‘People Helping People’ is a non-profit organization that likes to say they are often in the business of building confidence. They help primarily women and single mothers gain and keep good employment so they can provide for themselves and their families.
My guest on the podcast this week Kristen Carr is the Community Outreach Coordinator, and she shared that many of the women and single mothers that come into their program have gone through hard and traumatic experiences. But through the mentoring and coaching those women receive at People Helping People, they learn to see the talents and skills they already have to offer, and build on those as they seek to gain meaningful employment or start a career.
This organization truly believes that one of the best ways to help children and families out of poverty, is to empower women and give them the confidence and skills they need to be successful in the workforce.
Listen to the podcast to learn more about People Helping People and also hear some great stories of women who have found success through their programs.
Links mentioned in the episode:
People Helping People Website
People Helping People Instagram
People Helping People Facebook
Follow the podcast on social media:
Do Something More Instagram
Do Something More Facebook
Do Something More YouTube
‘People Helping People’ is a non-profit organization that likes to say they are often in the business of building confidence. They help primarily women and single mothers gain and keep good employment so they can provide for themselves and their families.
My guest on the podcast this week Kristen Carr is the Community Outreach Coordinator, and she shared that many of the women and single mothers that come into their program have gone through hard and traumatic experiences. But through the mentoring and coaching those women receive at People Helping People, they learn to see the talents and skills they already have to offer, and build on those as they seek to gain meaningful employment or start a career.
This organization truly believes that one of the best ways to help children and families out of poverty, is to empower women and give them the confidence and skills they need to be successful in the workforce.
Listen to the podcast to learn more about People Helping People and also hear some great stories of women who have found success through their programs.
Links mentioned in the episode:
People Helping People Website
People Helping People Instagram
People Helping People Facebook
Follow the podcast on social media:
Do Something More Instagram
Do Something More Facebook
Do Something More YouTube
Melissa: You're listening to the do something more podcast, and this is episode 51 with Kristen Carr from people helping people, teaching low income women how to gain good employment, welcome to the do something more podcast, a service oriented show where we highlight the helpers who inspire us all to do something more. I'm your host, Melissa Draper. Thank you so much for being here. Welcome to another episode of the podcast. And today we're featuring an organization called People helping people. One of the ways that they do that is through employment services, especially for women and single mothers. So I have a personal interest in this topic. I kind of get excited talking about employment and helping people navigate those things. So I'm really excited to learn more about this organization today. And I have with us Kristen Carr. She's the community outreach coordinator for people helping people. So, Kristen, welcome to the show.
Kristen: Thank you, Melissa, for having me.
Melissa: So, yes, I'd love you to just start off with just a quick introduction of yourself and then just kind of give us a brief overview of what people helping people does. Great.
Kristen: Yes. So, as Melissa mentioned, I'm the community outreach coordinator here at people helping people. So what I do is I wear a lot of different hats with our community partnerships and our agency partnerships, a lot of the community resources and partners that we work with will direct and refer clients and women to our services. So I oversee and coordinate those efforts as well as our employer partnerships. So as an employment program, we work with employers, companies that are eager to hire women, and so we collaborate with them in a lot of different ways. That's part of my responsibilities. I got connected with people helping people. My background is in counseling and therapy. So I'm a licensed clinical social worker, and I've been doing that for the better part of ten years and got connected with this organization, people helping people. As a referring partner myself, I worked with women in the criminal justice system, and a lot of their efforts in reentry into outside of the system and reacquainting themselves with self sufficiency and trying to get back on their feet was getting employment and getting good jobs so that they could create good, adequate income for themselves. And so anyway, that's how I got introduced to people. Helping people is working with them as a community partner.
Melissa: What a great way to use some of those skills as a therapist or counselor. I think that's great.
Kristen: Yes. And so it's really given me a good opportunity to just work on a broader scale and helping women and with the program and spreading awareness of the issues that face women in the workplace. So that leads into people helping people in what we do. So our organization and mission is as employment support, and we help support low income women to reach self sufficiency through adequate employment and increasing their earning potential so that they can earn an adequate income. We work a lot with single moms, primarily single moms. However, we do support all women regardless of their marital status or whether or not they have children. Our program is focused on helping women have the employment know how, the tools, the resources, the networking opportunities to be able to not only find a job, but increase their earning potential and be successful in the workplace and whatever their career path is. So we do initial job support and finding a job, but also ongoing career and professional development to help women identify their skills and develop confidence in their job search application process.
Melissa: That's great. Yeah. One thing I loved when I was reading through your website was the idea, because I think we've seen a lot of organizations that help people with employment or encourage to gain skills or get an education. But something I thought was unique about yours was it mentioned how you teach things from the employer's perspective and you're teaching some of those basic, good, universal skills of following through on commitments or having a good attitude, being someone people want to be around those kinds of things, I just think is really unique about what you do.
Kristen: Yes. We like to say that we try to mimic the workplace to be within our program so that we're helping our clients understand the world of work and what's expected of them as an employee and how to be a good employee, a valuable employee, because the more that they show up in the workplace with our four core principles, which is a key component to our program, is commitment and having a positive attitude, having a willingness to learn and overall contributing to the bottom line. So the more they practice those principles, they are more likely to be successful at work. And with that comes opportunities for advancement, room to grow, maybe taking opportunities for on the job learning and training so that they can continue to move up and level up and increase their income. So the goal, helping women be successful and self sufficient, both financially and personally.
Melissa: Right? And yeah, I love that you've narrowed it down to those four core things. As I was reading that, even as a mother, I'm like, these are all good things to focus on with my kids, so they're all good things we can learn. Great. Well, can you just explain some of the different, you kind of went into this a little bit, but some of the different areas or ways that you go about helping women, I'm sure you do things like resume support or have mentorships or things like that. So what are some of the different areas that your organization covers as you're training and helping and preparing women to be successful in the workforce?
Kristen: Yes, we provide coaching and mentoring and this is one on one coaching and mentoring. And I like to say I think this is the bread and butter of what we do. I think it makes us unique and it is a specific, unique value that our program offers and provides to women who are participating, engaging in the program because they are paired one on one with different professional coaches. These are business professional volunteers. We have criteria for them that they have at least five years work experience. Many of them are in different roles, different hiring roles, management roles within their own companies, and are devoting their time and talents to give back and coach and mentor these women and how they can be successful in the workplace. Yeah. And so this one on one coaching and mentoring, they are paired with. In coaching, they're paired one on one with different volunteers and they do skills assessments and review their work history. They do a financial break even session which helps them identify what their expenses are and get a good picture of their financial situation and what they'd need to be making in order to break even and how to visualize the income threshold and how they can gain financial self sufficiency. And then as they move forward into mentoring, they're paired one on one with a mentor that they work with over the course of six to eight weeks, and they review their resume, they work on interview skills, doing mock interviews, and this mentor is actively supporting them through the job application process as they're applying for jobs and getting that real time feedback from a professional. And most of our mentors are skilled in hiring and HR. And so I think that's a real valuable piece to our program is the coaching and mentoring, and then as women.
Melissa: Because that connection with each other can be so valuable.
Kristen: Absolutely. Yeah. And you're expanding your professional network as well. So many of our clients, as they come from different communities, they're expanding their social connections and learning from a variety of different coaches and mentors and from their own experiences as well. So we often talk about the benefits of networking and professional networking. And as you're engaging in coaching and mentoring, you're automatically expanding those professional networks. And outside of the coaching and mentoring, we do educational workshops around all kinds of employment topics like how to network, how to use LinkedIn, how to use job search strategies, how to dress properly for an interview. So all the kinds of topics that are relevant to job search, job application and then ongoing professional development as well. And then we have opportunities to network with employers. So that's part of what I do is nurture those employer relationships. And so we have employer meet and greets, we have job fairs. We send out job postings from our employers. So there's really lots of different ways to engage and through the employment know how piece and also the networking piece. So to help provide this employment wraparound service for women.
Melissa: And I love hearing about all the topics that you teach or cover. I think sometimes some of us just take for granted some of those things. Like you said, navigating LinkedIn, I wouldn't even think twice about. But it's so good to realize that someone needs sometimes the skills to be able to do that and how valuable it can be as they're approaching having a career and looking for a job. So that's great.
Kristen: Yes. And on that note, I would mention that what we do is largely virtual as well. So we work with women throughout the wasatch front in Utah, Salt Lake, Davis, and Weber counties. And so there's a wide range of areas that we serve, and they can connect with coaches and mentors entirely, virtually. And that also is another way we are teaching from the employer's perspective and sort of mimicking the workplace in that they're practicing and using all of these tools that are often used in the modern workplace. Right. You can't escape the virtual meetings these days. It's just kind of part of how it is. And so I think that's been something that's changed about our program since the pandemic out of necessity. But it's become another added benefit to participating where they can practice using these tools, and they can also connect from wherever they are in the valley.
Melissa: Right. Yeah. No one can escape those Zoom meetings.
Kristen: Yeah, they're there for good, I think. Yeah.
Melissa: Well, that's great. Well, I love that you took the time to kind of walk us through some of your programs for a little bit. We also love to hear the human interest side of things on this podcast. And I know you have a lot of great client success stories I saw there on your website, but could you just share a couple of those with us of some of the women that have found success as they've come through your program and the ways it's benefited them?
Kristen: Absolutely. And I would say for me personally, another reason why I'm personally passionate about our mission and this organization is I was raised by a single mother, and so in watching her sacrifice different things for me and for our family, to be successful and to reach her own potential in the workplace is a special place in my heart as well. And so I'm always really passionate about just helping women be successful. And I think another aspect of our mission and why we do what we do is because of the effects that women have on families and communities. So we often say that when women do better, kids do better, and when kids do better, communities do better. And so you are starting this cycle of disrupting intergenerational poverty, where as women become more successful and self sufficient, then that has a trickle down effect into their kids and their communities. And I think a great example of that is one of her client success stories.
Melissa: Those are both beautiful wives, by the.
Kristen: Way, for what you do. Thank you for sharing. Of course. And so one example of that is Cynthia. She's one of our client success stories. And before she came to our program, she was working three part time jobs, all trying to make ends meet. She was raising seven kids at the same time, and then was experiencing homelessness for about nine months during that time. And so, as you can imagine, she had a lot on her plate and was really, she really is a superstar. And I'm just so inspired by her story. But she was unsure of how to communicate her skills to prospective employers, so she really lacked confidence. And that's what we see in a lot of the clients that we work with, is ultimately, we are in the business of building confidence, and we're helping women be able to identify and advocate their own skill sets, especially in translating the skills that they do have to the world of work. And so, for Cynthia, when she came to PHP, she participated in coaching. She learned how to communicate those skills and value. Often we talk about, how do we translate the skills that you do have? Maybe it's through your experience as a mom or your experience as a volunteer or whatever professional experience you do have. How do we translate that into business vocabulary so that you, either in a resume or an interview setting, really portray what you have to offer? Because we know that women have skills beyond what meets the eye as far as a professional experience, especially those single moms or moms that are returning to the workforce. Cynthia, she also practiced the four core principles. So one of our first things that we teach is to just be consistently on time and show your commitment to your employer by making an effort to be on time. And Cynthia did that. She really took that to heart. And because of that, she survived two rounds of her company layoffs. Because when the company decided who they wanted to keep and who they wanted to let go. They looked at who is consistently on time. So we tell that story often because it's such a good example of how something as simple as being on time really goes a long way in the eyes of your employer.
Melissa: And some of those skills are 100% in your control.
Kristen: Yeah, sometimes talent isn't.
Melissa: Sometimes there's other things we're lacking, but there are things that are in our control.
Kristen: These are principles that any of us can practice at any time.
Melissa: Right.
Kristen: And Cynthia. So just to an update on where she is now. She's working a full time job with full benefits. She's received several raises and a promotion. She has a savings account or retirement account. She's bought a car and a house off all assistance. She feels more confident. She can see the change in her children's mindset from her example. And that's something I always like to share, is with this idea of, as moms do better, kids learn from their example, because Cynthia is a really good example of that. One of her daughters decided to go get a part time job while she was in school to save for college. So she's noticing from her mom the efforts that her mom's putting in and learning from that example, and so taking initiative in her own way to begin saving money and towards her own future. And so I love that example because it's just a real life example of how this principle works, that as moms are more successful and show that to their kids, then the kids follow suit.
Melissa: Right. And I'm sure took a lot of grit and determination from her to make that happen. But that's amazing.
Kristen: Yeah, she's a great example. I love her story.
Melissa: Great. Any others that you wanted to share?
Kristen: One client success story. Her name is Ambie, and part of her story is that she was a stay at home mom with her children and then went through a traumatic and challenging divorce. And so as a result, she found herself as the primary caretaker, the primary earner in her home. And that is not a unique story to our program, where we have women who are experiencing changes in their personal lives, in their relationships. We have a lot of women who culturally and historically have just been the caretakers of their home, and for whatever reason, they need to return to the workforce. And so they lack confidence in, how can they demonstrate they have the skills to work in a professional setting and are suddenly faced with some barriers of how do I care for myself and my kids in this new, unique situation? And so Ambie is a really good example of that. She got a really good job with one of our employer partners, actually, and has been a really good ambassador for our program. She's been a big advocate of what women are capable of. And every time I see her at different events that she volunteers at and things, she's always just such an array of confidence. And with her job, she's received several raises. She has started a retirement account, a savings account, paid off all her debts. She's bought a new car. She's reached a lot of personal milestones. And I think most of all, she's come out of a really traumatic situation of feeling low in her confidence and struggling with her self worth to now knowing that she's capable of reaching that definition of success, that she has a confidence. She needs to be independent and self sufficient.
Melissa: Yeah, I think that's so inspiring how you shared that you're in the business of building confidence, because as you said, a lot of them are coming out of traumatic situations. And it can be so good to have someone that believes in you and can help encourage you with the skills and the talents that you already have, encourage you to keep moving forward. So that's great.
Kristen: Yes. And when we can be successful at work, I think that that has, for the women that we work with, it has such a healing, powerful effect on their lives. When they understand that they are capable of earning a good living, of contributing to a company or an organization, and when they receive that valuable feedback, especially as they get raises or promotions and they move up, that it's so valuable to have that self confidence, that they have something of value to contribute to an organization. And that's how I felt. I think my career journey has had its ups and downs, but I feel like when I can contribute meaningfully at work, when I'm doing something that aligns with my passion, then I feel it adds some meaning and purpose to my life and also helps me feel confident and that I'm capable of doing more.
Melissa: Most definitely. And that kind of goes along with the theme of this podcast. We talk more about service and giving back, but all of those same benefits come as well. When you're serving, you're contributing and realizing that your efforts, your talents, they all make a difference and they matter. Well, we have a lot of listeners that aren't here local, so I always love to include just some thoughts on how you would give just general advice or encouragement to anyone that would like to serve in similar ways in their community, either helping people with employment in general, helping single mother families. Do you have any general advice you would give on that end?
Kristen: Yeah, that's a great question, I think when it comes to women being successful in the workplace. So wherever you're at and whatever role that you play in your community, whether it's in your own job within a company that you work for, that you are an advocate for women in the workplace, that's something that I'm passionate about and see a lot in our work in Utah is to help change the culture around providing opportunities for women in the employment options that they have. Some employers really take this to heart and they really want and see the value of women in their organizations, and they want to create pathways for them to not only get jobs, but advance into areas of leadership. And so they provide benefits that help women be successful at work. For a lot of them, childcare is a big barrier. And so we need to see more resources for women that help them be successful at work. Childcare, transportation, different opportunities that help women get into jobs but also be successful at their jobs. And so I think something that we work with employers is trying to influence that mindset and helping to provide opportunities for women and whatever that takes, whether that's benefits or hiring in their hiring practices, doing more to reduce barriers to women being successful in different positions. And maybe that's a higher level suggestion where if your listeners are in a capacity when they're able to hire women, but even beyond that, just being involved in whatever way in an organization locally that helps women, specifically in whatever you're passionate about locally, to just be involved in those women's organizations, because I think they're of value. I think what we do as an organization, by specifically focusing on helping women, we're able to have a bigger impact because are uniquely tailored to what women need and what are the barriers that are facing women. So I guess as a long roundabout answer to your question, just however you are able to support the women led organizations, the women owned businesses or volunteer with women support organizations, expand the opportunities that are available there for women.
Melissa: And there's a lot of organizations out there. If that's someone's passion and they want.
Kristen: To help in that way. Yeah.
Melissa: Well, how could those that may be local and want to learn more about you or how they could get involved with you, just give us the information on that, how they can find you or the opportunities that are there.
Kristen: Yeah, absolutely. So our website is a great place to start. It is phputahutah spelled out. So phputah.org is a great place to start where you can find volunteer opportunities. We are always looking for qualified volunteers that are willing to be resume coaches, interview coaches or workshop facilitators. We have a variety of volunteer opportunities outside of that as well. If you want to just participate in different events that we host. And the nice thing about the coaching and mentoring is we are available virtually. So we do have coaches and mentors that aren't located in Utah, that are out of state, but they can connect with clients from wherever they're great. I think the website is a great place to start. There's a page on getting involved in becoming a volunteer and then there's a way to fill out an application or an interest form on the website as well. So that's a great place to get connected with us and then we can follow up with you based on whatever your interests are.
Melissa: That's great. I'll leave links to those in the show notes so that anyone can go and look into it. Kristen, thank you so much for being willing to come on the podcast here today. I've loved learning more about people, helping people and all the good work you're doing.
Kristen: Thank you so much for having us and being willing to feature us. This has been great.
Melissa: That was my interview with Kristen Carr, the community outreach coordinator with people helping people and so many good things that they're doing in that area of helping women, especially single mothers, find employment and be self sufficient in taking care of themselves and their families. And first of all, I loved how she shared those four areas of focus that they have as women come into their program to teach them. She mentioned that they cover commitment, having a good attitude, being willing to learn new things and ultimately contributing to the bottom line. And all those skills, as she mentioned, are skills anyone can work on and improve on. And I think it's great that they cover those four areas. Myself as a mother, want to teach my kids those four areas because they are so valuable to anything and any good work that you're doing. And then I loved how she shared that the bread and butter of what they do is their mentoring and coaching and that they're in the business of building confidence. As she mentioned, many times, the women that come to them have been through traumatic situations or have been in different situations where they are not feeling confident about who they are and what they have to offer, and they get the awesome opportunity to believe in them and to help them see the talents and the skills that they already do have and then build on those so that they can be successful in a new career or in the jobs that they're seeking for. And I loved hearing and learning all about that. And on their website, they actually have a lot of their different success stories that you can go over and read. I think it's really inspiring to look at those so I'm going to leave a link to their website in the show notes if you're interested in seeing more of the success stories beyond just the great ones that she shared on the episode here today. And of course you can also check out their website if you're interested in just learning more about their organization or getting involved with the good work that they do. And then as another reminder, if you were listening to this podcast and someone came to mind that you think would benefit from learning about people helping people or some of the good things that they do, please share the link to the podcast with that person with your friend and let them know about this episode. Or you can also go on Apple Podcasts and leave us a rating or a review. Thank you so much for being here. I'll see you next time.