Take a moment to reflect on your life. Just a light reflection, not a deep dive. Has anyone ever listened to your ideas? Provided guidance on ways to manage? Took time to follow up? If you can answer yes, you’ve had a mentor.

Take another moment to reflect again. Have you ever listened to someone? Provided guidance? Followed up? You’ve most likely answered yes again and are realizing that you have been a mentor, yourself.

So, who needs mentorship? Well, Everyone! - to be honest. 

I say the same thing about mentorship as I do about therapy. Everyone can benefit and those who think they don’t need it may benefit from it the most.

Within this blog, I have a story based on my own search for mentorship, I hope you stick around to read about it.

It may be new or old news to learn that I offer mentorship – professionally and personally. The personal mentorship comes from being a mother to my daughter. The roles of mentor and mentee were naturally adopted as soon as she entered this world. It's not always back and white. Sometimes I'm the mentor. Sometime my daughter is. IYKYK. I do not take this responsibility lightly – personally or professionally. Listening to someone who has questions about growing means that there is more work involved in providing mentorship than simply giving answers and expecting that the mentee will trust and execute. The “my way or the highway” approach is rarely well received and, let’s face it, it typically doesn’t turn out well. Times change. Details are dynamic and so should be the approach to finding a solution.

When a mentee reaches out to me, I will not accept a request straight away. My approach is to first reply in order to ask strategic questions, find what goal(s) the mentee hopes to accomplish, and reflect on whether or not their goal aligns with my own areas of expertise and growth. If the mentee has one or more goals that align with what I have been and am currently working on, I then schedule a meeting to discuss their concerns and suggest strategies to help guide them with their own growth. If they like what they hear, I then ask them to commit to putting in solid effort to the relationship. This includes connecting to report what strategies they used, what worked/didn’t work, being open to receiving constructive feedback, and continuing to implement growth strategies based on our discussions.

Free will exists! The mentee gets to choose whether they will commit to the relationship or not. The mentee gets to choose whether they want to investigate the suggestions provided by the mentor or not. The mentee can choose time and method, but there needs to be trust and respect within the relationship with an expectation that mentoring takes more time than one conversation. It often results in a long-standing companionship based on common goals. When, and only when, a mentee commits to the journey, that’s when the REAL mentorship begins.

It is also worth noting that a mentor does not have the upper hand. It should never feel to the mentee as though the experienced professional is offering information from a superior standpoint. The fact is, the mentor is still in an active space of learning, themselves. The mentor may be studying a theory or supporting research currently being conducted while guiding the mentee toward reaching their own potential within this line of work. Both parties must trust and respect one another for the relationship to work. Finding a balanced match can feel like a job on its own. It may feel like a job interview for both parties. That said, when a correct match is found, the results can be fantastic.

I am no stranger to reaching out for mentorship, myself.

I had a conversation recently with someone whom I admire - someone putting time and energy into investigating information that will better explain current outcome-based practice and potentially refine the application of some techniques. I sat, as a student, in a lecture of his and connected with his line of work on a deep level. What he was talking about made so much sense to me and it supported several of my own theories. A day after sitting in on his class, I approached him and asked for his time. He gave me enough of his attention to allow me to state my case. I was genuine and honest about my motives. - I asked him what it would take to become, in my own words, "one of [his] minions". I wanted to find a way to help him with his work while also helping myself to learn more about becoming involved in this line of research! It was enough intrigue to have his body language change from half-listening to becoming interested.

I explained to him what I have already managed to accomplish professionally and I opened up about my future (pie in the sky) goals. After working in massage therapy for two decades as a practitioner and educator, I’ve found myself increasingly interested in studying advanced anatomy theories and taking courses with the intention to explore my own education in osteopathic medicine. He asked, "Why osteopathy?". I ask myself this question regularly already. My reasoning - to find the most effective way to gain respect in the industry so that I can *get involved in studies currently being executed*, *gain as much experience as possible in research*, and then *conduct my own research studies based on deep questions and "knowing" that I have accumulated so far in my career in alternative therapy*. He listened. He acknowledged the need for credentialing. He also had some advice which would open my mind to other disciplines that may place my journey on the right path in a shorter amount of time.

You see, my goals aren't necessarily to change my PRACTICE, but to ADD to my SCOPE of practice and OBTAIN CREDENTIALLING that will OPEN DOORS to allow for a more active role in research, advocacy, and to add to advanced manual manipulation within the world of therapeutic massage.

I am grateful for the time that this professional, this man, had willingly given to me, brief as it was. His advice rings in my head daily since having our discussion. My dream(s) is(are) a work in progress. If I've learned anything through the life I've led so far, our dreams create questions and motivations that eventually turn into reality. Be careful what you say to yourself in quiet moments; however, after dreaming up a particularly lofty idea and saying to yourself, “Can I really do this?”, the answer should always be, “Why not?”.

Let’s investigate this.

I had a single conversation with a potential mentor. It is up to me to continue that initial conversation and turn this into a true mentorship. I have some thinking to do myself. Until I decide, and even after I decide, I will continue to build on what I know. I will continue the work on what I already have been doing - helping my own private clients with complicated health histories, continuously improving my curriculum on baseline education for new LMTs, providing CE classes that inspire, empower, and drive LMT professionals toward their own self-assessment, growth, and advocacy. I will continue to remain open to receiving all mentorship, education, and inspiration from my own heroes, the leaders in allied health, and the forces that they stand beside to build a better future. ✊️

After our conversation, I recognized that my potential mentor was giving me the same advice that I've recently been handing out to my own mentees. Coincidentally, it was also a line spoken by a keynote speaker that I had listened to not long ago. - "Make it exist first. You can make it good later."


As a mentor AND a mentee, my mission and promise,
to myself and to you, is to:
✨️ stay driven
✨️ stay informed
✨️ question everything
✨️ keep pushing forward
✨️ build on what I know
✨️ share what I learn

If you relate to this mission, I'd love to hear about your own journey! Send me a message about what it is that lights you up and what you are/have been working on: jen@massagemasteryinstitute.com

Mentorship nourishes personal and professional growth. It offers guidance, support, and a valuable sounding board for both the mentee and the mentor. Mentees gain new skills, expand their networks, and receive encouragement to achieve their goals, while mentors benefit from a fresh perspective and the satisfaction of developing the next generation of leaders. 

For Mentees

**Career Advancement**
Mentors provide direction, help identify opportunities, and offer insights into career paths, increasing the chances of promotion. 

**Skill Development**
Mentees learn new skills, gain institutional knowledge, and receive constructive feedback that helps them improve. 

**Support and Confidence**
Mentors offer encouragement, act as role models, and provide a safe space to discuss challenges, which builds confidence and reduces stress. 

**Networking**
Mentors can open doors to new connections within a field or organization, expanding the mentee's professional network. 

**Goal Achievement**
By providing guidance and accountability, mentors help mentees set and achieve their personal and professional goals.   


For Mentors:

**Fresh Perspective**
Engaging with a mentee can offer a new outlook and help mentors stay current with industry trends. 

**Leadership Development**
Mentoring allows individuals to practice coaching and leadership skills, contributing to their own development. 

**Satisfaction and Legacy**
Mentors find personal fulfillment in sharing their knowledge and experiences and contributing to the growth of others. 

**Organizational Benefit**
Companies that foster mentorship see more engaged employees, improved performance, and a stronger succession plan for leadership

A mentor/mentee relationship helps both parties in many ways and supports a well rounded approach to development within their areas of interest and expertise.