Mentoring Program Updates - November 2025

Since its inception, IAWA’s Mentoring Program has met the needs of 120+ members with over 40 participants taking steps forward in their careers within 12 months of the conclusion of their program. This notable result is an accomplishment of the structure of the program, which currently pairs our Members and Advocates, who serve as Mentors, with our Scholars and Apprentices, who serve as Mentees.

Quick FAQs about the program:

The program is a 12-month commitment. The 2026 cycle will commence in February 2026.
Enrollment will begin in December 2025 – please check your emails for the invitation to join
The program is facilitated by the Qooper application - you must complete your profile in the Qooper application order to be matched with a mentoring partner
Mentees must reach out to their Mentor to schedule times to meet
We require that you identify at least one professional goal and work towards it during your time together.
Utilization of the Qopper application is required to track your meetings and goals.
For more information, please contact info@iawa.org

Members continue to inquire about finding a Mentor, rather than serving as a Mentor. Mentoring means different things to people – even by those who are in a mentoring pair. This was highlighted in Sheryl Sandberg’s Lean In, where she dedicated an entire chapter to the topic (“Are you my Mentor.”) In the chapter, she described how she sought high potential women to provide leadership insights and mentorship only to be shocked when her unofficial mentees listed the qualities that she needed in a mentor, which were truly the responsibility of a therapist. This mismatch in what mentoring meant left the author uninterested in supporting her unofficial mentee. Despite our best efforts since inception of the Mentoring Program, the majority of our peer-to-peer mentoring pairs experienced similar results.

Duplicating what is working for Scholars and Apprentices has not worked on a trial basis for our Members despite numerous attempts. We are looking at an alternative path in 2026 that may include more targeted skills and experience discussions amongst Members. We look forward to hearing from our Member on how you define Mentoring so that we can develop a program that meets the mission of IAWA.

I have been asked about my mentoring experiences with other organizations. The best peer-to-peer program that I have been involved in was a 12 month (monthly 90-minute meetings) PAID program founded by two women from YPO and facilitated by an executive coach. Here are its key components:

Eight women (unrelated by industry) participated
We opened with a single word that encapsulated how we were feeling at that moment
We spent two minutes each talking about our biggest win
We spent five minutes each talking about what was keeping us up at night
One person was selected to provide a deeper discussion
We were each allowed to ask clarifying questions
We were NOT allowed to provide advice – instead we were able to frame our comments by how we handled similar situations and the knowledge we gained from hindsight
We selected an action that we would take prior to the next meeting
We closed the meeting with one word to highlight how we felt before concluding the meeting

This was definitely deep work that included being present, accountability, reciprocity, and a focus on what we gained through how we handled some of our most difficult challenges – all with ensuring that we moved each other forward. While coming from diverse educational and career backgrounds, we developed a bond and remain in touch years after the conclusion of the program. Half of the participants took major steps forward in their careers during our time together, which much like IAWA”s Mentoring Program, is a credit to all of the parties involved who are dedicated to their personal and professional growth.