Why did you decide to become a mentor?
As my career evolved from a practitioner into leadership and strategic roles, I realised how much fulfilment I got from working with people, not just through the work itself. Whether mentoring direct reports or supporting people across the company, I found deep satisfaction in helping others clarify their direction, grow in confidence, and develop their voice.
Now that I work for myself, mentoring gives me a way to keep doing that work in a focused, intentional way.
How did you get your career start?
My entry into Marketing (and SaaS) was entirely unexpected. I was unemployed at the time, sitting in the local job centre waiting for my regular check-in (that always ran late). A woman with a clipboard came over and asked if I wanted to enrol on a government-funded skills course. The options were plumbing, carpentry… or graphic design and marketing. 🙂
I picked the last option, and spent months designing flyers for made-up events and fake movie posters using Photoshop and other creative tools. That qualification helped me land my first job at a B2B tech startup, a world that was initially completely alien to me. From there, I leaned into what I was good at - storytelling, systems, and empathy - and kept growing through a series of fast-moving roles. That moment in the job centre changed everything for me, and I hope that’s something I can do in some small way for others.
What do mentees usually come to you for?
Most mentees come to me at a transition point in their career. They’ve just stepped into a new leadership role, taken on more responsibility, or want to shift from doing the work to owning the strategy, and they want a supportive and challenging partner to help accelerate that process.
My approach is collaborative and practical. While everyone’s path is different, it always begins by defining a “north star” for our work together, which is a mix of goals (what success looks like) and themes (the key areas to grow in). This might include things like influencing at the exec level, clarifying strategic positioning, or navigating imposter syndrome as they step into bigger rooms.
I work best with people who want honest input, flexible thinking, and a space to build momentum without judgment.
What's been your favourite mentorship success story so far?
One of my favourite stories goes back to someone who joined my team as a copywriter some years ago. He was incredibly creative and deeply thoughtful, but resistant to pairing his craft with the commercial element.
We worked together to bridge that gap. I suggested he take a Google Analytics course to begin understanding the impact of his words on numbers. That ended up being a turning point for him. He realised he could create copy that moved people and the numbers, and spent hours poring over analytics data to see where he could improve.
He’s since gone on to work at places like Facebook, and is now a Chief Revenue Officer at a scaling tech company. What makes me proud is knowing I helped him connect his creative identity with business impact, opening up the scope of his career to include roles he may not have previously considered.
What are you getting out of being a mentor?
Mentoring keeps me sharp. Every mentee brings a new challenge, a new company dynamic, or a new lens on the problems we all face in this space.
It forces me to stay current, to listen deeply, and to see the bigger picture. It also gives me a unique window into how other leaders and marketers think, which constantly enriches my own practice.
Beyond all of that, it’s just incredibly rewarding to play a small part in someone else’s story, to be there at a key moment, and help them move forward with clarity, confidence, and momentum.