Traci Sewell

As IT professionals, we're constantly adapting to change. This session explores the idea of positive selfishness: the importance of looking after your own mental health and well-being without feeling guilty about it.

As IT professionals, we're constantly adapting to change. This session explores the idea of positive selfishness: the importance of looking after your own mental health and well-being without feeling guilty about it.

As IT professionals, we’re constantly adapting to change. This session explores the idea of positive selfishness: the importance of looking after your own mental health and well-being without feeling guilty about it.

Burnout is complex, and as it is unique to every person, it can be difficult to define and identify. Let me help you with that. Over the past few years burnout has become commonly mentioned in conversations about work life balance, about work from home, about hybrid working, about returning to the office. As is often the case when a newer issue becomes a commonly used buzzword, it's true definition and potential causes have become watered down. Even the description of the recognized symptoms, prevention and treatments has become diluted. The realities of dealing with burnout, both in the workplace and in our personal lives, have been lost in the smoke. In this session we will be reminded of what burnout actually looks like, how it is correctly defined, and how we can avoid some of the triggers. I will share my professional experiences with a variety of different symptoms and issues and introduce you to some of the approaches that I encourage people to use. You will leave this session having added tools to your toolbox that are relatively straightforward, hopefully memorable, and generic enough that they will apply to the majority of us.

WIT Uncensored. Unapologetic. Honest conversations that matter. At our lunchtime session on 21 May at 12:30, we’ll be opening a frank discussion about some of the real challenges faced across the tech industry today, from retention and burnout to the growing loss of experienced talent and the impact of not seeing enough senior role models to aspire to. Too many talented people are stepping away from tech, and the reasons are complex, systemic, and overdue for honest conversation. This session is about creating space for those conversations, sharing experiences, and exploring what needs to change if we want a more sustainable and inclusive future for the industry. If you care about the future of tech, representation at senior levels, and making the industry a place people want to stay and thrive — this conversation is for you. 🕛 21 May | 12:30 📍 Lunch-time session 💬 Open, uncensored discussion #TechCommunity #InclusionInTech #Leadership #RoleModels #WIT #DataGrillen2026

Initiating conversations about mental health is just the beginning of an ongoing journey, not a one-time fix. This session aims to equip you with the necessary tools and insights to navigate these discussions effectively, even without prior expertise.

Initiating conversations about mental health is just the beginning of an ongoing journey, not a one-time fix. This session aims to equip you with the necessary tools and insights to navigate these discussions effectively, even without prior expertise. In the tech world, it's easy to forget that people aren't just collections of 1s and 0s. Mental health issues can be as complex and unpredictable as bugs in code. This session will provide practical tools to help you manage these challenges. Building on my previous session about starting difficult mental health conversations (don't worry if you missed it; a summary will be included), we'll dive into straightforward strategies to deepen your understanding of supporting yourself and others, both personally and professionally. You'll learn what to say and what to avoid, how to offer support, and how to steer clear of common pitfalls. By making these conversations easier, we can foster a culture where mental health conversations become a regular and normalised part of our interactions.

Initiating conversations about mental health is just the beginning of an ongoing journey, not a one-time fix. This session aims to equip you with the necessary tools and insights to navigate these discussions effectively, even without prior expertise.

Das letzte Mal haben wir meiner technikaffinen Frau Fabric erklärt. Dieses Mal werden wir einige gängige Themen zur psychischen Gesundheit mit der Sprache der Technologie erklären.

Everyone experiences, or is adjacent to people who experience, challenges with mental health. In both the workplace and personal life, it can feel very difficult to talk with people about these challenges. In this session, I will outline potential behaviours or changes in behaviour that may indicate mental health issues to help you to better identify them in yourself and in others. I will also provide you with a set of tools to help navigate these uncomfortable conversations, making them easier for everyone involved. As a qualified and experienced "brain talker to" I cannot pass on all of my knowledge but I can help you to be able to better help those around you. You will leave this session with some tools to be able to help yourself identify and deal with these challenges and a better understanding and knowledge of how to be most supportive for your family, friends and colleagues who are facing them. You will also know that you are unlikely to make it worse !

Wie ich meiner technik-affinen Frau, Fabric und deren leistungsfähige Datenanalyse erkläre Das Erlernen einer neuen Technologie wie Fabric ähnelt dem Erlernen einer neuen Sprache. Es gibt unbekannte Wörter, Grammatik und Konzepte, aber vieles ist ähnlich zu dem, was du bereits kennst.

Everyone experiences, or is adjacent to people who experience, challenges with mental health. We often find it difficult to talk with people about these challenges. In this session I will enable you to face these uncomfortable conversations with a set of tools that can help to make them easier for everyone involved You will leave this session with some tools to be able to help yourself identify and deal with these challenges as well as a better understanding and knowledge of how to be most supportive for your family, friends and colleagues who are facing them.