What Coaching Means to Our Clients
By Bev Weise, Executive Director
Our two RJS clients, – Nagah from Sudan, currently in Malaysia, and Hala from Syria, living in the UK – whose voices and stories are featured in this article.
When refugees begin their journey with Refugee JumpStart Coaching, many take what feels like a leap of faith. Most arrive uncertain, unsure of what “coaching” really means. Some expect answers—someone to solve their problems or tell them exactly what to do.
But within just a few sessions, something remarkable happens. They discover that coaching is not about giving answers—it’s about unlocking the ones they already carry within.
Over and over, our clients share the same powerful themes:
Renewed self-confidence
Hope for the future
Recognition of hidden strengths
The realization that they are not starting from zero—they already have valuable skills, experience, and education to build upon.
At its heart, coaching empowers refugees to take back control of their own stories.
Nagah’s story reminds us of the power of this transformation.
A Sudanese refugee living in Malaysia, she once taught as a university professor of biochemistry. Forced to flee, she suddenly faced the loss of her career, her identity, and her hope.
“In that darkness,” she writes, “Refugee JumpStart Coaching became a bridge between who I was—and who I could become again.”
Hala, a Syrian refugee now in the UK, shares a similar journey.
When she joined the program, she felt invisible --convinced that none of her past experience mattered. Through coaching, she learned to see her strengths in a new light. Today, she proudly works as a teaching assistant in Sustainability and Business at the University of Leeds.
“I really love my job,” she says. “And I am proud of myself.”
These stories are not exceptions—they are the heartbeat of Refugee JumpStart.
As coaches, we don’t provide all the answers. Instead, we become thought-partners—listening deeply, asking reflective questions, and holding a safe space where refugees can hear themselves, challenge old mindsets, and step into new possibilities.
It is a profound privilege to walk alongside our clients on their journey of empowerment. Together, we witness not just transformation—but the renewal of dignity, purpose, and hope.
