Why Mentorship Isn’t a Lecture: It’s a Lifeline

Have you ever found a mentor who truly believes in you, explains the rules of the game without rolling their eyes, and makes you laugh even when you want to cry?

I have.

And now… I’m one of them.

🙋♀️ Curiosity first, confidence later

I’ve always been curious, like really curious.

As a kid, I was obsessed with one simple word: "Why?"

I basically invented the Five Whys method long before it got trendy in business books. 😄

Sure, it annoyed a few grown-ups… but mostly, it opened doors. Especially to kind, generous mentors, the kind who didn’t mind my endless questions, who saw potential where I saw only uncertainty.

From the very beginning of my career, I was lucky to meet incredible men and women who:

Believed in kindness and competence

Took time to decode the unspoken rules

Turned my mistakes into learning moments, like when I proudly collected every washer on a construction site, not realizing they were survey targets for the topographers 🙈

Celebrated each step with Carambars. (Yes, the candy. And yes, I still do that.)

Their guidance shaped me. But more than that, their belief in me helped me believe in myself.

🚧 Being a woman in space & tech? Still no walk in the park.

Despite all that support, let’s be honest: navigating the space and tech world as a woman is still… complicated.

Lack of self-confidence sticks to your skin like humidity in summer.

Stereotypes? They haven’t disappeared. They’ve just evolved.

Work-life balance? If, like me, you’ve been a single mom, it’s a circus act without a net.

A recent study from the Pew Research Center found that 50% of women in STEM say they’ve experienced gender-related discrimination at work.

In aerospace and deep tech? The numbers speak even louder.

That’s why I joined the SWANrise program as a mentor.

Not to show off.

But to give back, with heart, with humor, and with hope.

💡 What mentoring really looks like

Mentoring isn’t about giving lectures. It’s not about having all the answers.

It’s about being there. It’s about perspective. It’s about walking alongside someone as they navigate their own path.

In my 2025 match through SWANrise, I’ve had the joy of mentoring an exceptional woman. ✨

And together, we’ve been working to:

Reframe “I’m not good enough” into “I’m learning fast”

Decrypt job politics without losing integrity

Practice setting boundaries that actually stick

Celebrate her small wins like they were rocket launches 🚀

And the truth is : I’m growing too.

Each conversation gives me clarity, renewed purpose, and a deep sense that yes, we belong. All of us.

📊 Why mentoring matters, especially for women

According to Forbes and Harvard Business Review, women with mentors are:

2.5x more likely to feel confident about their career progress

5x more likely to ask for promotions or stretch roles

And significantly more likely to stay in STEM industries long-term

But beyond the data, here’s what matters:

Mentoring helps break isolation. It makes the invisible visible. It changes the narrative from “figure it out alone” to “let’s figure it out together.”

That’s not a luxury, it’s a lifeline.