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In this honest and thoughtful episode of Shoulder to Shoulder, Cate speaks with Ciara, a peer support leader, trainer and activist from Ireland, whose own experience of trauma, distress and trying to find the right support has shaped the way she now works with others.

Ciara manages Solace Café in Dublin, an out-of-hours crisis prevention service built around lived experience, connection and compassion. In this conversation, she reflects on growing up in difficult circumstances, struggling with fear, shame and substance use, and spending years in systems that often left her feeling unheard rather than helped.

What changed things was finding spaces where she could speak openly, be heard as a human being, and begin to make sense of what had happened to her. Her story is candid, grounded, deeply human, and speaks powerfully to what peer support can offer when people are properly listened to.

In this episode, we explore:

✔️ How peer support helps people feel understood, not managed

✔️ Why trust, mutuality and human connection matter in recovery

✔️ The difference between lived experience and purely clinical support

✔️ The challenges peer workers can face inside formal mental health systems

✔️ Why honest, compassionate spaces can change the course of someone’s life

Show Notes

Connect with Ciara:
http://linkedin.com/in/ciaraglynn1

Listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

With-you consultancy: www.with-you.co.uk