5 recent failures I'm proud of (and how they can help YOU as a new social worker)

Vicki Shevlin
Aug 18
1 min read

It feels like forever since I’ve recorded an episode, and after a long-planned summer break, I wanted to come back with something real. No perfectly polished wins — just a list of my recent “failures” and what they taught me.

I didn’t get shortlisted for the British Podcast Awards (and I know I didn’t give the application my all).

I broke my own boundary and checked work emails on holiday. I got sunburn in Ireland — despite being a factor 50 devotee who knows better.

I packed a book for camping and didn’t open it once.

And I failed to hide my feelings from my aunt (also a social worker), who saw straight through me and reminded me: I am enough.

Here’s the thing — every single one of these so-called failures was an opportunity to learn, rest, connect, or simply be reminded that I’m human. In social work, as in life, mistakes are inevitable. They’re also proof that we’re showing up and giving things a go.

So maybe this week, instead of beating yourself up over the thing you didn’t get “right,” you could reframe it. Share it. Even laugh about it. You never know who might need to hear it.

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