My Mentor Changed My Life

We hear and read, time and time again, that mentors are important in helping us advance our careers and climb the corporate ladder. I always found this to be interesting yet confusing, because I never really understood where I was supposed to find this mentor meant to help me.

And then, one day, I did — and he literally changed the course of my entire life.

Before I became a life coach, I used to work at a Fortune 50 pharmaceutical company in information technology (IT). It was a great role, but I had aspirations for changing careers and moved to marketing because I really wanted to make a bigger impact in healthcare and be closer to the ground floor. Making a move like this proved to be challenging because I was pigeonholed as an  IT person, leading to the following questions:

* Would I "get" it?

* Was I creative enough?

* Did I understand business?

* Was I too techie?

* Would I get along with people?

* What were my interpersonal skills like?

The list went on and on.

Even though I had a background in business, had met most of the job requirements, and was actively pursuing an MBA, I kept hitting roadblocks.

All of that came to an end when I had a heartfelt conversation with the VP of my department — sharing my career aspirations, why I wanted to do what I wanted, and didn’t know how to move forward.

That 30-minute conversation changed the rest of my life.

From Boss to Mentor — and Friend

He instantly went from my VP — with whom I delivered multimillion dollar projects with significant cost savings for six+ years — to my mentor and sponsor, who was ready to support me and my career goals.

Because of my credibility in his organization and the fact that I had done such a great job for him over the years, he created a special marketing project that allowed me to work in marketing for six months while he paid for my head count from IT.

This was the shot that I was waiting for. By having this opportunity, I got on-the-job training that no MBA could ever teach, plus marketing experience with results that I could prove and add to my resume. I demonstrated to the organization and myself that I was, in fact, a marketer at heart and could achieve any goal I ever set.

What came next was something I couldn’t even imagine in my wildest dreams. I started applying for marketing positions and landed my dream role as a Digital Healthcare Marketer for a consumer-packaged goods company for a world-renowned mouthwash brand that I personally used and admired.

I had officially arrived as a marketer. And, because my mentor was so instrumental in my life, I decided to actively become a mentor, as well.

I connected with several employee-resource groups in order to help support colleagues who were in need of guidance in their careers. In addition, I joined a recruiting organization where I had the opportunity to introduce new talent to the organization, mentor them through the interview process, and once hired, onboard them to the company.

Through the years, I realized my true passion is mentoring men and women in their personal lives and that’s why I became a life coach. I’m excited about what’s next for me, which includes writing a book, launching a group coaching program, and a podcast: Happily Divorced and Thriving.