I kept meeting people who were doing everything “right” by the book delivering output, following playbooks yet still felt like failures. That’s the gap I care about: the unspoken struggles behind the LinkedIn highlights. At first, I thought mentoring was about sharing expertise. In practice, it’s more about listening and reflecting people’s thinking back at them, so it becomes clearer and less overwhelming. Most people don’t need a guru; they need someone who helps them cut through the noise and see their own path.
I started in startups and marketing, where the pressure to “crush it” is constant. I saw firsthand how the official narratives ignored the messy realities: burnout, pivots that collapse, relationships strained by stress. I never had a formal mentor early on, but a few colleagues shaped me with one brutally honest observation at the right time. Those moments taught me the power of radical honesty and they’re the foundation of how I support others today.
Most mentees come to me in the awkward in-between: not in crisis, but stuck on “what now?” This can look like career transitions, leadership challenges or the exhaustion of chasing expectations that don’t fit. I don’t run people through rigid frameworks. Instead, my style is conversational and practical. We start with honesty: what’s really happening, stripped of performance. From there, I help them see what’s in their control, test small steps, and build momentum. The goal isn’t a flashy 90-day transformation. It’s creating the ability to keep moving even when the big picture feels unclear.
One mentee came convinced they’d “wasted” their career because they weren’t a senior leader by a certain age. They were ready to quit everything. Together we stripped away borrowed expectations and focused on what energized them. Instead of quitting, they redesigned their role: shifting responsibilities, renegotiating boundaries, and eventually moving into a new function they actually cared about. There was no TED-talk ending but they went from disillusioned to in control. That shift of agency translated into their work, relationships, and confidence. That’s the kind of success I care about.
Mentoring keeps me sharp. Every conversation tests my assumptions and grounds me in the reality of people navigating change. It feeds directly into my podcast and the book I’m writing. On a personal level, it has made me more patient and less performative. When you see how much relief people feel just being heard, you stop trying to prove yourself all the time. That shift has been as valuable for me as anything I’ve passed on to others.
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