I really like this post! Thank you for writing it. I think people will benefit from more direction of what is best to do a the conference. Personally I have benefitted from reading about how to give feedback gentler and in a non-pushy way, as I found that I increasingly give more feedback at conferences as I get more experience.

I also appreciated that you mentioned not being too tired as something that can be useful to other attendees. I have noticed that people often underestimate just how tired they can get as back to back 1:1s aren't people's normal operation mode (this includes me too!) and it can become harder to have a conversion with them, sometimes only because they look tired and you are wondering whether they are tired or just uninterested :) Each conference I make more and more effort to make sure I am well-rest or at most a little tired during meetings.

I recently write a short post about how not to burn out at conferences and I mentioned it there https://forum.effectivealtruism.org/posts/WFRT47F5JFLJ76xud/how-to-enjoy-a-conference-without-burning-out 

Thanks a lot for sharing your progress and what you've learned. Very inspiring to read about your updates team, and congrats on finding volunteers! 

Thanks Zach, I didn't go to the conference so it's great to read this update on the high-level thinking, opportunities and direction. Inspiring! 

Thanks Richie for reading and your comment! I do agree with you - I think it's worth testing what you can do and how it feels for you personally, especially if the opportunity cost isn't very high, and if your role allows it. I'm glad I tested the "conference me" with back to back meetings all three days, because I know that while useful, it isn't sustainable for me and my role at this time. I think I benefitted a lot from it, but with the number of conferences I go to now I probably can't do it :) 

Thank you Sarah, and we appreciate yours and your team's work too :) 

Thanks for sharing and glad you feel better! I had a very similar experience recently. I also agree that the right therapist can make a big difference. My coaching was with Overcome. https://www.overcome.org.uk/ I don’t have depression but I had pretty severe anxiety. Interestingly I also had spirals but with consistent help they are gone and it is easier and easier to deal with setbacks, which for a leadership role was big game changer. What I found most useful about my new coach is not any specific techniques they used (it was a mix of ACT and CBT which work really well on me) but the fact that they had experience and understanding of what my role is like (charity founder) and what it’s like to be an EA trying to make an impact. Also my coach has a similar cultural background to me which was a cherry on the top!

I'm voting for charities that have the biggest room for funding considering the impact the want to make. I am also prioritising meta charities, because they are less likely to receive votes due to most people supporting direct work, while meta charities are important for us to grow as a community. 

I’m one of the founders on those stats and Overcome has been essential to my mental health this year. We had a lot of changes this year and I had to learn a lot, which was tough at times. As a result of my sessions with Overcome I’m thriving even though I’m increasingly doing much more challenging work, my charity is doing very well and I do think a lot can be attributed to Overcome’s support. I think their services should be accessible to the whole EA and adjacent community. I was so happy with my sessions we promoted it to whole Hive community and over 100 farmed animal advocates signed up, which says something. Mental health is the foundation of impactful work! Thank you John and the team!!!

Really interesting post Lizka - thanks a lot for writing and your reflections! I found the criticism parts quite useful. The reaction from Ben about your mistake is so wholesome - it’s definitely the kind of manager I aim to be! Running a community myself I found moderation surprisingly hard too. It seems very minor but the actual emotional experience of moderation turned out to be much bigger than I thought it would be. It can take days to resolve and comes out of nowhere - a very online community specific experience. Definitely can relate! Thanks for all your hard work on the Forum and good luck with your next role!