Inspired by "National Thank Your Mentor Day"

Hi there! Though the paucity of this modest webspace may not immediately give me away, I pay some bills by doing freelance writing, mostly blogging with a focus on SEO and brand development. I love it but I don't always want to do the work that is required, especially when my day job takes up a lot of time and energy. But I LOVE my clients so I keep working.

That being said, I am inspired this week, and this month in general, by one of my clients. January is National Mentoring Month, and today is "THANK YOUR MENTOR DAY."

I am thanking Dawn Carroll. She is an amazing force in the world of the Boston design community. She started a mentoring non-profit called Over My Shoulder Foundation with Grammy Award winning singing legend Patti Austin. Together, they are combining the worlds of mentoring, music and design. You really should check it out.

As a part of working with Dawn I've done some really cool interviews with successful movers and shakers to demonstrate the astounding power of mentoring. Yes people, it's my JOB to talk to cool people. Most recently I got the chance to get into the mind of StyleSubstanceSoul Creative Director  and Nick Jr.'s Flicks for Kids editor Lois Alter Mark. I've also explored mentoring with other fascinating subjects including fashion designer Denise Hajjar, non-profit Voss Foundation’s Executive Director Kara Gerson, and Julie Silver who is one of the most celebrated and beloved performers in the world of contemporary Jewish music.

PHEW.
The point is, I wouldn't be writing AT ALL if if weren't for Dawn's vision. Her dedication mentors ME to work harder, better, faster, smarter and stronger to build a platform to share what I believe in. I wanted to give up the world of online marketing but Dawn wouldn't let me go.

The coolest part for me right now is that there are young kids doing interviews about mentoring with the cool people that inspire those kids. With the guidance of Dawn, Over My Shoulder Foundation is featuring youngsters questioning their elders. Respectfully, insightfully, amazingly. I mean, who could forget John Hunter's World Peace Games with his high school students or 12-year-old Severn Suzuki - The Girl Who Silenced the World for 5 Minutes.

The young teach the old. With Over My Shoulder Foundation Dawn has coined the world MENTOROLOGY to mean the art and science of mentoring, because as someone mentors us, the mentee invariably ends up teaching their teacher something too. That's the key difference between teaching and mentoring. It's a two-way street, people. Get on board.

Here's Shannon Smith from Boston. She's not even in college yet and she's going to be a published reporter through Over My Shoulder Foundation.

I know Shannon will look back fondly at Dawn's mentoring in her own life, too.

Happy National Thank You Mentor Day!  

Thank you Dawn!