My name is Naledi Segosebe. I am a middle-aged woman formerly recruited on the skilled migrant programme from Botswana. About a decade ago I experienced a series of traumatic events that caused me to end up with a physical disability and be diagnosed with depression.

When I was first referred to Result CIC I had just been rehoused from a hostel to social housing after losing everything I spent years working for as a result of a mistake by UKBA which remains unacknowledged to this day. To say I was devastated does not even begin to cover the extent of the grief and desolation I felt at that point.

Through life coaching at Result CIC I was able to put things into perspective and leave the past behind. This is because I was treated as an individual and my pain was acknowledged. I felt heard irrespective of my race, gender, accent, disability and all the other things we as humans use to discredit and dehumanise others. Life coaching helped me embrace my new normal and start working towards a healthy mental state.

One of the tools I used as a creative outlet was writing. Result signposted me to an organisation which helped me work on my writing. To my surprise one of my poems was picked up by an American online community which was publishing their first ever anthology (see below). This really increased my self confidence. There are many other organisations that result connected me with. I went from being isolated and in unfamiliar territory to accepting my situation, making new friends and reinventing my life thanks to the support I got from Result CIC.

I’m not saying that my life is perfect; I am still a work in progress. What I’m saying is that with the right help its possible to overcome challenges and find peace of mind. That starts with finding the right kind of help. I think that often when we provide service we tend to bring our personal perceptions in and this can do more damage than good. Good service is acknowledging your client as an individual, showing empathy and leaving judgement and stereotypes out of work. That’s what sets Result CIC apart. Way before it was trendy to be tolerant, they just were.

Thank you for reading and I hope your coaching experience will be as fulfilling as mine.

INVISIBLE
by Naledi Segosebe

Stood there twiddling your thumbs with the rest
Gloom sets in crippling even the best
When in prances fortune on some quest
Mood to grant all and sundry their heart's desires
took requests
All poised for the pounce eyes on the price
thought u too were in with a chance
If only for the breath in your chest
Heart gets to drumming with zest
Sweat glands put to the test
Soon enough to turn nears
Turn eyes to pools of tears
In an eye blink all disappears
Blinked off your spot it appears
Breezed right past u my dear
Craned your neck this way
then that way in vain
mouth agape with dismay
As hope falters then dies away
Plans crumble into disarray
As usual this is not your day
Sucked dry you are just in the way
Banished beneath an invisibility cloak
Docked on aeroplane mode you are off the clock
Valid only on print, just a code till numeric entities get the vote
get mission "beef up the census" on the road