now, let's reimagine this perfect day where you must experience it alone. Would it still retain its title as the &ldquo;Perfect Day&rdquo;? Honestly, I don&rsquo;t believe it would.&nbsp; If I had all the money in the world, be in the most breathtaking location imaginable but unable to share that experience with anyone, would I be happy? I&rsquo;m not sure I would be. It&rsquo;s the experiences we share with others that truly enrich our lives. It may come as no surprise then that social connection is included as one of the four key components ofc good mental well-being. Forming meaningful relationships play a vital role in establishing a sense of belonging and self-worth, as well as providing emotional support during challenging times.&nbsp; Loneliness, on the other hand, has a huge impact on our mental health, contributing to depression, anxiety, and low self-esteem What&rsquo;s more, it can lead to a cycle that heightens the feelings of loneliness.
Loneliness has a profound impact on our self-esteem and confidence to interact with others. This, in turn, often triggers negative thoughts and self-talk, further lowering our mood. One of the significant hurdles with loneliness is the perceived lack of support, which means that we are less likely to talk about our emotions. Unfortunately, this often makes things worse and consequently, poor mental health often results. The fear of social interactions intensifies, as we start viewing ourselves as a burden or a source of negativity. This heightened anxiety and depression contribute to feelings of shame, leading us to hide our true emotions. Consequently, we create a facade that further amplifies the sense of disconnection, even when surrounded by others. This reinforces the cycle of loneliness. One of the aspects of loneliness that I found to be the most difficult was the shame that came with it. The fact that I had friends that I spoke to every day, and I knew that I could reach out to them at any time, yet I still felt lacking in some way and felt needy. I didn&rsquo;t feel like I could share my experience with anyone as I believed that I shouldn&rsquo;t be feeling this way as I had friends that I could talk to. I even found myself comparing myself to others &ndash; no one else seemed to be struggling with loneliness so why should I? However, by not being honest about what I was experiencing and my emotions the feelings of loneliness grew. I&rsquo;d then start to overthink the interactions that I did have with friends, worrying that they found me boring because I didn&rsquo;t have anything to talk about. The anxiety then continued after the calls, and I&rsquo;d overthink every conversation and friendship. I became fearful that if I wasn&rsquo;t entertaining or interesting enough I&rsquo;d lose my friends and feel even lonelier.&nbsp; By masking how we feel and not talking about our struggles, we inadvertently worsen our&nbsp;loneliness. When we are not honest about how we truly feel, it becomes difficult to establish genuine connections with others and with ourselves. We are unable to connect because we aren&rsquo;t being honest about how we are truly feeling. By not being true to others, we&rsquo;re not being true to ourselves, and we will never be able to properly connect. True connection requires us to be true to ourselves and others, creating an environment of trust and understanding. Speaking to a therapist was such a transformative experience for me. It was the first time I allowed myself to be truly honest about my feelings, and it marked the beginning of feeling a genuine sense of connection and the feelings of loneliness lessened. During one of my first therapy sessions, my therapist recommended that I watch<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iCvmsMzlF7o" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> Bren&eacute; Brown&rsquo;s TED Talk, The Power of Vulnerability</a> &ndash; Which, if you haven&rsquo;t seen it, I highly recommend it! It has completely changed my outlook and is the reason why I am doing this blog today. Bren&eacute; talks about how the fear of not being worthy of connection often holds us back from experiencing true connection with others. However, the key to genuine connection lies in allowing ourselves to be truly seen. We must therefore embrace vulnerability. It requires us to have the courage to let go of what we think we should be and instead be completely authentic and true to ourselves.
If you&rsquo;re feeling lonely right now, please know that it&rsquo;s OK. You&rsquo;re not alone in this experience. You are worthy. You are enough. There is power in being vulnerable and reaching out to someone to share how you are truly feeling.
Please let&rsquo;s talk more and be kind always.&nbsp;
<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/natalie-sidwick-5a4195104/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Nat </a>x

Is it any wonder that in a world where popularity reigns supreme that more people don’t admit to feeling lonely!? 

We Need to Talk About Loneliness | Nat

Austin, Texas - a place where a lady baked a loaf of bread in her mailbox, so let&rsquo;s say it was a tad warm for my blonde English skin when I touched down here a few weeks back. However, the warmth I experienced wasn't just limited to the weather. It was a week of downtown life, filled with amazing chats, inspiring connections, and, yes, even some meat sweats.&nbsp;
Join me as I take you through my journey in the heart of Texas, where I found a vibrant tech community and a warm welcome that rivals even my beloved Bristol.
My first stop in Austin was the fabulous Soho House where the vibey atmosphere and the people I met set the tone for the incredible week ahead (not to mention the incredible picantes...) Next up, I ventured to Top Golf, where I tried my hand at a bit of swing action. Spoiler alert: I'm better at connecting people than connecting with golf balls.
One of the highlights of my trip was Capital Factory, a thriving hub for startups and innovation. The energy in this place is contagious, and it was here that I had the pleasure of attending FIESTA, shout out to Cherrie! You're creating something truly special in Austin - the sense of community you're fostering is heartwarming, and I can't wait to see it grow.
Next stop: the AI Beer and Bots event, where I got to listen to six different AI pitches and meet some of the coolest peeps in the industry. The enthusiasm in the room was BUZZING!
As a huge advocate for Women in Tech (check out my <a href="https://sr2rec.com/community/womenrock/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Women Rock</a> platform), I had meetings with a couple of the members and leaders about Women in Tech for Good Austin and was lucky to grab some drinks with an Austin Chief ❤ &nbsp;
In conclusion, Austin, you've won me over. Your sense of community, your warm hospitality, and your thriving tech scene hold a special place in my heart. I'm excited to bring some of our initiatives to this remarkable city and collaborate with the incredible people here who are working tirelessly to make the world a better place.
Note to self: Terry Blacks BBQ in 42 degrees heat &ndash; don&rsquo;t do that again #sweaty. &nbsp;
SR2USA &ndash; Let&rsquo;s go!!

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