Own My Life as Peer Support

We are delighted to have Yorkshire-based charity New Beginnings Peer Support on our blog this week sharing more about their work, the difference peer support can make to women and the ways Own My Life is an important part of their work. Our CEO Natalie Collins interviewed their Training Facilitator, Kirsty Bentley, about their work.

We think they're magnificent, and we know you will too!

Who are New Beginnings Peer Support and what is your role within the organisation?

New Beginnings Peer Support are an after-crisis peer service that supports women and their families who remain negatively impacted by domestic abuse. Set up by Lindsay Oliver, after experiencing domestic abuse herself, and seeing the need for long term trauma informed peer support. New Beginnings offers a range of services that is tailored around what the client needs and wants. We can offer 1:1 support, peer group sessions, the Own My Life course, goal setting and peer befriending, to name just a few. But at the centre of everything we offer, is the peer voice. Peer voice not only designs the support we offer, but it runs through all New Beginnings as a whole system approach.

New Beginnings Founder Lindsay Oliver and Training Facilitator Kirsty Bentley

Can you tell me a bit about peer support?  How is it different from other ways of working with women?

Peer support is a different way of supporting women but also a different way of running a service. It's all about connecting with others who get what you're going through because they've been there too. This shared experience builds trust and a sense of sisterhood that's hard to find in traditional support systems.

One of the best things about peer support is its collaborative nature. It's not about someone having all the answers and telling you what you need to do. Instead, it’s about the peer support of women supporting you to be the best version of yourself.

Peer support is empowerment that comes from being part of a peer support network. Knowing that others have faced similar challenges and can offer valuable insights helps you to feel less isolated and more connected. It's incredibly motivating to draw strength from others who understand what you are going through. It also makes you feel seen and validated. Knowing that ‘it’s not just me’ makes you feel less isolated and alone. This is especially important when domestic abuse perpetrators have worked to do just that.  

Peer support also offers a non-judgmental environment where you can express your thoughts and feelings without fear of being judged. This safe space encourages open communication and personal growth, allowing you to explore your emotions and experiences freely.

In a world where connection and understanding are more important than ever, peer support offers a refreshing and effective way of working. By embracing shared experiences, fostering collaboration, and creating non-judgmental environments, peer support empowers individuals and builds strong communities.

You've been running Own My Life for a while now. How does it work in a peer support context?

Running the Own My Life programme within a peer support context is truly transformative, offering an environment where women feel heard, supported, and connected. More than just another domestic abuse course, Own My Life focuses on empowerment, joy, and laughter —elements that might seem unexpected but are integral to the course. The peer support component is what really sets this apart.

Every week women attend the sessions and, without needing to explain themselves, they are met with understanding and empathy from others who have been through similar experiences. This shared connection builds trust and camaraderie, making the support all the more impactful. The course celebrates each woman's journey, acknowledging both big and small wins, and it's heartwarming to see real friendships blossom through peer support. When asked what made the biggest difference, women consistently highlight the peer element — sharing a space with others who genuinely understand.

In addition to the sessions, we also offer follow-up calls between sessions, to help the women process what they’ve learned. This extra touch has proven to be incredibly beneficial. Volunteers, who support the course facilitators (both online and face-to-face cohorts) are peers who have previously completed the Own My Life course. This unique aspect means they can relate on a peer level and truly understand the journey each woman is on.

One of our women said, "Own My Life gave my children their mum back"

Can you share any stories about how Own My Life has made a material impact in the lives of women you work with?

One of the biggest privileges of facilitating the Own My Life course is that we can share a small part of the women’s journeys with them. It is hard to put into words the difference that we see in the women from that very first session to who they are on Session 12. For a lot of the women who come onto Own My Life, they are really struggling to find their confidence and have any self-efficacy. We see this start to build over the weeks until we reach the end, and they are a whole new version of themselves on a different part of their journey.

Continuing to support women after the course has finished lets us see firsthand the impact the course has had. It’s the positive ripple effect of the course and how this continues into different areas of their lives. One of our women said, ‘Own My Life gave my children their mum back’. It really does transform lives.

We can also share that 100% of the women who have completed the course enjoyed it and would recommend it to other women; a statistic that really speaks volumes about the course itself.

At Own My Life we're all about joy and sisterhood, if you could offer one "truth nugget" about how to build joy and sisterhood, what would it be?

When some of the content is difficult, we try to find as much time as possible to balance this with some of the incredibly funny videos included in the additional videos on the Own My Life e-Hub. There is something so powerful and healing about laughter and laughing togetjer as a group. Giving ourselves permission to laugh and see joy again is incredibly empowering.

At the end of every session, we always choose a song from the Own My Life Empowering Playlist, and either have a sing-a-long or giggle depending on the song. We celebrate being women and bring part of the Own My Life sisterhood!

Is there anything else you'd like to share with us?

From a facilitator’s perspective, this is a course like no other. The flexibility it allows to make sure the sessions are client led and goes where women need it to be isn’t like anything we have come across before. We always say to women that this is their journey and as a facilitator we are here to guide with the content, but it really is their course. It also means that we are constantly learning and adapting with each course that we run.

If people want to learn more about your work or get in touch to speak with you further, how would they do that?

All of our details about what we do at New Beginnings can be found at www.newbeginningspeersupport.com. We're available on email at: enquiries@newbeginningspeersupport.com and on the phone: 01423 313080.