Announcer (00:16):
Welcome to Networks Looks At, topics that are near and dear to our hearts at Networks, that are really at the core of who we are. We hope you really find these helpful. So, enjoy it. Take care.

Nikita Arnett-Orr (00:37):
Hey, this is Nikita Arnett-Orr.

Joe Murphy (00:40):
And Joe Murphy from Networks for Training and Development.

Nikita (00:44):
This episode is part of our series about working in the disability field with a focus on roles in supported employment. These roles provide an integral part of making our communities inclusive.

Joe (00:55):
We hope you enjoy listening.

Nikita (00:58):
All right, listeners. Today we have with us Yamina Turner from RHD. Welcome, Yamina.

Yamina Turner (01:06):
Hi. How are you?

Nikita (01:08):
Good. How are you? Thanks so much for being on our podcast.

Yamina (01:11):
You're welcome.

Nikita (01:11):
(laughs)

Yamina (01:11):
(laughs)

Nikita (01:13):
All right. So, could you please introduce yourself and tell us a little bit about your role and RHD in general, in case people aren't familiar?

Yamina (01:23):
Hi. My name is Yamina Turner. I work for IDEATE, which is a part of Resources of Human Development. I am a supervisor for IDEATE where we find jobs for individuals that are unemployed or underemployed, and some of them have disabilities, and others don't.

Nikita (01:51):
Awesome. I didn't know that about RHD and IDEATE, actually. I thought that it was an agency that only worked with people with disabilities. So, that's nice to know.

Yamina (02:01):
Yeah. Well, some of the individuals that we find jobs for, they may not have, like, a physical disability, but they may have mental health issues or, like I said, some of them have been out of work for a long period of time-

Nikita (02:16):
Mm-hmm.

Yamina (02:17):
... and we assist them in finding jobs.

Nikita (02:21):
Awesome. And how long have you been with RHD, IDEATE?

Yamina (02:24):
I've actually been with them for a year and about five months.

Nikita (02:29):
Oh, nice.

Yamina (02:30):
Seven months, actually. Mm.

Nikita (02:32):
Wow, a good amount of time. And did you start as a supervisor, or did you work your way up?

Yamina (02:38):
I worked my way up. I started off as an employment specialist and that's where we originally started off as a job coach where I was fi- supporting them at their job. So, what that means is when a person... When we find them a job, someone has to support them, and that would be the job coach. And we're there from the time that their shift starts to the time that the shift ends. And wherever they may need help at, whether it's something that they just learnt, like, through their position or sometimes they may have, like, anxiety and we're there to help them with that, and just learn their shifts so that they can become independent. Not saying that the managers won't help them, but we're there to assist them along with the managers.

Nikita (03:23):
And so, you started as a job coach and then-

Yamina (03:25):
Yes.

Nikita (03:25):
... worked your way up to supervisor.

Yamina (03:27):
Yes. I actually just became the supervisor in January.

Nikita (03:31):
Oh, congratulations.

Yamina (03:33):
Thank you.

Nikita (03:33):
You're, like, over the 90 day learning the job-

Yamina (03:36):
(laughs). Yes.

Nikita (03:38):
...hump and all of that where you're like, "Do I ever know how to do this?" (laughs)

Yamina (03:41):
(laughs). Sometimes.

Nikita (03:43):
"Was this the right decision?"

Yamina (03:43):
Oh, some- sometimes. (laughs)

Nikita (03:43):
"I don't know." (laughs)

Yamina (03:45):
Yeah. I went from the job coach to actually finding people jobs, and there would be a job developer where we're the ones that sit with the clients and find out what type of job they're looking for, and then we pretty much go from there, like, helping them with their resumes, cover letters, thank you notes. We're showing them the different paperwork that you would fill out when you get to a job because some people don't know about the paperwork that you fill out or if they did have a job before, all they knew is that, okay, the employer would tell them to bring two forms of ID. But they didn't know why they were bringing the ID. So, we would go over all of that with them so that they're familiar with what they're filling out, why they're filling it out and they're capable of filling it out on their own, which to a lot of employers, especially during orientation... Because, you know, the person is there from human resources just trying to get you through all of the paperwork-

Nikita (04:41):
Mm-hmm.

Yamina (04:41):
... so with us being there with them and our clients saying, like, "Oh, I know how to fill this out. I'm familiar with this," it makes it a whole lot easier.

Nikita (04:49):
Yeah. There is so much paperwork when you first start a job, and it's confusing every single time. (laughs)

Yamina (04:54):
Yes. So, the good thing is, once we find them a job, we're there from the beginning pretty much, all of their orientation, the very first day that they start working. We're there with them for about three months afterwards.

Nikita (05:06):
That's great. All right. So, what makes this job so fulfilling and attractive?

Yamina (05:11):
For me, I would say... And I will speak for my coworkers as well. You know when you're with someone and that person may have never had a voice, and you don't realize how many people don't have a voice until you start doing work like this, and you're working with this person who's, like... They don't know what they want. There's things that they're telling you, "I know that I want a job. I really don't know what type of job that I want," or someone has always been telling them what to do, and then to realize that now within months, you gave a person their own voice. You allowed them to begin to advocate for themselves and just be happy. So, you don't realize how many people aren't happy until you start talking to them and you- you're expressing to them, like, "Hey, I'm here for you, so whatever you wanna do, whatever decisions you wanna make, that's what we're gonna do."

(06:07):
So, that's the most fulfilling thing is helping a person find a job, because that's the main reason why we're there. And along the way, it's seeing their happiness and the things that they learn and they start utilizing for themselves.

Nikita (06:22):
Mm-hmm. That's really satisfying and rewarding to empower other people, and I think, like you said, a lot of people, a lot of your coworkers and colleagues and a lot of people in this field who have stayed here for a long time, that's the thing that they say the most, they love being able to help people and support them to live-

Yamina (06:40):
Yes.

Nikita (06:40):
... their best lives.

Yamina (06:41):
Some people... Things that we take for granted, when you start working with certain individuals, you realize, wow, it's a major thing to be able to take a bus by themselves or to be able to travel to work to and from for someone who's never had a job and they may be 25, 30-years- old, they've never had a job before. They didn't even know that key cards exist or how to even use a key card. Sometimes they don't even have house keys or-

Nikita (07:12):
Mm.

Yamina (07:12):
... cellphones.

Nikita (07:14):
Well, that's kind of scary, too, right? Navigating the world without a cellphone. Like-

Yamina (07:20):
Yeah. You have some people who don't have cellphones and then once they get with us and they start saying, "Okay. I need a means of communication," because they may communicate... Everything may go through their parents or aunts or siblings or someone else. So, if all the communication is going through them, then, you know, they're excited that they get to have someone calling them, even if it is just your job coach. (laughs)

Nikita (07:43):
(laughs)

Yamina (07:44):
Like, you look forward to your job coach calling because we meet twice a week for two hours, so they really take that serious. This is their appointment time and for me, I always tell them, like, "Let's act like this is your job. This is the time you have to be to work, so this is the time I need you to be to work. If you're not gonna make it, you're gonna call out." So, they're getting that full experience when they come to IDEATE. We really try to make sure that we take care of them, their needs, their wants.

Nikita (08:15):
Mm.

Yamina (08:15):
And the end result is them getting the job because that was the reason why we started in the first place, that's the reason why me and my client even interacted with each other or met each other was so that I can help them, assist them in finding a job so that they can become independent. But the moment that they find a job and they're there for 60 days and you see so much progress, that probably will have taken longer if you wasn't there with them, and then after 60 days they're like, "Oh, I don't need you here every day."

Nikita (08:48):
[inaudible 00:08:49]

Yamina (08:48):
Or, "Hey, can you stand over there?" (laughs). So, someone that's going from me needing them... Me standing right beside them every single day while they're on their shift, to, "Hey, do you think that maybe you don't have to come tomorrow?" Or, "Can you sit over there or stand over there while I'm over here doing my work? I don't want my managers to think that I don't know what I'm doing now." To then they're ready to fade out. And when you talk to them about fading out, they're like, "Okay. I got... I have this. I can do this," and they do it. And what people don't realize is that a lot of times, they help you, like, they're helping us because you finding out things about yourself that you probably didn't know. You're being pushed to the limit because you're pushing them to the limit. So, things that you probably would have put off or you feel like, "Oh, I can't do this," it's no way that you can do work like this and then say, "I can't do something," because you're pushing somebody else or motivating someone else to do something that they were afraid to do.

Nikita (09:51):
Mm-hmm.

Yamina (09:52):
And you start realizing it, like, "Hey, if I can do this to give this advice to somebody else, I can give this advice to myself."

Nikita (10:00):
Mm-hmm.

Yamina (10:01):
And that's the fulfilling part. It's like a two-way street. You're helping them and they're helping you. But the thing is, they don't realize that they're helping you. That's one of the things that are fulfilling because nobody realize it. And at the end, they say "Thank you," and there's a relationship that's built between you and your client. And some people don't understand it, they're like, "Oh my god, what's- that's your job?" And, yeah, it was my job, but you expect to just go and find this person a job. You don't realize how much this person needed you to show them just basic things like grooming themselves, because they don't know, they were never taught how to prepare themselves for an interview, especially when they've been told all their life like, "Oh, you're probably never gonna get a job. You're never gonna be able to work." And then finally, they can come to IDEATE and we can help them find a job, even if it is a job that they're working maybe, like, at McDonald's for a couple hours. For someone who has never had a job, that's a really big accomplishment for them.

Nikita (11:13):
Yeah. You said something earlier, the two-way street and the relationships that you build with it, and I think this goes for the human services field and industry in general. We're working with other human beings.

Yamina (11:29):
Mm-hmm.

Nikita (11:29):
It's all about the relationships and the connections that you're making, and it's unlike other things.

Yamina (11:37):
Yes.

Nikita (11:39):
And I think that it's really beautiful and touching, especially people who have had relationships for decades with people, right, like, were someone's job coach 20 years ago and they're still connected to them.

Yamina (11:52):
Yeah.

Nikita (11:52):
It's so beautiful.

Yamina (11:53):
So it's like a job coach, people look at it like, "Oh, you just go to the job," but, no, I do more than that. When you are a job coach, it's like you become somebody's personal assistant, you wind up being somewhat of their advocate, you wind up being a therapist, because when they need to vent, the first person that they're gonna talk to is you. And it brings it to the point where, even if you're not there, the first person that they're probably gonna call to vent is you. Because they develop a natural relationship, something that wasn't forced, we didn't force it, it was just, "This is what we're gonna do, so this what you gotta do."

Nikita (12:30):
Mm-hmm. How does IDEATE fit into RHD?

Yamina (12:35):
So, we are more so like a mobile. We're not actually inside of RHD.

Nikita (12:40):
Mm.

Yamina (12:41):
So, we're like our own department. A lot of things that we do are mobile because we're constantly transporting them to job interviews, and meeting with them. So, we're not with inside of RHD. The lab is on 4700, it's not inside, but it's, like, a part of it.

Nikita (13:02):
Yeah.

Yamina (13:03):
But yeah, that's pretty much where we fit in. We're a part of RHD because RHD is the company, and we're just a department within RHD.

Nikita (13:12):
Mm. Okay. I see. So, you've been with IDEATE RHD for a little over a year and a half, how long have you been in the field in general?

Yamina (13:23):
I'm gonna say probably about 10 years. I've done childcare, which is a part of human services. The majority of my background is with children.

Nikita (13:34):
Mm.

Yamina (13:34):
Actually doing childcare and group homes. I have worked with adults periodically, so this is probably the longest time that I've worked with adults, for the most part, it's been with children.

Nikita (13:47):
Mm-hmm. And I guess you kind of spoke to it earlier, the fulfilling part of all of this is just, like, being able to support people and empower them, and-

Yamina (13:57):
Yes.

Nikita (13:58):
... help them gain independence.

Yamina (14:00):
Yeah, it kinda hits a little different, especially when you have individuals, like, I have children that have, like, ADHD, and things of that nature, and there's a difference. You see firsthand how people are treated when you have, um, those type of mental illnesses. And to know from me that there's opportunities out there from my own children who have these issues also, is another reason why that makes it fulfilling. With some of my clients, regardless of what the situation is, I treat everyone the same. Everyone is gonna get the same care. My goal is to get you to whatever point you wanna be at. Wherever you wanna be, that's where we're gonna be. And sometimes we have to go through a lot of uncomfortable situations until they become comfortable, and once we get to that comfortable, that's when I know I've done what I was supposed to do with my client.

Nikita (15:03):
Mm-hmm. That kinda leads me into the next question about what makes you really good at this job. And I think part of it is, you're a parent with kids that have some kind of disability or mental-

Yamina (15:18):
Mm.

Nikita (15:18):
... illness diagnosis. And I think, like, there are a lot of people in this field who are parents, they're in it for a similar reason. They know what it's like to have a family member with a disability, and they wanna be that person to support other people so that the- they're family member, or friend, or whoever, can get the support. What else do you think makes you really good at this job?

Yamina (15:45):
In order to be good at anything in human services, you have to have compassion.

Nikita (15:52):
Mm-hmm.

Yamina (15:52):
And you also have to be able to have some type of empathy for a lotta things. Because if you are someone who don't have those things, it's gonna be really hard. You need compassion because, while you're working, you start finding out things about your clients, some things you probably learn just by reading a file, and other things you learn by them communicating with you. Because they're building that trust with you, you become they person, you start finding out things that no one else probably na- you start finding out their true feelings. It's like they're spilling everything that they probably wanted to tell someone else. I won't say we're doing our job right, but if that relationship developes, they start pouring everything to us.

(16:44):
So you have to be someone who is compassionate, like I said, have empathy, trustworthy, and to be patient. Patience is so important. Because if you don't have patience then that means you're going to get agitated and annoyed with what's going on with your client when you feel like, "Oh, they're not doing what they're supposed to do." But if you're patient, you're gonna realize that it's not your time, it's not your timeframe. Although I may have a timeframe, I may set a time, and say, "Okay, we have two weeks or four weeks to find this person a job," but mentally, if that person does not really prepared to find that job within two to four weeks, you now have to go into a whole different mode and say, "I have to take a step back and allow this person to do what they need to do to prepare their mind to be able to-

Nikita (17:37):
Mm.

Yamina (17:39):
... find this job, fulfill what they need to fulfill. So you have to have patience, 'cause if not, you're gonna be all over the place, it's, the sessions and everything else are not going to go right.

(17:49):
And a lot of our clients have anxiety, so if they see that you're agitated or annoyed, or if they start feeling like stuff is moving too fast, anxiety come on, and you really don't know what brings it on. Sometimes they don't know what brings it on. So when you have a person like that, if you're just trying to rush through the session, and you're like, "We only have this amount of time," you now put your client in a position to shut down completely.

Nikita (18:17):
Mm-hmm.

Yamina (18:17):
And if that shutdown happens, nothing is happening at all. They're gonna be like, "I don't wanna do this anymore." So now you're gonna have to go through a whole different process, instead of saying n- learning your client, because if you learn your client, you're gonna know things that, body languages, things that they are saying that's gonna let you know that they're uncomfortable, or they may be feeling, um, anxious about something. Or just something is going on so that you can say, "Hold on, let's take a deep breath, let's start over." So if you don't have those things, your job is gonna be difficult.

Nikita (18:54):
Mm-hmm.

Yamina (18:54):
For me, that's the main thing that you have to have. If you're a caring and loving person with a really good heart, it's gonna be easy. It doesn't mean that sometimes it doesn't get frustrating, or, like, you're not overwhelmed. It may be because you want this person to get a job so bad, and you just can't find this person a job, but that's a part of it. They are emotions and other things that the job coach go through, that the client goes through, and for the most part, we're going through 'em together.

(19:28):
So that's when, takes me back to the beginning where I said it's a two-way street and sometimes you don't even realize what you're going through, it's because emotions that arise within the job coach or the job developer that they didn't even know that they had, or you're trying to figure out, "Why am I so emotional?" or, "Why am I so attached to this?" And it's because you start realizing too, like, there's something that developed between you and your client, like, you care for this person, you're starting to care for this person, and you really want this person to succeed in their job.

Nikita (19:57):
Mm-hmm. Yeah, it's all,

(20:00):
All about that human connection. It's really hard to block that.

Yamina (20:05):
Yeah.

Nikita (20:06):
You know. But the benefits that may come your way by working with the person.

Yamina (20:11):
Right. There's definitely compassion, patience, empathy and trust. They are the most things. Because you have to ask yourself. If you don't know me, but you're coming to me to find you a job. And that person has to trust you. It's like finding a job, people think like oh, it's just finding a job. But finding a job is, first of all, it's hard for us.

Nikita (20:40):
Hmm.

Yamina (20:40):
So can you imagine someone who may have a disability or who may have, and yes, a mental health issue, that's a disability. Who may have something going on with them and they have trust issues themselves, but they're coming and trusting a total stranger to give them a background story. Because the background story leads up to where we are.

Nikita (21:04):
Mm-hmm-

Yamina (21:05):
Because if you're with someone who wasn't working and you for whatever the reasons is, you're going to have to tell me, "Hey, I didn't work because I had this going on, that going on." You understand what I'm saying? So now it's personal business that you're telling a total stranger. And for me, if I want them to trust me, I have to learn that this is what they want. That the information that they're giving that is honest because if you were someone with a criminal background and you tell me no, tell me go to get you a job and then they run a background check and it comes back that you were arrested. But you were telling me no. And sometimes they can tell you no because they don't want you because they don't know you.

Nikita (21:47):
Yeah.

Yamina (21:48):
They don't trust you. So that trust has to form between both parties. Because I have to trust you enough to know that you're going to be honest with me so that we can get you the job that you're looking for. And you have to trust me to know that I'm going to do what's in your best interest. So that's why I say trust.

Nikita (22:08):
Yeah. And that makes me think about how it's a larger than this podcast issue. (laughs). But it's just with human services in general and how often people have to share their stories-

Yamina (22:21):
Mm-hmm-

Nikita (22:21):
... with various professionals. You know, because say they had a job coach before but then that job coach left and now they have to, like, re-share their story or-

Yamina (22:32):
Yes.

Nikita (22:33):
... or, you know, their supports coordinator, their doctors, their therapists. Like the whole support system, they have to repeat their story over and over again.

Yamina (22:40):
Mm-hmm-

Nikita (22:40):
And I can see how people don't want to do that for a variety of reasons. One, they might feel like why tell you? You're not going to be here.

Yamina (22:50):
Exactly.

Nikita (22:51):
You know?

Yamina (22:51):
Yes.

Nikita (22:51):
Um-

Yamina (22:52):
And you have a lot of people who say, "What's the point? You're going to leave just like everybody else." And then they'll tell you like, "Oh, I done had three different job coaches already." Or, and if they were with another company, then they are going off of their experience with-

Nikita (23:06):
Yeah.

Yamina (23:07):
... I mean, that company. Or any bad experience that they've probably had within their lives already, they're just going to impose that onto you. Because it's like okay, how do I know that you're going to do what you say? It's more doubt that comes with them than anything.

Nikita (23:23):
Mm-hmm-

Yamina (23:23):
They're already doubting you from the moment they speak with you on the phone.

Nikita (23:28):
Right.

Yamina (23:28):
The doubt is there. My job is to reassure them, so that's what I'm doing. I'm removing that doubt from them to show them that there are honest people out there and there are people that really want to help you. And yes, sometimes a person may remove themselves. And that's something that they're taught even in when doing sessions with me. If that's something that they say like, "Oh, most people just leave." I let them know. "Well, when you get to your 60 days or your 90 days and you're fade-out plan, you do know that I'm not going to be with you."

(24:01):
And it becomes a shocker and they say, "Well, can I call you if I have a problem?"

(24:06):
"Yes. If you're having problem, you can call me and I can try to see how to figure that out." So they still need that reassurance that even though you're not right there with them, you're there with them.

Nikita (24:19):
Mm-hmm-

Yamina (24:19):
And the fact that they know, like, okay, I can call her and she's going to respond and she's going to try to assist me to make the problem better, that's fulfilling to them. So they don't look at it as another person that's leaving.

Nikita (24:34):
Mm-hmm-

Yamina (24:35):
They look at is as they're the one that's leaving because they're becoming independent. They're doing better things and bigger things in their lives and this is something that they wanted. And they understand that in order for them to succeed and get to the point that they want, sometimes you have to remove yourself to do better. So I always tell them, like, "I'm okay." Because sometimes they ask, like, "Are you okay?" "Yes, I'm fine." (laughs).

Nikita (25:01):
(laughs).

Yamina (25:01):
I'm fine. They ask, like, "Are you okay?" And you know, you're, like, "Yeah." Right? Because my job. (laugh).

Nikita (25:10):
(laughs).

Yamina (25:11):
But sometimes you don't be. Like sometimes you don't be.

Nikita (25:13):
Yeah.

Yamina (25:14):
Sometimes it's hard. Because I remember I had a client and he was, "You know, I just wanted to say thank you." And I was, like, "What?" (laughs). Why are you firing me?

Nikita (25:22):
(laughs).

Yamina (25:26):
And he was like, "I just want to say thank you for everything that you have done. But, you know that I'm okay to be by myself." And at this time, I wasn't even supporting him, like actually on the job he would just call me if he needed something.

Nikita (25:43):
Mm-hmm-

Yamina (25:43):
And I was, like, "Okay." And he says, "So I told my counselor that there wasn't no need to continue. But if I ever needed it that I wanted you to be my job coach."

(25:54):
And I was, like, "Oh." And I got really quiet. He said, "Are you there? Are you okay?"

Nikita (25:59):
(laughs).

Yamina (26:00):
And I was, like, "Yeah, I'm okay."

Nikita (26:04):
Oh, my.

Yamina (26:04):
And then afterwards in my mind I was, like, did he just fire me? (laughs).

Nikita (26:10):
(laughs). He advocated for himself. He knew what he wanted.

Yamina (26:13):
He did.

Nikita (26:14):
He felt, you know, independent and empowered and he said, "I'm good." Like-

Yamina (26:18):
Yes, he did.

Nikita (26:19):
[inaudible 00:26:20].

Yamina (26:20):
And I was, like, I think I just got fired. So you understand what I'm saying?

Nikita (26:24):
(laughs).

Yamina (26:24):
It's like, you start feeling those same things because you're working with this individual for three months or longer.

Nikita (26:33):
Yeah.

Yamina (26:33):
It's just you and that person communicating, doing all those things. And when they say that, that's what you're looking for. But when it finally hits you, you're like, "Whoa, so I can get fired." (laughs).

Nikita (26:48):
(laughs). I guess that's the ultimate goal, right?

Yamina (26:51):
Right.

Nikita (26:52):
Is to be fired by the client at the end of it. So.

Yamina (26:55):
Yeah, it's the ultimate goal. But like I said-

Nikita (26:57):
(laughs).

Yamina (26:57):
... you both got to get yourself together back, like, "okay."

Nikita (27:01):
Yeah.

Yamina (27:02):
And then you're happy and you're excited, like, that they actually succeeded and they really don't need you because they're progression is more than we expected. You expect it because you can see it in them. How to know what they're capable of, I see this. And you're telling them, like I know what you're capable of. But they don't see it. So the moment that you realize, like, oh, you actually see it. That's way better than anything. So I would definitely say the greatest points are when they actually find that job and then that moment that they pretty much fire us, because that's what happens.

Nikita (27:40):
(laughs). Oh, my gosh.

Yamina (27:40):
We're going to get fired from them.

Nikita (27:41):
(laughs). Yeah. Getting fired is beautiful, okay?

Yamina (27:45):
(laughs). Yeah. If you are a job coach, getting fired is like the best thing ever. I know some people are, like, how is that the best thing ever?

Nikita (27:54):
No, you want that. You want them to be independent.

Yamina (27:57):
Yes. And that's what you're shooting for, independence. You are shooting for them to be independent. I know what it's like to be independent. But for them to finally get that taste of just being able to say, "I get up on my own every day. I go to work every day. I cash my check." Which for some is, like, they've never even seen a paycheck. So for them to be, like, "Oh, I have a paycheck." And then when they start saving their money because they realize like it's not a whole lot of stuff that they're going to buy-

Nikita (28:29):
Mm-hmm-

Yamina (28:29):
... because they probably don't really, you know, go outside and things like that. And then they start seeing, like, "Oh, I'm saving my money." And you're like, "Really?" And they're, like, "Yes. I didn't even realize how much money that I saved." So all of those big things that they're accomplishing, the job coach is actually a part of it. Their job developer is a part of the first thing that they accomplish.

(28:54):
So you with somebody from the first two weeks and then they get their paycheck. And then they call you and they're like, "So, are you going to take me to the bank?" (laughs).

Nikita (29:06):
(laughs).

Yamina (29:06):
And you're like-

Nikita (29:07):
I need to cash this check right now.

Yamina (29:08):
Right.

Nikita (29:09):
I don't know what I want to buy.

Yamina (29:11):
And then, especially if they don't get direct deposit, because some of them don't get direct deposit because they may not even have a bank account. And, we're like, "No." Because once they find a job, we don't take them to work. Whatever job they get, if they need to be shown, we have them go on a bus. Like we'll show them the actual route. If we need to, we'll ride with them on the bus just so that they can see how long the route is going to be. Before they take a job, I always give them the bus route if that's what they're taking. If they're driving, we'll go over that.

(29:43):
We have some that'll be like, "Oh, I'm just going to catch an Uber." Like they'll catch money aside to catch Ubers and stuff like that, so. And the-

Nikita (29:48):
They've got to set a lot money aside for that. (laughs).

Yamina (29:51):
Most of their jobs aren't that far from their homes, so we try to find them stuff that is in their area. Where if need be, they can catch an uber and it won't cause them-

Nikita (30:01):
Mmm, yeah.

Yamina (30:03):
... too much... Yeah, most of them don't work that far from home.

Nikita (30:05):
Yeah, that's good. All right. Last question. (laughs) Can you tell me about a feel-good moment that's happened at work, or like a funny moment? We love to end with a little light-heartedness. Or feel-good. Or moment that you're really proud of. An interaction with a client.

Yamina (30:29):
Oh, I have a couple of them.

Nikita (30:30):
A couple stories!

Yamina (30:30):
(laughs)

Nikita (30:30):
(laughs)

Yamina (30:33):
I mean, I think I kind of gave one, with the last one, but I do have a client, and the relationship is way different. Because when we first, when we first interacted with each other... Yeah, he didn't trust me at all. He didn't really trust anyone. So, a lot of things were, like, negative that he was saying, 'cause that's what he was used to.

Nikita (30:55):
Mmm.

Yamina (30:55):
And, every job that he's had, it would be like he would quit within like a month. And he would generally talk down about his stuff. Where now, we can joke about the kind of car that I have. (laughs)

Nikita (31:14):
(laughs)

Yamina (31:16):
Yeah, I have a Ford, so when I go to his job and support him, he always says, "Yeah, I don't know if your car is the type of car that fits in this area."

Nikita (31:26):
What does that mean? (laughs) is it a Ford SUV? Or a Ford-

Yamina (31:31):
No, it's just a regular Ford, and, and I'm like, "Excuse me?"

Nikita (31:35):
Like, what?

Yamina (31:35):
Okay.

Nikita (31:36):
What car fits in the area? (laughs)

Yamina (31:38):
No, but, he was just saying it based on, 'cause he pushed carts, so, he was like-

Nikita (31:43):
Oh.

Yamina (31:43):
... any type of car that he see, he works at a supermarket. Giant or whatever. So, I'm like, "And what kind of car would be in that area?" And he was like, "Yeah, 'cause all I see, is Lexus's and stuff like that." So-

Nikita (31:56):
(laughs)

Yamina (31:56):
(laughs)

Nikita (31:56):
Oh my goodness!

Yamina (31:59):
So now, every time I go and support him, so, like, that particular day when he started, because now we have developed this relationship where it's like, he will call me for anything. It doesn't matter what it is. He calls me and I'm like, "Okay." And I'm probably his person. Growing into be his person. Because the trust that we, he developed from me... He's hardly ever trusted anyone like that.

Nikita (32:25):
Mm-hmm.

Yamina (32:26):
So, the fact that we can have these type of conversations, this is not something that he would normally have with people.

Nikita (32:32):
Yeah.

Yamina (32:33):
And then, I was like, "Well, I think that you're wrong." And he was like, "Well, why do you think that?" So I said, "Because there's another Ford right there."

Nikita (32:41):
(laughs)

Yamina (32:41):
So, like, his whole session I was just pointing out Fords. And I was like, and throughout this whole two hours, we only seen one Lexus that's been sitting there. The whole time.

Nikita (32:51):
Oh my God.

Yamina (32:51):
(laughs) that's right! Okay, you're right.

Nikita (32:54):
We just tell him, we like economical cars-

Yamina (32:56):
Yeah. Yeah.

Nikita (32:56):
... made in America... [inaudible 00:32:59]

Yamina (32:58):
And then I started showing him, like, other cars. I was like, "And it's more Hondas than anything." (laughs)

Nikita (33:03):
Oh, so many Hondas. (laughs) so many Hondas in [inaudible 00:33:08]

Yamina (33:07):
He was like, and so-

Nikita (33:07):
I can't believe he was cracking-

Yamina (33:08):
Right!

Nikita (33:08):
... about your Ford!

Yamina (33:09):
Right! And I was like, pointing them out in the parking lot. But, he's so smart. He remembers everything, like from the past, and we will have discussions that other people would think is crazy, or why are we talking about this, or that's not funny, why did you think that that was funny? He will say something to me, and I will understand what he's saying. I will understand where he's coming from. What it meant, and if it's funny, I'm going to laugh at it, and if it's not, he'll say, "I guess you didn't think that was funny." And I can be honest and say, "No, I didn't think that one was funny."

Nikita (33:43):
Yeah.

Yamina (33:45):
And he loves to read, and he knows like, I like to read. But he'll be like, "Well, do you remember these classics?" And he'll say, "So, the next time you come, you're gonna read that book, right? So by the time you come?" And I'm like-

Nikita (33:57):
Dang! No! Homework!

Yamina (33:57):
(laughs)

Nikita (33:57):
(laughs)

Yamina (34:00):
And then he'll test me and say, "So, do you remember this?" So, the second-

Nikita (34:03):
Oh, not the pop quizzes! (laughs)

Yamina (34:05):
Yes! I get pop quizzes, and sometimes, if he's telling me, like, who his favorite his favorite bands are. Because his favorite bands are like The Beatles, The Beach Boys and stuff like that. And when he's talking about it, and I can say to him, like, "Oh, yeah, you like them, and I remember that you said this, and you said that." He's like, "okay, she's really paying attention." To have somebody pay attention to him, to know the things that he like, and dislike, that's great for him. So when we have these conversations about cars, he has to say, and then at at the end, he'll be like, "I'm sorry that I was talking about your car, but I didn't realize it." And then, he'll be like, "Yeah, the color of your car is just not... I don't know if its-"

Nikita (34:46):
Oh my God!

Yamina (34:47):
(laughs) [inaudible 00:34:50]

Nikita (34:49):
(laughs) ah, we need to get you a car then. It's not up to his standards.

Yamina (34:53):
Yeah, but he doesn't, he doesn't have a car. So, it's easy for me to say-

Nikita (34:55):
Oh! Well... (laughs)

Yamina (34:55):
... then, "Who does not drive?" And then he'll say, "I know, right?" (laughs)

Nikita (35:00):
Oh, that's so funny.

Yamina (35:00):
So, that's like the feel-good moments that he was to have this type, these type of dialogues with him.

Nikita (35:05):
Yeah.

Yamina (35:07):
And know that they are like, sure. They're natural. There's no malice, or anything behind it. And he's working. He's been working for over a year now.

Nikita (35:17):
Oh, congrats.

Yamina (35:19):
Yeah, he's been working for a really long time. So, he's like the biggest... Him and the first one that I, that called me and told me that I pretty much was fired. (laughs)

Nikita (35:28):
(laughs)

Yamina (35:28):
He did. He didn't fire me yet. I don't think he's going to fire me anytime.

Nikita (35:31):
All right, you have one that's like, I'm good-

Yamina (35:34):
Yeah.

Nikita (35:34):
... and then the other one that's, like, "I don't like your car."

Yamina (35:36):
Yeah.

Nikita (35:37):
It doesn't fit here.

Yamina (35:38):
(laughs)

Nikita (35:39):
(laughs)

Yamina (35:39):
Yeah. He's like, "I just didn't think that-"

Nikita (35:41):
I found, like, a really supportive and empowering environment.

Yamina (35:44):
But yes!

Nikita (35:44):
(laughs)

Yamina (35:45):
And you know, that's because we can be honest and... Then last time we seen each other, he was like, "Yeah, 'cause you know that the man that has the Ford, that he died like in 1940." I'm like, "What are you talking about?" (laughs)

Nikita (35:57):
Wow.

Yamina (36:00):
And I said, "How do you even know that?" And he was like, "I've done my homework." (laughs)

Nikita (36:04):
(laughs)

Yamina (36:06):
So, he was like, "How do you drive that car and you don't know the background?" That, and I was like, "Okay, so, I know that somebody made Ford."

Nikita (36:15):
Word. Yeah! (laughs) listen, a lot of people they just get in their car and they drive.

Yamina (36:21):
Yeah!

Nikita (36:21):
They don't-

Yamina (36:21):
That's me.

Nikita (36:21):
... care about the history. (laughs)

Yamina (36:24):
So, he's like, the history. That, if I wanna know something about history, or geographically, he's the go-to person. I'm going to find it out. Anything that I wanna know. And we were like, talking about, like Delaware County, 'cause he knows I live in Delaware County. He was like, "Yeah, you do know that Westchester isn't a part of Delaware County." And I'm like, "What?" (laughs)

Nikita (36:46):
Wow. Thank you.

Yamina (36:47):
Like, "That's a part of Chester County." But they're like really good conversations. Because, believe it or not, it's some things that he's gonna teach you.

Nikita (36:56):
Yeah.

Yamina (36:57):
Things that you did not know, and you're like, oh. And he doesn't have a problem with me saying, like, I do a little debate about it, and I'm like, "I don't think that you're true," and he's like, "Google it."

Nikita (37:08):
(laughs)

Yamina (37:08):
Sure.

Nikita (37:10):
It's so satisfying when you're able to tell somebody, like, "Look it up on Google." And then you end up being right.

Yamina (37:15):
Yes!

Nikita (37:15):
Yeah.

Yamina (37:16):
And I think we had like, I was right a little bit, and he was like, "Okay, so, we're both a little right." And I was just like, "Okay, whatever."

Nikita (37:23):
(laughs)

Yamina (37:23):
It's like... Yeah. I'm, like his person. And he'll always just say, "Well, I don't want you to have favoritism." 'Cause I will say, "Well, I don't know if it's gonna be me, or someone else that comes in." And he's like, "Yeah, I guess because you have other clients, right?" (laughs) and I'm like, "Yeah!"

Nikita (37:39):
(laughs)

Yamina (37:42):
And he's like, "Well, I guess I can't expect for you to show favoritism." No!

Nikita (37:46):
No!

Yamina (37:46):
(laughs)

Nikita (37:46):
(laughs)

Yamina (37:48):
No! So yeah. He thinks it's like, he's top notch of clients.

Nikita (37:53):
(laughs) it sounds like it. He's-

Yamina (37:55):
He's-

Nikita (37:56):
... saying, "I'm top two!"

Yamina (37:57):
Yeah.

Nikita (37:58):
"Not number two! Okay?" (laughs)

Yamina (37:58):
He, he's like, top tier. He's like, I'm the client. (laughs)

Nikita (38:01):
(laughs)

Yamina (38:01):
So.

Nikita (38:01):
I believe that.

Yamina (38:02):
Yeah. That's a really good feeling coming from him.

Nikita (38:08):
Yeah.

Yamina (38:08):
And us not communicating and him not trusting anyone, and for him to develop that trust with me, it's like, okay. That's good.

Nikita (38:18):
Yeah. Awesome. All right. Well, we're coming to the end of this particular episode. Is there anything else that you want to, tell people who are thinking about joining the field? Or like, want to know more about it? Or just, anything? Any little last words of wisdom?

Yamina (38:38):
I would say, if this, if this is the field that you want to get into, do it. And to follow your heart. Because you won't be disappointed. Won't be disappointed. Because the same thing a lot of times, what you're giving out, your client is going to put back into you. And maybe more. You can learn something from everyone. So, if this is something that you want to do, try it out. See how it works for you. 'Cause that's the only thing that you can do. You really can't tell a person yes, or no, who's just like... You gotta do it to find out if it's for you. That's the only way that you're gonna really find out if this is something that you really wanna do.

Nikita (39:22):
Awesome. Thank you, Yamina.

Yamina (39:23):
You're welcome.

Nikita (39:26):
It was great talking with you.

Yamina (39:35):
Thank you!

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