“In a system full of degrees, diagnostics, and data, lived experience is often the most powerful tool in the room”
Daevon Ealey.
This blog isn’t just a call-out; it is a call-in. To employers, managers, and organisations: if you’re hiring for lived experience, you have got to live up to YOUR responsibility too.
Back in 2023, I shared my story of entering the workplace as someone with lived experience of addiction. You can read it HERE. I wasn’t prepared for the transition, and neither was my employer. Two years later, I’ve seen the same pattern play out repeatedly: people are brought into peer support roles based solely on their past while their present needs are overlooked.
Daevon Ealey from the US recently shared an insightful explanation via LinkedIn of some of the benefits of people with personal lived experience of the people they are trying to support.
- It builds instant trust. – When someone knows you have been where they are, walls come down. Judgment disappears. What is left is connection, and that is the foundation of healing.
- It brings insight you cannot learn in a textbook – You can read about trauma. Or you can live through it, survive it, and learn how to move forward. That kind of wisdom cannot be taught in a classroom.
- It models possibility – Lived experience turns into lived proof. We show people that recovery, healing, and transformation are possible. Not just on paper, but in real life.
- It shifts power – When people with lived experience are invited into leadership, policy, and service design, we stop guessing what communities need and start listening.
- It breaks stigma – Our presence challenges the idea that people in recovery are broken. We show the world that lived experience does not disqualify us. It qualifies us.
These are powerful assets, but they aren’t the whole story. Having lived experience doesn’t automatically equip someone to navigate complex systems, workplace culture, or the demands of professional responsibilities, and this is where employers must raise the bar.
Here are just some of the challenges I and many others—have faced in peer roles:
Fear—While the prospect of getting a job (paid/volunteering) can be exciting, it can also be terrifying. The thought of failure or disappointing someone was always on my mind.
Impostor Syndrome: When recruited solely for your past, it’s easy to feel unworthy or out of your depth. I remember being offered a volunteer role and wondering, “Is my experience enough?”
Unconscious Bias: Working alongside colleagues hired for qualifications instead of experience can highlight invisible hierarchies, like judging people based on their “professionalism” or assuming that someone’s success is due to luck more than their lived experience. Which can only fuel the sense of not belonging.
Tech Barriers: Confidence with IT systems isn’t always a given. I still struggle here, and yet digital fluency is essential in most organisations.
Workplace culture: Plays a massive role in shaping someone’s ability to thrive. If the environment isn’t inclusive, then no amount of lived experience can flourish. I’ve found that cultures built around rigid professionalism often leave no room for vulnerability and personal growth
Language & Jargon: Acronyms and insider terms can leave people feeling confused, excluded, or in my case feeling stupid.
Policy Overload: Policies shift constantly, and keeping up can feel overwhelming. The fear of making a mistake is real.
New Life Routines: Returning to work after unemployment means juggling childcare, commuting, and new schedules. I had to rethink everything—from school drop-offs to budgeting my time.
Financial Responsibility: Moving from benefits to managing income was a massive shift for me, especially after being dependent on the benefit system, which took these out of my benefits
Vicarious trauma: My lived experience was my professional asset, but it was also a burden; sometimes the lines between personal and professional got blurred, especially when and If other people echoed from my own.
Call to action
Employers who truly value lived experience must go beyond tokenism and invest in inclusive, trauma-informed cultures where healing is possible for others and us.
You need to invest in the people you bring in. Provide ongoing support, mentorship, training, and trust.
If you are involving people in decision-making, I found a fabulous resource, created by New Philanthropy Capital (NPC) titled Centring Lived Experience: A strategic approach for leaders.
If you are considering employing people with lived experience, then Homeless Link, created a quick reference guide to provide some key dos and don’ts and top tips for employers who employ or would like to employ people who have lived experience of homelessness and social exclusion, so it could be applied to all areas of social exclusion.
Finally, before I calm down on my rant – Remember that lived experience is not a shortcut to impact; it’s the beginning of a journey. If you are an employer, make sure you are walking it alongside the people you hire and never leave them to walk the journey alone.
Love Tracey
#UnapologeticWriter
Remember – I don’t write for financial reward or gain. I want to help share my lived experience with others, hoping it helps. Plus, I love to write, so if you fancy getting the occasional email (NO SPAM) with the most up-to-date blogs from yours truly, please feel free to subscribe at the bottom of the main page.