Why I joined Sidebar (and what’s next for us)

Sidebar is evolving and we want your voice

Hi everyone!

As I prepare to take a two-week vacation to reset, recharge, and reflect, I find myself thinking about what brought me to Sidebar.

Like so many life-changing opportunities, it started with a conversation. A mutual connection introduced me to Lexy Franklin, Sidebar’s Founder & CEO, and within minutes of meeting him, I knew I met someone who so deeply shared my mission & values. During our conversation, Lexy told me that his mission was to “positively impact a billion people in his lifetime”. I’d just come off a difficult chapter in my career, and meeting someone so grounded in purpose was like a breath of fresh air. Here was someone who truly believed in the power of peers and community to transform lives, and his enthusiasm was positively contagious.

I knew right away that Lexy was someone I wanted to build with, and I’ve never looked back. My original involvement was just to spread the word as far and wide as I could, because I believed in Lexy’s vision so much. But before long, I was fully immersing myself in the mission to not just grow this community, but help it thrive.

From day one, Sidebar has been rooted in generosity, genuine connection, and the belief that we rise higher when we lift each other up. I first joined because I believed in that vision, and I stay because of all of you. You are the heart of this community. It’s your energy, your ideas, and your spirit of support that bring it to life every single day.

Together, we’ve co-created something powerful: defined our community core values, launched member-led workshops and events, held our first-ever Sidebar Summit, and built moments of connection through dinners, meetups, and hours of meaningful conversations. But just like careers, communities evolve and Sidebar should too.

We don’t want Sidebar to be just a peer group experience. We want it to be a complete operating system for your career. Whether you need peer support, professional development, warm intros, help prepping for interviews, or something else entirely, we want Sidebar to be the platform that powers your next career move.

And we don't want to build it alone.

I’ll be using my time away these next two weeks to reflect on all the things we can build next for Sidebar, and I’d love for you to do the same. We want to hear from you, so think about what you want Sidebar to look like in its next chapter. What tools or support would make the biggest difference for you right now? If you have ideas or wishes, I’d love to hear from you: just shoot me a note anytime at ha@teamsidebar.com

I knew from the start that this community has heart and potential. With your voices, ideas, and energy, we can make it even more extraordinary.

Thank you for being here and for helping us build what comes next.

Warmly,
Ha Nguyen
Head of Community, Sidebar

Sidebar SF/Bay Area gathered for a Supper Club this past week. Check out Jason Copeland's recap post.
Interested in hosting a community gathering? Just reply to this email.