We have a problem. It’s probably our biggest challenge as founders. And it’s an even bigger challenge for society more broadly. 

It takes the average new member 10-12 weeks from joining the community platform to attend their first event. Even though they’ve heard about the community, or been recommended by a friend, or seen a piece of our PR or social content, they join our platform, create a profile and then….nothing.

We’re constantly trying to figure out ways we can integrate more new joiners. Holding space for them at our events. Welcoming them into our new platform. But for so many new members, the gap between seeing the incredible work we’re all doing, and actually showing up to an event, is simply too big. It’s too intimidating showing up to your first event alone. 

You’ll notice me, Dan and our Connector group asking questions about this over the next few weeks. We want to help address this and understand the barriers to showing up. 

And if you’re someone reading this who’s joined but hasn’t yet attended any of our events, you’re not alone. We see you. 

But what we’ll say is, we have countless examples of members who had that sense of anxiety, of nervousness, but are now thriving - developing real friendships with other members. You just have to take that first step. 

Tom

Brand Partner: On June 20, Tej organised a trip for 23 of us to hike the Seven Sisters route between Seaford and Eastbourne, and in typical S2S fashion we started the hike with some sharing circles. We also sat together at lunch and each of us shared a special moment from the community. 

What was shared blew us away. We saw men being incredibly vulnerable. Men sharing the feelings of isolation and loneliness they’d experienced before joining the community. It was honestly the most incredible, beautiful thing to witness. 

The hike was sponsored by our partner, Sons, who gifted some product to a few of our members. Sons is an organisation whose values align very closely with ours - they help men who are suffering from insecurities around hair loss navigate these struggles. 

Without revenue from membership fees and brands, this community would not be sustainable. A big thank you to Sons for its continued support. 

S2S members get 50% off Sons three and six months plans, with free biotin and a welcome pack with any order. 

If this sounds like a bit of you, head over to sons.co.uk and use S2S50 at checkout. 

And a reminder you can read our brand partner policy here: S2S Brand Partner Policy

A reminder all of these events are hosted on our dedicated S2S platform: shoulder.mn.co 

This weekend is a big one for our GBT+ members, as for the first time ever, S2S is marching in Pride to show support and allyship. 

If we’re serious about being a men’s community that supports all men, regardless of sexual orientation, age, background or religious belief, it’s important we recognise men whose experiences may differ from those of our founders or the majority of our members. 

The Pride march has been expertly led by Stavros, so a huge thank you to him. And if you’d like to come and support us, the details are on our events page - we’ll be heading to a bar afterwards to carry on the celebrations. 

Thanks

Dan and Tom