On November 7, 2015, during a crowded Saturday mass at the St. Joseph Parish Church in Mountain View, California, I had an epiphany about what we now know as The Mentoring Club.
The search and calling to do something give-back started over two years before. In 2013, I was turning 47. I felt an urge to do something different. Something give-back. I had been in information systems development and consulting for close to three decades at the time. I know I could do anything I put my mind into. I gave myself a challenge – when I turn 50, I will be doing my give-back mission!
I searched within me. I had to go through my usual discernment process. Part of it is making myself open to triggers in my environment:
- In 2013, I came across a CNN interview of the 3 Generations of Buffetts on Giving. Howard Graham Buffett talked about his book, 40 Chances, and the work his foundation is doing to fight world hunger. I thought to myself I could offer my program management expertise to help them get things done!
- Salesforce.org was another organization I considered to join. I highly admire Salesforce.com’s CEO. Since I became involved as a Salesforce.com consulting partner in 2006, I have been amazed at Marc Benioff’s principles about giving back to society and his ability to execute on his strategies as I listened to Dreamforce keynotes year after year.
- Singularity University was an intriguing organization for me as I got introduced to its Founder’s book Abundance: The Future is Better Than You Think in 2015. Peter Diamandis’ foretelling of a future when most of the world’s biggest problems are solved through competitive scientific exploration was quite fascinating.
All three options were compelling. But I wasn’t strongly pursuing any of them. There must be something else out there?!
On that fateful day of November 7, 2015, thoughts about experiences during networking events, particularly standing out were voices from multiple meetings of the Palo Alto Lean In circle with millennial women asking questions like “How do I find a mentor?”, “Can I just ask someone in my organization to be my mentor?”, “What does it mean to have a mentor?” resonated loudly in those brief solemn minutes standing inside the church during a crowded celebration of the holy mass. At that instant, I knew exactly what I was going to do as my give-back. I will set up a mentoring community and platform for young leaders, not just for women but for anyone looking for help in self-development to achieve a fulfilling, happy , and successful life and create a positive force in the world.
The Mentoring Club, Inc. was set up as a nonprofit corporation on February 19, 2016. In November of the same year I turned 50, beating my ‘something give-back’ goal nine months ahead of schedule! Pretty cool! It took me over two years to figure out what I was meant to do next and still cherish every step of the way to this day.
