Embracing the Burnout

Conference Poster. Image on left is two anthropomorphized matchsticks embracing each other. Center Panel is white text on red background: "Embracing the Burnout, an online conference for tired activists, creators, founders, and other humans, 12/11/21. Panel on right has photos of the presenters in small circles and reads: "Mx. Pucks A'Plenty, Emcee; Ta Corrales & Liz Hunt, Hands-On Workshop: Grandpa's Paper Airplane; Sar Surmack, Boundaries for Burnout; Devyn Stone, Creating Affirming Virtual Events; Robin Eastman & Julian Dockhorn, Growth Mindset in a Toxic World; Dahlia Kash, Nurturing the disabled body; Savannah Sly, Panel: Energizing, not Depleting." Followed by Versatackle logo and "Presented by Versatackle."
Thanks to Josh King for artwork
October 29, 2021
Robin Eastman

We are all so tired.

Y’all, it’s been a helluva ride these last 2 years and we are all tired. No one I know is operating at full capacity right now. But we still are working on new ways to connect and grow together. Versatackle and Mx. Pucks A'Plenty are teaming up to bring you an online conference to explore ways to do that better - ways that don’t ignore the elephants in the room and welcome your whole, worn-out, beautiful selves.


We are bringing together an amazing community of people to share what we’ve learned about making online events meaningful, connecting, engaging, and healing.  Please join us!

Cost: $0-$50 sliding scale
Date: 12/11/21
Start time: 9:00 am PST/ 12:00 pm EST

Get tickets here

There's definitely an irony to holding a conference on burnout. The folx it applies to most are people who aren't exactly looking to add more video conferences to their calendar. At the same time, I think a lot of us are hungry for connection, as long as we can relax, be ourselves, and drop the mask.

We have some great presenters

A black skinned person smiles at the camera with pink curly hair and makeup

Mx. Pucks A'Plenty,

Emcee

Mx. Pucks A’Plenty is the Director of Junk in da Trunk, the Michelle Obama of Burlesque, and Seattle’s Own Mxtress of Thiccness! Pucks is the founder and co-producer behind What the Funk?! An All BIPOC Burlesque Festival. The Femme Daddy that your mother should have warned you about, Pucks is not only a performer and a producer, but stage manager and themcee.

When they aren’t burlesquin’, Pucks is a sex educator, an active sex worker activist, and is one of the National Coordinators for #OldProProject. You can catch them on Instagram under @_sexuali.tea_ as co-host to an intersectional sex education podcast with a mission to ‘queer up’ sex ed or check out their pleasure lifestyle IG @thehedonistrealist.  They have taught at Leather Reign, Virtual Intimacy Retreat 3, The Gathering NW, the BDSM Writers' Con, and Thrive Conference. They have also been a guest speaker at Brown University, Planned Parenthood of New York, the University of Washington, and Antioch University.

Pucks is Black, Queer, Nonbinary femme raising a kiddo in the suburbs.

In a circle, a brown skinned person with long black hair, red lipstick, and hoop earrings looks at the camera. In another circle, a pink skinned person with long curly grey hair, pink lipstick, and a beaded necklace smiles at the camera.

Ta Corrales & Liz Hunt,

Hands-On Workshop: Grandpa's Paper Airplane

Ta Corrales is an MIT-trained mechanical engineer, social innovation facilitator, and impact entrepreneur from Heredia, Costa Rica. She's the CPO & Co-Founder of Smith Assembly where she gets to work on her passion, designing a more just world through more equitable products and businesses. As an MIT D-Lab Innovation Practice Affiliate, she has led and facilitated participatory social innovation, inclusive technology, and equitable design processes in 20+ countries. She's patented, has published scientific work on material chemistry, and is also a member of the World Economic Forum’s Global Shapers San Jose Hub. When not working, she enjoys salsa dancing and walking in nature.

During her 25-year career (at startups and companies like Google, Starbucks, and frog), Liz led and grew amazing teams around the world and delivered hundreds of cutting-edge solutions. In 2018, she realized she needed to work in cultures that were more consistently welcoming, inspirational, and healthy (like the experiences she’d had at two International Development Design Summits in Botswana). Liz co-founded Smith Assembly to share what she’s learned about how hands-on building activities deepen human connection and how inclusion drives impact. Her company models a more diverse, inclusive, equitable, and just way to do business. When not working, she loves being outdoors (especially on the water).

A pink skinned person with very short brown hair smiles at the camera in front of a tree.

Sar Surmack,

Boundaries for Burnout

Sar is the director of the Consent Academy, author of "The Consent Primer", and works as a marriage and family therapist specializing in identity and couples’ therapy. As a therapist, Sar focuses on non-monogamy, sex & gender, trans, and BDSM/kink. As a sex-positive educator Sar teaches about Consent, Communication Skills, and Identity. In their downtime, Sar is an author, gamer, and seeker of interesting people.

A black and white photo of a light skinned person with long dark hair smoking a cigarette, looking off to the side as snow falls.

Devyn Stone,

Creating Affirming Virtual Events

Devyn Stone (he/him) is a consent and inclusion educator, author, and alternative lifestyles coach. He has a passion for giving and receiving education, offering over 40 classes on topics ranging from psychology and mental health to consent and negotiation to leadership and inclusion. He believes in diversity not division, and actualizes that idea by promoting strongly affirming spaces and interactions.

While Devyn spends most of his time teaching he also enjoys organizing events, volunteering, moderating, speaking, and emceeing! He is the Founder of Pragmatically Kinking, hosting over 100 virtual events per year, including the THRIVE conference, a 3 day virtual event with 30+ speakers, classes, discussions, and panels.
Devyn also often coaches groups, organizations, and individuals. He has programs ranging from alternative relationships, leadership, organization, adult education, event coordinating, self-awareness, and emotional intelligence.

To keep up with his work and get in touch please visit https://DevynStone.com

In one circle, a pink skinned person with curly blonde hair, glasses, and a silver necklace smiles at the camera. In another circle, a pink skinned person with long blonde hair, a goatee, a black cap, and glasses looks to the right.

Robin Eastman & Julian Dockhorn,

Growth Mindset in a Toxic World

Robin Eastman and Julian Dockhorn founded Versatackle together at the start of 2020, just before a global pandemic changed the way we think about online events permanently.

Julian is a software engineer, Scrum master, product owner, founder, and lifelong learner. Their priority is making sure we can quickly and accurately learn what's important, and what isn't.

Robin is fundamentally a generalist who's focused on people. She wants to learn how we can use technology to build human connections and create the world we want to live in. Professionally, she has been an HR leader at Amazon, a case manager for adults with developmental disabilities, and a massage therapist. Personally, she likes creating art, playing games, and being mediocre at team sports.

A brown skinned person with curly/kinky dark brown hair with a read flower in it, wearing dark red lipstick, hoop earrings, and a gold chain necklace looks into the camera.

Dahlia Kash,

BURNT: Self-Care & nurturing the diabled body during traumatic events

Dahlia Kash is a Burlesque, Drag, and Vocal perfomer & producer, as well as a sex worker, caretaker, and Energetic Healer. Performing since she could walk, and studying the art of healing through sexwork & therapeutic touch since 2002, Dahlia puts time and care into assisting her clients in living their best lives.

A pink skinned person with long red hair, and gold earrings talks into a microphone.

Savannah Sly,

Panel: Energizing, not Depleting

Savannah Sly is a musician, Dominatrix, and sex worker rights advocate who resides in Seattle, WA. Savannah enjoys meeting people, rocking worlds, and spinning plates. Learn more about their work at SavannahSly.com.

There are three sections. On the left is two anthropomorphized matchsticks embracing each other. Center Panel is white text on red background: "Agenda 9:00 am PST: Kick-off 10:15 am PST: Session 1 Creating Affirming Virtual Events, Devyn Stone Growth Mindset in a Toxic World, Robin Eastman 11:30 am PST: Session 2 Nurturing the disabled body, Dahlia Kash Boundaries for Burnout, Sar Surmack Hands-On Workshop: Grandpa's Paper Airplane, Ta Corrales & Liz Hunt 12:30 pm PST: Socializing 1:00 pm PST: Campfire chat 2:15 pm PST: Unconference 3:30 pm PST: Wrap-up On the right is white text on black background: "Embracing the Burnout, an online conference for tired activists, creators, founders, and other humans, 12/11/21." Followed by Versatackle logo and "Presented by Versatackle."

We are going to try to make this event different from a lot of the ones you've been going to for the past two years. Here's how:

We'd love to see you there

Thanks to Devyn Stone for the video. For those who use screen readers, the video contains images from nature and content from this page.

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