1 00:00:00,120 --> 00:00:03,760 You deserve to feel support in your practice. 2 00:00:03,920 --> 00:00:09,040 You deserve a safe place with peers to reflect. 3 00:00:09,200 --> 00:00:14,040 Glow up your social work career with the brand new Social Work 4 00:00:14,040 --> 00:00:19,880 Coaching Hub online platform where you will get access to a 5 00:00:20,080 --> 00:00:26,400 peer support network, over 50 CPD toolkits, ebooks, journals 6 00:00:26,400 --> 00:00:30,080 and reflective resources. Career confidence tools for 7 00:00:30,080 --> 00:00:34,480 well-being, mindset, personal growth, practice development, 8 00:00:34,760 --> 00:00:41,280 leadership and exclusive online events taking place online and 9 00:00:41,680 --> 00:00:44,560 in person. This hub is for you if you are a 10 00:00:44,560 --> 00:00:47,640 social work student, an experienced practitioner, 11 00:00:48,080 --> 00:00:52,480 manager, leader, independent social worker, self-employed. 12 00:00:52,880 --> 00:00:57,040 If you're feeling stuck, wanting to build confidence, or simply 13 00:00:57,040 --> 00:01:01,240 just looking for new resources and a supportive community to 14 00:01:01,480 --> 00:01:05,760 enhance your practice, then I would say Social Work Coaching 15 00:01:05,800 --> 00:01:09,160 Hub Online. It is for you. 16 00:01:09,920 --> 00:01:13,360 You get exclusive lifetime access. 17 00:01:13,680 --> 00:01:17,200 That means one payment. To unlock all the premium 18 00:01:17,200 --> 00:01:22,680 content inside of the hub, just click the link in the bio or go 19 00:01:22,680 --> 00:01:27,760 to socialworkcoachinghub.com. To be part of this brand new 20 00:01:27,760 --> 00:01:30,200 community which is already growing. 21 00:01:30,320 --> 00:01:34,240 Welcome to Dear Social Worker. It's the number one personal 22 00:01:34,240 --> 00:01:36,520 development podcast for social workers. 23 00:01:37,320 --> 00:01:42,160 Skill alone isn't enough. Building your character is what 24 00:01:42,160 --> 00:01:47,360 sustains careers in social work. I'm Lisa Rapp, a social worker 25 00:01:47,360 --> 00:01:51,480 turned full time entrepreneur at socialworkcoachinghub.com. 26 00:01:52,400 --> 00:01:56,240 And whilst I can't reduce your caseload, I can help you level 27 00:01:56,240 --> 00:02:01,160 up your career with practical tools, leadership strategies and 28 00:02:01,160 --> 00:02:04,760 tips to build resilience. This is real talk. 29 00:02:05,040 --> 00:02:07,800 From one social worker to another, empowering your 30 00:02:07,800 --> 00:02:13,240 personal growth, you're exactly where you need to be. 31 00:02:13,400 --> 00:02:17,000 Let's talk. Turning up as your whole self at 32 00:02:17,000 --> 00:02:21,600 work is something that I often talk about, whether it's on 33 00:02:21,600 --> 00:02:23,560 Instagram, whether it's on Tiktok. 34 00:02:23,720 --> 00:02:27,640 I truly believe that you can't step into your next level of 35 00:02:27,640 --> 00:02:32,160 your social work career while hiding the most powerful parts 36 00:02:32,160 --> 00:02:34,520 of who you are. Welcome back to dear social 37 00:02:34,520 --> 00:02:38,320 worker, and welcome to December. This is going to be our last 38 00:02:38,320 --> 00:02:41,520 episode of the year. Can you believe it? 39 00:02:41,520 --> 00:02:43,320 We're already at the end of the year. 40 00:02:43,800 --> 00:02:48,120 It's a great exhale. And this is the part where the 41 00:02:48,120 --> 00:02:52,640 noise will soften, the pace becomes slower, and we finally 42 00:02:52,960 --> 00:02:56,200 hear our thoughts again. You know, I'm a big fan of 43 00:02:56,200 --> 00:02:58,800 reflection before we get into the new year. 44 00:02:59,120 --> 00:03:01,640 And I always encourage you here on the Dear Social Worker 45 00:03:01,640 --> 00:03:06,360 podcast to be reflecting now, not reflecting in the new year 46 00:03:06,360 --> 00:03:09,280 itself. But this is our last official 47 00:03:09,280 --> 00:03:12,000 episode of the year. But stay with me to the end 48 00:03:12,000 --> 00:03:16,560 because I will be dropping a little bonus today. 49 00:03:16,560 --> 00:03:20,600 I want to speak directly to the heart of your social work 50 00:03:20,600 --> 00:03:23,640 journey. We've all, while some of us here 51 00:03:23,640 --> 00:03:27,040 in the UK have decided that we are going to continue as a 52 00:03:27,040 --> 00:03:30,160 social worker. Our CPD was due. 53 00:03:30,400 --> 00:03:35,040 We needed to renew by the 30th of November 2025. 54 00:03:35,040 --> 00:03:37,760 S Welcome back to those of you who have renewed. 55 00:03:38,520 --> 00:03:41,320 But the heart of your social work journey is linked to your 56 00:03:41,320 --> 00:03:44,840 identity. It's an intersection of your 57 00:03:44,840 --> 00:03:49,360 career, your courage, the confidence it takes to turn up 58 00:03:49,360 --> 00:03:53,640 as your whole self in a profession that often asks you 59 00:03:54,280 --> 00:03:59,160 to shrink. Now in my brand new community 60 00:03:59,160 --> 00:04:03,960 social work coaching hub.com, if you go straight to the link here 61 00:04:03,960 --> 00:04:06,960 to this podcast, you will gain access immediately. 62 00:04:07,400 --> 00:04:10,480 And inside the hub, we have a peer support network. 63 00:04:10,680 --> 00:04:14,760 We have almost 20 people inside the hub we launched last week. 64 00:04:15,160 --> 00:04:18,640 And it's a wonderful place where you can access various 65 00:04:18,640 --> 00:04:21,240 resources, which I'll talk about throughout this podcast. 66 00:04:21,240 --> 00:04:22,840 So you'll you'll know what's in there. 67 00:04:23,440 --> 00:04:27,200 But one of the things that is inside the hub is around 68 00:04:27,200 --> 00:04:30,920 expectation versus reality. We have talked about this 69 00:04:30,920 --> 00:04:35,600 before, but let's be honest, the expectations placed on social 70 00:04:35,600 --> 00:04:38,720 workers still is nothing short of enormous. 71 00:04:39,120 --> 00:04:45,880 You're expected to be decisive yet gentle, confident yet 72 00:04:45,880 --> 00:04:52,320 humble, Emotionally available yet emotionally contained. 73 00:04:53,400 --> 00:04:58,960 What a strange dichotomy to be emotionally available, but yet 74 00:04:58,960 --> 00:05:03,040 somehow you've got to contain your emotions, you've got to 75 00:05:03,080 --> 00:05:06,440 exercise the greatest level of self-control. 76 00:05:06,440 --> 00:05:09,480 Somewhere between the policies, somewhere between these 77 00:05:09,480 --> 00:05:14,160 pressures and this performance culture that we have, your sense 78 00:05:14,160 --> 00:05:18,920 of self can get lost. Now, this podcast has been going 79 00:05:18,920 --> 00:05:22,520 for almost three years. Next year, we're nearly at the 80 00:05:22,520 --> 00:05:26,040 100th episode. So you must know my story by now 81 00:05:26,040 --> 00:05:30,240 when it comes to burnout. You must know that my story of 82 00:05:30,240 --> 00:05:35,280 my burnout happened several times because I was a martyr to 83 00:05:35,280 --> 00:05:38,280 the profession. I was a martyr to my children 84 00:05:38,280 --> 00:05:41,040 and families. I cared more about them than I 85 00:05:41,040 --> 00:05:44,920 cared about myself. When I realized by the time I 86 00:05:44,920 --> 00:05:48,840 hit burnout that I was fit for nothing, then you feel this 87 00:05:48,840 --> 00:05:52,440 enormous sense of guilt that you didn't do something earlier to 88 00:05:52,440 --> 00:05:55,760 try and manage what was in front of you. 89 00:05:56,400 --> 00:06:01,520 We know that we're working in a in a job where unpredictability 90 00:06:01,520 --> 00:06:05,680 rules, right? No one's lives stuck because 91 00:06:05,680 --> 00:06:07,960 we're tired or we're exhausted or we need a break. 92 00:06:08,520 --> 00:06:12,400 We know this. So it's our job to find the 93 00:06:12,400 --> 00:06:15,920 areas of control and the sphere of influence that we do have 94 00:06:16,240 --> 00:06:21,040 amongst the unpredictability. But in amongst of trying to 95 00:06:21,200 --> 00:06:25,400 manage that and navigate this challenging profession, that 96 00:06:25,400 --> 00:06:30,080 sense of self can get lost. And I realized that when I hit 97 00:06:30,080 --> 00:06:34,800 burnout, I woke up 1 morning and I was thinking why have I chosen 98 00:06:34,800 --> 00:06:39,520 this profession and even lost my sense of purpose this year? 99 00:06:39,520 --> 00:06:42,880 So many social workers have said to me in my coaching sessions. 100 00:06:42,880 --> 00:06:46,440 As you know, I coach with social workers right across the 101 00:06:46,440 --> 00:06:49,440 country. I do training internationally 102 00:06:49,440 --> 00:06:53,960 and nationally. One the four top things social 103 00:06:53,960 --> 00:06:57,080 workers have said to me is I'm worried about what people will 104 00:06:57,080 --> 00:07:00,480 think. I'm scared to speak up. 105 00:07:01,120 --> 00:07:06,000 Inside the hub we have a downloadable called Speak Up at 106 00:07:06,000 --> 00:07:08,600 Work Scripts. You can download that and 107 00:07:08,600 --> 00:07:11,240 literally copy and paste the scripts to support your 108 00:07:11,240 --> 00:07:15,280 assertive communication. Third, I don't want to get it 109 00:07:15,280 --> 00:07:17,480 wrong. I mean, that's a big one. 110 00:07:17,480 --> 00:07:20,720 No one wants to get it wrong. We've had the recent serious 111 00:07:20,720 --> 00:07:25,520 case review and here in this country and there is a lot to 112 00:07:25,520 --> 00:07:31,120 learn considerably. And lastly, I don't know if I'm 113 00:07:31,120 --> 00:07:33,080 good enough. I'm not sure. 114 00:07:33,080 --> 00:07:35,720 We've done an episode on imposter syndrome, actually. 115 00:07:36,080 --> 00:07:37,520 That's something I need to look back on. 116 00:07:37,520 --> 00:07:41,800 We might need to do that. I don't know if I'm good enough. 117 00:07:42,640 --> 00:07:46,520 And when you are social work in every single day, you know 118 00:07:46,520 --> 00:07:51,480 you're working your heart out. The truth is, we don't say 119 00:07:51,480 --> 00:07:55,160 enough. When you hold yourself back, the 120 00:07:55,160 --> 00:07:58,440 people who lose out, it isn't just you. 121 00:07:59,400 --> 00:08:05,160 It's the families that you serve because your potential, your 122 00:08:05,160 --> 00:08:09,640 ideas, your intuition, your leadership, it's part of the 123 00:08:09,640 --> 00:08:13,320 support system that they rely on, like it or not. 124 00:08:14,080 --> 00:08:17,760 It's part of the support system they rely on. 125 00:08:18,360 --> 00:08:23,160 And your presence signifies stability, whether they want you 126 00:08:23,160 --> 00:08:26,840 there or not. Your presence signifies I'm here 127 00:08:26,840 --> 00:08:29,880 to support you whether they want you there or not. 128 00:08:30,360 --> 00:08:32,480 That is the job. That is the mandate. 129 00:08:32,480 --> 00:08:35,240 That is the calling. We've all chosen that calling. 130 00:08:35,520 --> 00:08:38,120 But what happens, particularly in the workplace when there's 131 00:08:38,120 --> 00:08:40,159 workplace politics? If you haven't listened to that 132 00:08:40,159 --> 00:08:43,640 episode, please do. Turning up as our whole self. 133 00:08:43,679 --> 00:08:48,040 Often when we attempt to do that, there's someone along the 134 00:08:48,040 --> 00:08:51,920 line, whether it's a parent, professional or work colleague 135 00:08:51,920 --> 00:08:57,040 in the office, that gives you a response that sends the message 136 00:08:57,400 --> 00:08:59,200 you can't show up as your whole self here. 137 00:09:00,000 --> 00:09:02,400 We don't actually want your full voice. 138 00:09:03,360 --> 00:09:05,920 We don't want you to positively challenge. 139 00:09:07,040 --> 00:09:09,080 We don't want you to keep us accountable. 140 00:09:09,120 --> 00:09:14,080 And that sends a message that your full self, it's not wanted. 141 00:09:15,000 --> 00:09:17,200 That's happened to me several times. 142 00:09:17,320 --> 00:09:22,800 Yes, to me several times, because I show up as my full 143 00:09:22,800 --> 00:09:25,720 self wherever I go. It's not always well received 144 00:09:25,720 --> 00:09:31,880 though, and one of the tricks here is navigating the terrain 145 00:09:32,160 --> 00:09:35,320 of when your full self is isn't wanted. 146 00:09:35,400 --> 00:09:38,440 It's simply about remaining in your presence. 147 00:09:38,480 --> 00:09:43,080 And and what I found as I became more proficient at navigating 148 00:09:43,080 --> 00:09:49,400 that terrain, what I found is it's about presence. 149 00:09:49,760 --> 00:09:55,920 And my presence alone through silence spoke way louder than if 150 00:09:55,920 --> 00:10:01,000 I was to give my opinion. And it's so surprising how many 151 00:10:01,000 --> 00:10:04,800 people that can offend. You don't have to actually say 152 00:10:04,800 --> 00:10:07,400 anything. Your presence is the boundary. 153 00:10:08,880 --> 00:10:11,320 Your presence is saying I'm not happy with this. 154 00:10:12,120 --> 00:10:17,480 Sometimes just being it actually is enough. 155 00:10:17,480 --> 00:10:21,400 So if it sounds like you where you've looked back on this whole 156 00:10:21,400 --> 00:10:25,320 year now and you're looking back thinking I could have turned up 157 00:10:25,320 --> 00:10:28,840 as my whole self there, I could have said something there if I 158 00:10:28,840 --> 00:10:33,000 just had the right support to help me manoeuvre and navigate 159 00:10:33,000 --> 00:10:36,160 that situation. I have something for you. 160 00:10:37,080 --> 00:10:42,160 The social work coaching hub platform online, you have access 161 00:10:42,160 --> 00:10:48,000 to over 50 CPD resources and we have a career section where 162 00:10:48,000 --> 00:10:50,760 we've got these speaker pat work scripts where you can literally 163 00:10:50,760 --> 00:10:53,440 copy and paste these scripts and develop your assertive 164 00:10:53,440 --> 00:10:57,040 communication. Don't walk into next year with 165 00:10:57,040 --> 00:11:01,040 the same thoughts. Do something about it. 166 00:11:01,040 --> 00:11:04,240 Take action. We've got a downloadable and 167 00:11:04,240 --> 00:11:06,960 income protection, particularly if you are local. 168 00:11:07,280 --> 00:11:09,680 If you're not protecting your income, you're not protecting 169 00:11:09,680 --> 00:11:11,480 your career. If you're not protecting your 170 00:11:11,480 --> 00:11:13,600 career, you're leaving yourself vulnerable. 171 00:11:14,160 --> 00:11:17,040 So again, we have checklists and questions that you can be asking 172 00:11:17,040 --> 00:11:19,280 the insurance companies to support you. 173 00:11:19,280 --> 00:11:21,000 We're not selling any form of insurance. 174 00:11:21,000 --> 00:11:22,240 I don't know anything about that. 175 00:11:22,440 --> 00:11:24,920 I've been a public service for 26 years. 176 00:11:24,960 --> 00:11:26,440 I don't know anything about that stuff. 177 00:11:26,800 --> 00:11:30,680 But what I do know is what I've put in this document for you to 178 00:11:30,680 --> 00:11:32,680 help you make an informed decision. 179 00:11:33,280 --> 00:11:36,440 We've got two other documents. If you're thinking about leaving 180 00:11:36,440 --> 00:11:41,200 your job, I as a coach have posed some questions to you for 181 00:11:41,200 --> 00:11:44,800 you to consider. If that sounds like actually I 182 00:11:44,800 --> 00:11:48,360 need to be moving on for growth or this place is a place where 183 00:11:48,360 --> 00:11:52,320 I'm being tolerated and not celebrated, you can download 184 00:11:52,320 --> 00:11:56,360 that immediately. And then also I have one called 185 00:11:56,360 --> 00:11:59,560 the before the grievance. Sometimes stuff happens at work 186 00:11:59,560 --> 00:12:02,920 whether we like it or not, and we have to think about whether 187 00:12:02,920 --> 00:12:06,840 we're going to put in this grievance and some questions you 188 00:12:06,840 --> 00:12:10,520 need to ask yourself again, you can download that immediately 189 00:12:10,520 --> 00:12:15,160 and have instant access if you go to socialworkcoachinghub.com 190 00:12:15,440 --> 00:12:19,360 or the link in the bio will take you straight there. 191 00:12:19,680 --> 00:12:22,200 And the best thing about all of these things is you can talk 192 00:12:22,200 --> 00:12:25,680 about it with our safe peer support network, all of our 193 00:12:25,680 --> 00:12:29,360 social workers who are already inside of the community. 194 00:12:29,480 --> 00:12:31,800 This is why I've created the Social Work Hub. 195 00:12:32,400 --> 00:12:36,000 It's for people who want to develop their voice, develop 196 00:12:36,000 --> 00:12:38,040 their practice. We have direct work tools in 197 00:12:38,040 --> 00:12:41,440 there as well, without guilt, without pressure, without 198 00:12:41,440 --> 00:12:45,320 burnout, and feel safe to do so. So these are the three things 199 00:12:45,920 --> 00:12:49,240 that I think would be helpful for you to be saying moving 200 00:12:49,240 --> 00:12:51,640 forward. If this podcast episode is 201 00:12:51,640 --> 00:12:59,120 resonating with you #1 I know who I am #2 I know what I bring, 202 00:12:59,720 --> 00:13:05,240 and #3 the big one, I am not shrinking to make anybody else 203 00:13:05,240 --> 00:13:07,200 feel comfortable. I'm going to walk you through 204 00:13:07,200 --> 00:13:10,880 these three right now, and then I'm going to get you out of 205 00:13:10,880 --> 00:13:13,880 here. I know who I am. 206 00:13:14,360 --> 00:13:17,600 Your identity is the anchor. It's not an apology. 207 00:13:17,840 --> 00:13:20,920 Can I just say this again? Your identity is your anchor. 208 00:13:20,960 --> 00:13:25,120 It is not an apology, right? You can get labeled. 209 00:13:25,120 --> 00:13:28,320 You can get put into boxes by systems managers, colleagues, 210 00:13:28,360 --> 00:13:31,400 even families, but this is about you. 211 00:13:31,760 --> 00:13:34,800 You know who you are. Other people can say what they 212 00:13:34,800 --> 00:13:37,080 want and think what they want. But when you are anchored in 213 00:13:37,080 --> 00:13:42,200 your own identity, when you have clarity about who you are, that 214 00:13:42,200 --> 00:13:45,200 helps you with your decision making, making it sharper, 215 00:13:45,640 --> 00:13:48,600 making it safer. That helps you love yourself as 216 00:13:48,600 --> 00:13:52,840 a professional even more. When your identity is rooted, 217 00:13:53,480 --> 00:13:58,520 the wind may move you, but it can't carry you away. 218 00:13:59,640 --> 00:14:02,600 It can't carry you away into burnout. 219 00:14:02,600 --> 00:14:06,960 It can't carry you away into anxiety or depression or 220 00:14:06,960 --> 00:14:11,440 whatever it may be. That is feels like it's weighing 221 00:14:11,440 --> 00:14:14,480 heavy on your shoulders #2 owning your value without 222 00:14:14,480 --> 00:14:17,480 performing for approval. You know what you bring. 223 00:14:18,480 --> 00:14:20,200 I want you to say this out loud with me. 224 00:14:20,320 --> 00:14:22,840 I know what I bring. You've got to name your 225 00:14:22,840 --> 00:14:26,760 strengths out loud instead of waiting for someone to validate 226 00:14:26,760 --> 00:14:28,360 them. If you follow me on Instagram, 227 00:14:28,360 --> 00:14:31,800 if you follow me on TikTok, I talk a lot about validation. 228 00:14:32,000 --> 00:14:36,480 Getting validation from the workplace, it's very dangerous 229 00:14:36,480 --> 00:14:39,200 territory. That's not going to reinforce 230 00:14:39,200 --> 00:14:41,320 you. And it it, even if you are 231 00:14:41,320 --> 00:14:44,160 getting that reiteration that you're looking for, it's 232 00:14:44,160 --> 00:14:46,040 temporary. It's temporary. 233 00:14:46,160 --> 00:14:50,360 Now, what I want you to think of is that the social work 234 00:14:50,360 --> 00:14:54,520 qualification, it's not just about that, it's about your life 235 00:14:54,520 --> 00:14:57,840 experience that you bring that falls back into what I'm saying. 236 00:14:57,840 --> 00:15:00,640 I know what I bring. Come on, say it with me. 237 00:15:00,680 --> 00:15:05,320 I know what I bring, right? It's your perspective, it's your 238 00:15:05,320 --> 00:15:08,640 resilience, It's your ability to relate to others. 239 00:15:09,800 --> 00:15:12,080 But if you're sitting here thinking, I don't really know 240 00:15:12,080 --> 00:15:16,120 what I bring as a social worker or a kind of do, but I kind of 241 00:15:16,120 --> 00:15:19,320 need some validation. Join the social work coaching 242 00:15:19,320 --> 00:15:22,400 home. Contact me for coaching. 243 00:15:22,640 --> 00:15:25,480 Let's get you out of that space. That's not a space where you're 244 00:15:25,480 --> 00:15:28,760 going to thrive and bloom. That's a space where you're 245 00:15:28,760 --> 00:15:32,160 going to stay exactly where you are or regress. 246 00:15:32,280 --> 00:15:35,400 The point is, your presence isn't ornamental. 247 00:15:35,560 --> 00:15:42,560 It's instrumental #3 shrinking. I can't wait to say this to you. 248 00:15:42,560 --> 00:15:47,840 Let me clear my throat. Shrinking is silent resignation. 249 00:15:48,000 --> 00:15:54,840 Shrinking is silent resignation. And as you shrink, everybody 250 00:15:54,840 --> 00:15:58,760 else is feeling comfortable walking around, head held high, 251 00:15:58,960 --> 00:16:02,160 skipping down the street. Literally, right. 252 00:16:02,160 --> 00:16:08,560 So I want you to think of it as this that systems subtly reward 253 00:16:08,560 --> 00:16:11,800 silence, compliance and self minimization. 254 00:16:13,240 --> 00:16:18,440 I've been in situations where if you stay silent, actually you're 255 00:16:18,440 --> 00:16:22,880 enabling the bully, you're enabling the problem makers. 256 00:16:24,000 --> 00:16:27,200 That's silence. You have to be able to know when 257 00:16:27,200 --> 00:16:30,120 to use it and when you need to breakthrough it. 258 00:16:30,320 --> 00:16:33,000 If there's an emotional task that's involved here, 259 00:16:33,000 --> 00:16:36,080 particularly from your, if you're from a racialized 260 00:16:36,120 --> 00:16:39,560 background, if you're neuro divergent, you know there's 261 00:16:39,720 --> 00:16:44,440 other pressures and contributing factors that link back to your 262 00:16:44,800 --> 00:16:48,920 compliance of being silent. Refusing to shrink is not 263 00:16:48,920 --> 00:16:52,720 confrontation, It's alignment. It's alignment with who you are. 264 00:16:52,720 --> 00:16:58,880 They hired you. They hired you, so expanding 265 00:16:58,880 --> 00:17:01,920 yourself and stepping into your full self. 266 00:17:02,320 --> 00:17:05,280 When you're taking up your rightful space, you're giving 267 00:17:05,280 --> 00:17:09,280 other people permission to do so, but also you are validating 268 00:17:09,280 --> 00:17:13,200 yourself without having to get that external validation 269 00:17:13,200 --> 00:17:15,599 elsewhere. I love talking about this stuff. 270 00:17:15,599 --> 00:17:18,200 You know me. This is our last episode of the 271 00:17:18,200 --> 00:17:20,160 year. I want you to really listen to 272 00:17:20,160 --> 00:17:21,720 everything that I've shared with you. 273 00:17:22,200 --> 00:17:26,800 So you're taking it on board as to how you're going to integrate 274 00:17:26,800 --> 00:17:31,440 some of these points into 2026, Whether that's staying in the 275 00:17:31,440 --> 00:17:34,160 role that you're in, whether it's growing outside, whether 276 00:17:34,160 --> 00:17:37,240 that's setting up your own business, whatever it may be for 277 00:17:37,240 --> 00:17:40,480 you, whether it's just showing up to your whole self at work, 278 00:17:40,840 --> 00:17:42,800 remembering that you are enough now. 279 00:17:42,800 --> 00:17:46,280 I've created a community for social workers, leaders, 280 00:17:46,600 --> 00:17:50,560 students, a global community for those who want to develop their 281 00:17:50,560 --> 00:17:54,840 voice, their confidence and their practice without guilt, 282 00:17:55,360 --> 00:17:58,000 without pressure, without burnout. 283 00:17:58,040 --> 00:18:02,720 This is the place where you are invited to 100% be yourself. 284 00:18:03,360 --> 00:18:05,640 It is the social work coaching hub. 285 00:18:05,760 --> 00:18:08,720 Inside the hub, you have a section. 286 00:18:09,440 --> 00:18:11,920 You can access journals and downloadables. 287 00:18:12,680 --> 00:18:15,080 One of them is called Understanding my Emotions. 288 00:18:15,520 --> 00:18:18,760 I have coached for 10 years. I've coached hundreds of people. 289 00:18:19,080 --> 00:18:20,760 I might be at the 1000 mark next year. 290 00:18:20,760 --> 00:18:23,520 We'll see. And I'm telling you, one of the 291 00:18:23,880 --> 00:18:28,480 most interesting observations I can share with you is that as 292 00:18:28,520 --> 00:18:32,400 adults, most of us are emotionally illiterate. 293 00:18:32,920 --> 00:18:36,320 We're asking young children to say to us, tell me how you're 294 00:18:36,320 --> 00:18:37,800 feeling. What are you feeling? 295 00:18:37,800 --> 00:18:40,480 What are your thoughts? Most of us can't really describe 296 00:18:40,480 --> 00:18:44,760 that for ourselves beyond using the word sad, mad and angry and 297 00:18:44,760 --> 00:18:47,360 frustrated. There are more accurate words 298 00:18:47,360 --> 00:18:51,680 that we can use and understanding my emotional, my 299 00:18:51,680 --> 00:18:55,080 emotions, sorry journal. It's a full journal. 300 00:18:55,120 --> 00:18:57,600 You have full books and full journals that you can download 301 00:18:57,600 --> 00:19:00,360 inside the hub. It gives you that information, 302 00:19:01,360 --> 00:19:05,880 the fear of the unknown, grounding direct work tools that 303 00:19:05,880 --> 00:19:08,440 you can use with children, families, adults in mental 304 00:19:08,440 --> 00:19:11,760 health, art therapy activities because I'm trained in art 305 00:19:11,760 --> 00:19:14,720 therapy. And you get this exclusive 306 00:19:15,040 --> 00:19:19,320 membership with our peer group and we have exclusive membership 307 00:19:19,320 --> 00:19:22,120 events and we've got our first one coming up in December. 308 00:19:22,720 --> 00:19:25,960 You can access the hub by clicking the link in the bio. 309 00:19:26,600 --> 00:19:29,880 And there you can have access to over 50 tools, templates, 310 00:19:29,880 --> 00:19:33,560 reflection guides, checklists, copy and paste scripts, you 311 00:19:33,560 --> 00:19:37,680 know, live and replay coaching, a space to process how you feel. 312 00:19:38,200 --> 00:19:41,840 The hub anchors everything that we talk about here on this 313 00:19:41,840 --> 00:19:44,480 podcast. It anchors everything around 314 00:19:44,480 --> 00:19:47,560 personal growth, practice development, the link between 315 00:19:47,560 --> 00:19:49,880 personal development and practice growth. 316 00:19:50,520 --> 00:19:54,200 We know how strong that is just by talking on this podcast. 317 00:19:54,480 --> 00:19:58,680 Emotional clarity and learning how to show up as your full 318 00:19:58,680 --> 00:20:03,080 self, your full, powerful, brilliant self. 319 00:20:04,200 --> 00:20:06,640 You work bloody hard, excuse my French. 320 00:20:08,960 --> 00:20:13,800 So this episode, it's your nudge because December is the moment 321 00:20:13,800 --> 00:20:17,440 to pause and think. Did I shrink or did I stretch? 322 00:20:18,320 --> 00:20:20,800 Did fear stop me from speaking up? 323 00:20:21,160 --> 00:20:25,280 Did I show up as myself or as the version of me I thought 324 00:20:25,280 --> 00:20:29,640 people wanted? Who am I becoming? 325 00:20:29,760 --> 00:20:35,280 Your potential, The type of social worker you want to be, is 326 00:20:35,280 --> 00:20:40,320 not waiting on January. It's not waiting on 2026 and the 327 00:20:40,320 --> 00:20:42,920 new year to come in. It's waiting on you. 328 00:20:42,920 --> 00:20:47,120 Whether this year has gone the way you expected or not, whether 329 00:20:47,120 --> 00:20:51,680 it stretched you or humbled you. Maybe it broke you in ways that 330 00:20:51,680 --> 00:20:56,600 you didn't want it to. Maybe relationships have broken 331 00:20:56,600 --> 00:21:00,800 down that you didn't want to. I've certainly lost friends this 332 00:21:00,800 --> 00:21:03,240 year. These things are unfortunate and 333 00:21:03,240 --> 00:21:08,240 it does happen, but standing in who you are is one of the most 334 00:21:08,240 --> 00:21:09,880 important things that you can do. 335 00:21:11,200 --> 00:21:15,840 And whatever this year held, I just want to remind you, you're 336 00:21:15,840 --> 00:21:19,600 still here, you're still alive, you're breathing, you have 337 00:21:19,600 --> 00:21:21,720 breath of life and we thank God for that. 338 00:21:21,720 --> 00:21:25,120 You're learning, you're growing, you're becoming, and I want to 339 00:21:25,120 --> 00:21:31,840 leave you, you know, with this, you deserve to feel supported. 340 00:21:32,720 --> 00:21:35,840 Click the link in the bio. Get involved with our global 341 00:21:35,840 --> 00:21:37,920 community. Get the support you need. 342 00:21:38,920 --> 00:21:42,520 You deserve roles that see your value. 343 00:21:43,360 --> 00:21:46,960 I can't tell you as a local social worker for about a decade 344 00:21:47,360 --> 00:21:52,000 I can't tell you the amount of non thanks I received. 345 00:21:52,000 --> 00:21:56,120 I had to find the validation in myself and that way I could just 346 00:21:56,400 --> 00:21:58,720 get through and just get on and do what I needed to do. 347 00:21:58,960 --> 00:22:03,680 You deserve to lead with clarity, but that clarity has to 348 00:22:03,680 --> 00:22:06,560 come from inside, not from the external. 349 00:22:06,800 --> 00:22:10,200 Yes, you deserve to show up fully. 350 00:22:11,760 --> 00:22:16,320 And if you're ready for support with that journey, the Social 351 00:22:16,320 --> 00:22:20,360 Work Coaching Hub online platform is your space. 352 00:22:20,520 --> 00:22:23,520 Before we go, as it's the last official episode of the year, 353 00:22:24,000 --> 00:22:26,160 I'm going to drop a bonus episode. 354 00:22:26,160 --> 00:22:29,680 Actually, I'm going to drop a bonus episode this month. 355 00:22:30,640 --> 00:22:33,800 Until then, I want you to keep choosing you keep choosing 356 00:22:33,800 --> 00:22:36,480 growth. Join our social work coaching 357 00:22:36,480 --> 00:22:41,880 hope, Click the link in the bio and my very, very last line. 358 00:22:41,960 --> 00:22:47,000 And I can't wait to say this to you, your career and the 359 00:22:47,000 --> 00:22:52,720 families that you serve. They deserve nothing less. 360 00:22:52,760 --> 00:22:55,320 God bless you. Have a great week.