Finding Comfort in Shared Experience

What the past few months have taught me is how powerful firsthand experiences truly are. They can make the difference between someone feeling stuck and someone finding their way forward.

I have always wanted to help people find stability. Maybe that comes from my own story. I grew up moving around a lot, mostly with my mom in a single-parent home. I felt like there was crisis after crisis, and I didn’t have the steady support that I needed. Someone to guide me, help me find resources, and help me along my path. I grew up an only child until I was 18, when my mom had another kid who feels like my own. She is a big part of my life and a big reason I keep going.

I have long had my own health challenges. I have been in therapy for about 10 years and have worked with psychiatrists and different medications. I know how hard it can be to find what works. I am also very active and love to exercise. Staying healthy helps me manage stress and feel more balanced.

Before firsthand, I worked with people who were experiencing homelessness. I loved helping people, but I wanted to connect with them in a deeper way. When I saw firsthand on Indeed, something about it felt right. The description matched who I am and what I believe in, helping people find stability and giving them the same kind of support I once needed.

During my first month at firsthand, I met someone who reminded me why I do this work. I’ll call her Sally. Meeting her allowed me to truly live out my purpose: to use my own experiences to help someone else feel seen, supported, and capable of change.

When we first connected, Sally was not on medication, did not have a therapist or psychiatrist, and was afraid of being hospitalized for her mental health. She stayed home most of the time and did not want to talk to anyone. She lived with her ex-boyfriend, her daughter, and his two daughters. She wanted to be a good mom but was scared her daughter might take on her anxieties and fears. 

From the beginning, I saw a lot of myself in Sally. I told her that what she was describing sounded like me on a Saturday. I shared some of what I go through, both medicated and unmedicated, so she knew she was not alone. I told her that I heard her and understood her and that we would help her get the resources she needed. 

Together we set small goals that helped her feel more comfortable. We planned short walks around the block. At first, she was scared people might talk to her, so we walked together. We filled out her disability benefits application and practiced how to handle stressful situations. After a repairman came, she realized her washer and dryer were still not fixed right, but she did not want to call him. We made a list of questions she could ask to make the call easier. Each small step gave her more confidence.

Because we had built trust, she felt safe enough to open up during her whole person assessment with our nurse practitioner. That connection helped her get referrals for a therapist and psychiatrist. From there, she started taking her medications and keeping her appointments.

The changes I have seen in Sally are incredible. Her voice sounds brighter when she answers the phone. She makes her own appointments now and goes to church again. She even put her daughter in therapy so she can learn to manage her feelings and not carry her mom’s fears. When her therapist told her she was doing a good job as a mom, she said it brought a tear to her eye, and I could hear the pride in her voice.

Seeing her growth brings a tear to my eye too. The power of lived experience is real. When someone knows you have been through things too, it builds trust in a way nothing else can. You can share what helped you, and they start to believe they can do it too. When you have walked that road yourself, you know where to turn and how to guide them through it.

Sally has such a warm and caring personality. It just took time for her to feel safe enough to show it. Sometimes that light is hiding in plain sight, waiting for someone to notice.

I am grateful every day that my story can help someone else find their strength. This work reminds me why I am here, to meet people where they are, to listen, and to help them see that they are not alone.