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Dear social worker, it's 
Christmas week. 

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Welcome to the world #1 Personal
Development podcast just for 

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you, social workers, I can't 
lower your caseload, but I can 

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help you level up your 
confidence, mental health and 

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resilience. 
Here we have real talk, 

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practical tools, and we're here 
to empower your personal growth 

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because thriving in social work 
starts with you. 

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Settle in, make yourself at 
home. 

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You're exactly where you need to
be. 

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Let's talk. 
It's exciting because last year 

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Christmas fell on the same day 
as my podcast release, and we 

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release the podcast episode on 
Christmas Day. 

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It's one of my favorite 
episodes. 

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That is, if you haven't listened
to it, please do. 

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Before we get into today, I want
to give a massive shout out to 

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the United Kingdom. 
My people, I love you. 

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I know you listen. 
Every single week I see you. 

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Thank you for being a loyal 
listener. 

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Thank you for rolling and 
rocking with me, Sri Lanka. 

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You're new here, you are new 
here, but I see you, I see all 

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of you. 
Thank you so much for listening 

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every single week. 
New Zealand, how you doing? 

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Lovely to be here with you, 
Canada, California, Ireland. 

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Welcome again for another 
episode of Dear Social Worker. 

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We're reaching far and wide, 
aren't we? 

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Wow. 
I want to remind you to click 

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like if you listen to this on 
Apple Podcast, please click. 

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Like, please leave a review. 
And of course, please share the 

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podcast. 
You've got to share the love, 

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right? 
You've got to pass the blessing 

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on. 
Don't just keep it to yourself. 

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Share it with your colleagues. 
Share it with social work 

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students, universities. 
Let's spread even further so we 

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can get this podcast where it 
needs to go because today we're 

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really going to focus on 
reflection. 

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We're going to be reflecting on 
our achievements. 

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I'm also going to be giving you 
some tips as I do every single 

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week. 
But there's one place where I'd 

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really like to start, and I want
to start by pouring into you. 

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I know that's what we do every 
week, but I'm doing it in a 

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different way. 
Today I'm going to open with a 

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quote. 
To the world you may be one 

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person, but to one person you 
may be the world. 

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I know as a social worker, the 
press that we get out there, on 

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the whole it's poor. 
On the whole, it's out of 

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context and on the whole, it 
shows very little love for us, 

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right? 
Oh goodness. 

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I remember some of the days 
where I would say to people, I'm

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a social worker when I was 
training, oh, you're training to

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be a social worker. 
I never forgot that look. 

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I thought that a few times, and 
I'm sure some of you may have 

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had that look or that sound, 
that tone. 

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And everyone truly understands 
the light. 

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We really are in this world, and
without us, there'd be many 

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children and families that truly
suffer. 

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So just remember that throughout
this year, you may be the world 

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just to one person and where I 
come from, to me, if only one 

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person listened to this podcast,
that's enough. 

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I want you to indulge for a 
moment. 

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You got a pen and paper. 
Please get them now. 

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I want you to ask yourself, what
family did you work with this 

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year that brought you joy or 
pride in your work, Pride in 

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your role as a social worker? 
I remember one family I worked 

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with, it was the highest risk 
case in the local authority and 

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in the region and it was a 
teenager and for some reason the

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teenager and I got home so well,
so well, and the behaviour was 

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improving, but it just wasn't 
enough. 

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It just wasn't enough and one 
day I got them from school and 

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it's like, right, we're going 
out for something to eat, we 

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need to have a chat. 
I never forget the words that 

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were said to me. 
I'll never forget you. 

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You make me feel like I can do 
anything now. 

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I made it clear. 
I hope you're not talking about 

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anything, anything, if you know 
what I mean. 

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Social workers, I'm not talking 
about anything, anything. 

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I'm talking about future 
anything. 

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So we had that little banter and
once we got that out the way, I 

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never forgot those words because
this is a family. 

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As I say, it was the highest 
risk case in the region for the 

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best part of a year and it took 
everything out of me. 

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But that was something that 
truly brought me joy that I 

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thought even if I can't make 
significant changes for this 

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teenager, for this family, what 
I do know is that I have left 

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the teenager with something that
is invaluable. 

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So that's a question I want you 
to ask yourself about this year.

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Sometimes we just have to big up
ourselves, you know, another 

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question here, What's one way 
you've grown as a professional 

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this year? 
What's one way you've grown as a

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professional this year? 
You know, every year brings us 

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something different. 
And if we go back to January to 

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where you are now, what's what's
a stand out moment of your 

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professional growth that comes 
to mind, some of the career 

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goals you may have set for 
yourself? 

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And is there any feedback or a 
thank you moment that stood out 

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to you this year? 
Here in the UK we have the 

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Social Worker of the Year 
awards. 

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Do you have that where you are? 
Do you have some kind of award 

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show or some recognition? 
Maybe your manager complimented 

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you on a good piece of work. 
You know, social work is way 

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more than just a job. 
It's a calling. 

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I truly believe that it can 
shape communities and absolutely

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change lives. 
We know this. 

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We also know it comes along with
emotional challenges, distress, 

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constantly living on the edge of
burnout. 

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You may not be there, but you 
can see it, and then you walk 

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away from it and then you get 
things on track. 

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Then you're nearly there again, 
right? 

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I've been there, I've been 
there. 

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I've had burnout several times, 
several times, and some of that,

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as we talked about last week, it
was about boundaries. 

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I didn't have the right 
boundaries in place to manage my

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own well-being. 
We know that these emotional 

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challenges are also balanced out
by the incredible rewards that 

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we can see. 
Perhaps you've seen a family 

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reunite this year. 
Perhaps you've seen a complete 

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360 transformation. 
Maybe you've been a voice for 

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someone who felt unheard. 
And the list goes on. 

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Essentially, I want to remind 
you that your work matters. 

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The long hours, the tough 
conversations and tireless 

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advocacy. 
You are making a difference. 

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I'm going to repeat. 
You are making a difference. 

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I remember someone told me that 
at the height of this high risk 

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case that I was telling you 
about, I couldn't hear it. 

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I was. 
So I was beyond knee deep. 

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I was shoulder deep in right. 
I just was not in an emotional 

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space where I could hear someone
say, you're doing enough, you're

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doing a great job and I just 
want to be that space for you 

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today where you hear that and it
penetrates and you can just sit 

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back and say I am enough. 
I've done enough this year. 

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Even when you don't see the full
picture. 

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Trust that your efforts leave a 
lasting imprint on the lives 

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that you've touched this year. 
Just like I told you that young 

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boy, I never forgot what he 
said. 

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You are making a difference, 
even if people don't say so. 

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Let's switch this to your 
personal life and think about 

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what have you accomplished 
personally this year? 

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For me, I finished a diploma in 
Christian ministry. 

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I had to do a dissertation. 
I mean honestly, it felt like my

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social work master. 
It really did. 

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I had to do a 10 K 10,000 word 
dissertation. 

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I had to preach. 
I had to do, I think it was 3 

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assignments and two exams for a 
diploma. 

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So that's something I'm really 
proud of this year. 

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I graduated in August and you 
can see some of my graduation 

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pictures on my Instagram. 
If you're not following me on 

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Instagram, you need to at Lisa 
Ran dot Edwards. 

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My name is spelled LESIRAN dot 
Edwards, same name on LinkedIn. 

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Follow me and check it out. 
What boundaries did you set to 

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protect your well-being this 
year? 

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I can tell you a story about 
that. 

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I had a networking meeting and 
usually networking meetings go 

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very well. 
It was just with one other 

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person. 
But something just didn't feel 

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right to me and as we were 
having more and more 

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conversation, I truly felt a 
resistance just rise up in my 

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chest and I was thinking, this 
conversation is not only not 

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going well, I don't see myself 
working with you on any level at

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any point. 
Sorry to say, but that's just 

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how I felt in the moment. 
Guys, I'm being honest and I 

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ended the meeting clearly 
stating my position. 

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And I won't use the words that I
used in the meeting because one 

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may be listening to the podcast,
who knows, and I don't want to 

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call them out. 
But I ended the meeting being 

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clear that we weren't going to 
work together, you know, moving 

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forward. 
And that was one of the hardest 

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things I've ever done in the 
business world. 

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I mean, I've said no before in 
business, that happens every 

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day. 
That's fine. 

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But this was different. 
I was face to face with this 

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person and somebody that I don't
know very well, somebody that I 

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respect their work and what 
they're doing in the community. 

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So I had high hopes and I went 
in with the expectation all 

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would be well. 
But we all know what happens 

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with expectations, right? 
Expectation is the root of 

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disappointment. 
So that didn't end the way I 

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wanted it to, but I set a 
boundary. 

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What about you? 
What boundaries did you set to 

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protect your well-being this 
year? 

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I want you if you are writing 
down or you're driving to your 

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visit or hopefully at some point
driving home, right? 

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I want you to write a self 
celebration list, write down 

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three professional wins and 
three personal achievements from

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the air. 
Put them up, celebrate yourself.

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So we do need to think about how
we are going to progress into 

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2025. 
I won't talk much on that today.

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I will talk more on that next 
week, but we certainly need to 

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start thinking about what are 
you going to be doing 

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differently next year? 
How do you want next year to 

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serve you? 
So to all the social workers 

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listening, and I can say this 
confidently, I've got facts, 

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I've got receipts around the 
world. 

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I personally, I want to say 
thank you. 

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Thank you for your compassion, 
your courage, and your 

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commitment as a social worker to
change. 

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You are. 
We are the unsung heroes of our 

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communities and your work does 
not go unnoticed. 

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Remember, even if people don't 
say so, this Christmas, as you 

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celebrate with your loved ones 
or take a moment to yourself, 

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know that you are appreciated. 
And if you haven't heard it from

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anyone else this year, I'm 
telling you, OK, Imagine we're 

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just sitting having a 
conversation with a hot 

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chocolate and some marshmallows,
some vegan ones. 

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You are appreciated, you are 
valued, and you are deeply 

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respected. 
You're truly special in the 

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world of social work because you
have stayed true to the calling.

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Now I want you to truly keep 
that laptop closed over 

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Christmas. 
Unless you're of course working.

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You may be keep it closed on the
days that you're having off this

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year and really give back to 
yourself. 

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Get that self celebration list 
out and start thinking about 

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what have you achieved this 
year. 

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Start patting yourself on the 
back, recognizing your 

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contribution because you matter.
I've been there when I've had a 

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caseload of 20 yard, 30 yard and
I get absolutely 0 thanks for 

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months. 
And it used to really bother me.

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And I'm not saying it shouldn't 
bother you at all, but it can be

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a thankless job. 
I found a way to find my way 

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through it, but it wasn't easy. 
So if you're a social worker or 

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a student social worker and 
you're like, no one's even 

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bothered to thank me for that 
piece of work. 

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I worked really hard with that 
father. 

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I worked really hard with that 
parent and I've not received any

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recognition. 
I'm telling you. 

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I'm telling you as we sit in the
living room together with some 

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hot chocolate and vegan 
marshmallows. 

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I see the work that you've done 
and you are appreciated and well

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done. 
Now, if we were really in the 

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00:18:18,090 --> 00:18:21,770
living room together, you know, 
one day I would love for all of 

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us to be together, like from 
across the world, for all of us 

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to sit and have like a dear 
social worker global podcast 

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episode. 
I don't know, I'm just talking 

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now, but it just excites me 
thinking that we've got people 

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all across the world and we've 
never met them, never spoken to 

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them. 
At some point we have to come 

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together, guys. 
We have to come together. 

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In the meantime, I'm just going 
to bring you back to celebrating

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your achievements and outcomes 
for this year personally and 

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professionally, and just giving 
you that affirmation today. 

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Now, as you walk into Christmas 
Eve, as you walk into your 

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Christmas Day, your Christmas 
week, celebrate yourself, 

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celebrate your family, your 
friends, you know, make this 

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year about you. 
This Christmas has to be about 

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you recognizing your 
contribution to the profession. 

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How about that, recognizing your
own contribution to the 

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profession? 
They couldn't have done it 

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without you. 
On that note, happy Christmas 

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and have a blessed Christmas 
week.