Every now and again I come across someone in the recovery field who really inspires and excites me with their Story and the work they are doing. Earlier this week, I introduced you to Meghann Perry from the USA and the wonderful work she is doing.
Today, I want to introduce you Natalie Logan McLean from Scotland. I came across Natalie’s 2022 TEDxCumbernauldWomen talk, Who Is Natalie?, on Sunday. I was just blown away by her Story!
To hear about the terrible trauma that she experienced as a child, and then the awful traumatic experiences she went through as an adult. How on earth did she come though all of that? No wonder she took to alcohol and drugs in a serious fashion.
Not only did Natalie survive those experiences, she is over 11 years in recovery. Moreover, she set up and is Chief Executive of SISCO (Sustainable Interventions Supporting Change Outside), which is ‘Helping Prisoners Build a Bridge Between Prison and the Community’. Wow!
Here is the introduction to the excellently presented TEDx talk that Natalie gave last year. The film is well worth watching.
‘Natalie charts her life and decisions reeling from one adverse childhood experience after another, what triggered lasting change, and her commitment to removing stigma in order to reconnect with all the parts of ourselves as a society.
Natalie set up Sisco, a charity whose main objective is to build a bridge between prisoners and society. From peer lead recovery cafés in the Scottish Prison Service to soccer training in the community, Sisco’s model is built on trust, integrity and honesty. Offering multiple pathways to recovery, Sisco’s strategy is specifically designed for individuals caught in the cycle of addiction.
Natalie puts the person in ‘whole person approach’ and the ‘informed’ in ‘trauma informed’ in a model that has proven to be so successful it’s now a blueprint to adapt throughout the Scottish Prison Service. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community.’
Please visit the SISCO website and learn more about Natalie and her colleagues’ exciting initiative. I’ll no doubt be writing more about Natalie in future blog posts.
