"You can have a lot of talent, but success will only be because of your mentors."
I fondly remember what my mentor, Grammy Award winning Patti Austin, once told me. Before I found Patti, I was, almost unconsciously, searching for someone to guide me through life. My dreams weren't something you could learn in a college classroom; they were things you would only learn by doing. I wanted to produce live shows. I wanted to manage talent. I wanted to learn from the best.
One of my top goals was to manage tours, and who better to learn from than Boston fashion icon, Yolanda Cellucci. I thought the innovative designer's legendary fashion shows were outrageous and were the talk of the town. So what did I do? I hunkered down and studied the shows until I knew them like the back of my hand. I called and begged the designer for a job that could just help me get my foot in the door of the fashion industry. Any job was fine as long as I could gain experience in producing shows.
Terrified, I went into the job interview with limited experience and tools.
Simply put, I was not an ideal candidate for her team. Yolanda took me in anyway, and I soaked in everything I could about how this entrepreneurial wizard created her empire.
Though I landed a job as the assistant to the women who led Yolanda's Couture department, my role seemed anything but glamorous. Half the time was spent in dressing rooms cleaning up after clients; the other half was re-bagging and storing the very fragile and expensive gowns she'd come across. Though it wasn't exactly what I was thinking it would be, I learned a lot. Through working, I learned how to brand myself, something that would prove to be very important while working with high-profile clients. The longer I worked, the more I learned about the industry, press, marketing, and fashion.
Yolanda's store was the best university out there!
After gaining experience, I headed to Hollywood where I didn't know a soul. I worked my way into an internship with Mitch Schneider, a powerful publicist in the music world. This would be what would launch my career, where I met Patti Austin, and where I gained an important new word into my vocabulary: mentor.
Throughout my time with Patti, I noticed that instead of boasting about her personal success, Patti took the more nostalgic route in acknowledging who had helped her along the way to success.
I never forgot how Patti graciously assigned her recipe to success to all those who mentored her, all those who helped guide her to a stable and respected career.
The lessons that Patti taught me spiraled into a life-long passion of mine. I realized that mentors are crucial to achieving life goals and dreams. It turned out that I mentored Patti as well. She had always been a "design freak," and as a stone designer, I was able to guide her through some techniques and design elements. Now Patti and I are celebrating the five year anniversary of the Over My Shoulder Foundationwhich we co-founded. The Foundation was born out of the hopes of raising awareness for mentorship and self-empowerment programs, as well connecting mentors with people that need guidance.
Tips for Being a Good Mentor
•Give them sound advice, educate about them about your profession
•Be someone that they can rely on to guide them towards success
•Share your time, wisdom and expertise
•Provide emotional sustenance
•Be a positive role model in their lives
•Reconnect the unconnected
•Create a productive and safe space that will help them ooze with confidence
•Foster your relationship with them, even if it's in the smallest ways
