Mikki has some brilliant achievements to share – including starting and a thriving in a new role, setting up her own support network for trans people, and improving her own health and wellbeing. Here’s her amazing story.
Mikki was struggling with many aspects of her life, including being out of work due to the collapse of her business, which she’d set up and run since 1996. She’d also been unwell after experiencing a breakdown in her mental health, and this was made more difficult by a challenging housing situation and the cancellation of surgery. It was at this point that Mikki was referred to Good Work by her Community Mental Health Team for employment support.
In Mikki’s words, “I was in a complete and utter disastrous mess, but knew I needed to go out, get a job and get back on my feet again.”
Mikki met her Employment Specialist, Nicola, and they spent time exploring Mikki’s job preferences. Mikki wanted to focus on working with people, which is where her strengths lay.
Nicola supported Mikki to find and apply for jobs, and together they went to a college job fair open day.
Mikki enjoyed chatting to the staff about job opportunities, and was particularly interested in the Peer Support Worker roles. She went away feeling positive and inspired to apply for the job – which she did, and was invited to attend an interview. The interview went brilliantly and Mikki was offered the job!
Mikki has also embarked on lots of training, which is just one of the things that she loves about the job. So far she has completed a Peer Support Work training qualification, and is just starting a Level 3 teaching course. On a personal level she has stopped smoking and drinking and is going to the gym twice a week (as time permits) – and, most importantly, is enjoying it!
Mikki’s new job has also inspired her to use her skills to develop TransBarnsley, a support network for trans people in the Barnsley area. As a transgender women herself, Mikki was concerned about the lack of support in the area for trans people and wanted to use her own experiences to help others. The group now has a great social media presence, face-to-face meet-ups, attended Barnsley Pride for the first time and is beginning to work with employers to create welcoming working environments for transgender people.
