Our support workers are an integral part of This is Me (we certainly wouldn’t be able to run the business without them) so it’s wonderful to have people like Samantha Dawkins from Koala VA (https://koalava.com/) on board. Based in Plymouth, Samantha is a Social Media Manager for Therapists who is pursuing her goal of raising awareness of mental health by supporting professionals and helping them have a bigger presence online.
Samantha definitely has an eye for organisation and detail having previously worked as an Executive Assistant to the Managing Director of a software company. However, the overwhelm from the long hours, non-stop work and lack of downtime made her realise that her mental health was suffering in the process. She wanted to do something that would reflect her passion for mental health and wellbeing while using the skills that she already had and so, Koala VA was born in 2019!
Initially set up to help any business that needed it, she quickly realised that she only wanted to work with mental health professionals. It’s an industry that she is incredibly passionate about working with and really felt like she could make the biggest impression in. Many therapists are self-employed and often trying to do it all on their own, so by making their social media simpler she can help them break free of the overwhelm cycle and hand them back a huge portion of their precious time, leaving them free to do what they set out to do; support people with their mental health.
Samantha was introduced to This is Me by one of their other support workers after they connected on LinkedIn. She loved what the agency was all about and how it helps people and very quickly decided to join the team, currently working with one client for who she has been providing support since September 2021. Social media was the one area Samantha’s client was struggling in due to their disability so she helps with all things social media-related including content creation, hashtag research, scheduling, posting and organisation.
The purpose of her job is to make things easier for her clients and it’s no different when working with the clients from This is Me. She always tries to make the process as quick and easy as possible, taking away all of the stress and worry that can come with running your own business, especially when you have a debilitating medical condition. Excellent communication and organisational skills are essential but fortunately, Samantha has those in spades!
For Samantha, being a support worker has opened up the opportunity of working with people who she previously wouldn’t have had the chance to and knowing what value the work she does adds to her clients’ businesses, really gives a lot of job satisfaction. She loves that the funding is available to help people with health conditions because it allows them to continue to work and follow their dreams.
To anyone thinking about becoming a support worker, Samantha says just go for it. Using your skills to help someone in their business could make a massive difference and really change their life. The smallest things can often have the biggest impact!
If you’re interested or you’d like to know more then please get in touch with us. We can answer all of your questions and help you work out if being a support worker, please don’t hesitate to get in touch at [email protected]
