Having a worker with their own lived experience brought great value to my life. Seeing someone who was experiencing similar challenges to me, but was able to work and socialise, gave me hope that I could one day do it too. The peer relationship with Rhiannon felt very mutual, never like I was being assessed or judged, but rather like building a connection with another human who chose to see my strengths and wanted the best for my life. Some of the innate skills used by someone with lived experience can’t be learned; they're either there or they're not.

Rhiannon’s empathy, genuineness, warmth, active listening, positive regard toward people, she encourages communication and social engagement of her friends and strangers she meets, in turn lessening stress and increasing positive emotional wellbeing of people around her.