sam_macdonald
$ whoami

Sam
Macdonald

Offensive security consultant by day. Writer, speaker and community builder by night. I break things professionally and try to stop people from breaking themselves.

cyber security mental health community Kent, UK
// 01 about

Break things. Build people.

By day I work in offensive security — pentesting, red teaming and finding the holes before someone else does. The rest of my time goes into the side that doesn't make it into the report: the people.

I write field guides on burnout and imposter syndrome, run a security social in Tunbridge Wells, and speak at conferences about what happens when we forget to patch ourselves.

sam.conf
role
Offensive Security Consultant
location
Kent, UK
focus
People & culture
side_quests
Writer & speaker
// 02 projects

Things I'm involved with

selfpwn.com

Self Pwning

A 20-page field guide on stress, anxiety, burnout and imposter syndrome in cyber security. Free PDF, print booklet and website. CC BY-NC-ND 4.0.

v1.0 live field guide
for leaders

Root Cause

A companion guide for managers and leaders: how to spot the signs, have the conversation and build a team culture where people don't burn out quietly. 24 pages, in draft.

draft v0.3 field guide
pwnkent.co.uk

Pwn Kent

A monthly cyber security social in Tunbridge Wells. Meet, learn and socialise with the local security community over a drink. Launching soon.

launching meetup
// 03 talks

Conference talks

I talk about the human side of cyber security: what stress and burnout actually look like in this industry, and what we can do about it.

Self Pwning

BSides Barcelona · 2026

mental health

Self Pwning

CRESTCon · 2026

mental health

Self Pwning

BSides London · 2025

mental health

Self Pwning

BSides Vienna · 2025

mental health

So You Want To Be A Hacker?

BSides Newcastle · 2025

careers

Dealing With Imposter Syndrome

BSides Kent · 2025

mental health

Dealing With Imposter Syndrome

BSides Ljubljana · 2024

mental health

Dealing With Imposter Syndrome

Elbsides · 2024

mental health

I Know What You Did Last Summer

BSides Cymru · 2024

OSINT

I Know What You Did Last Summer

BSides Basingstoke · 2024

OSINT

OSINT Kill Chain

BSides Cambridge · 2023

OSINT

Interested in having me speak? Get in touch.

// 04 contact

Get in touch

Whether it's about speaking, collaborating, or just saying hello.

LinkedIn Email