This week’s guest is Deborah Heiser, Co-Founder and CEO of The Mentor Project. She also holds a PhD in Applied Developmental Psychology and has studied aging. She even did a TedX talk about rethinking aging (link below).

Deborah’s grandparents were very influential on who she has become today. She came to appreciate older people when visiting her grandmother at an assisted living facility and it changed her perspective on people. She names her grandfather was her first mentor. As a child she would ride around town with him and observe is interactions with people which were unique as he happened to be the NAACP president in Iowa. He taught her that everyone has a story and also that you don’t have to be liked by everyone.

Deborah co-founded The Mentor Project when she realised the value that mentorship had not only on the mentee but also the person doing the mentoring. She found that people had a lot of knowledge to give and wanted to provide them with a way to meet those who could benefit.

Note from Rabiah (Host): Mentorship has been a very important part of my life. I have benefitted greatly from people who who have taken the time to share their knowledge and experience with me. I don’t think being a mentee is reserved for the young. As we get older our needs for guidance change. And, as we gain experience and knowledge, as Debbie has found, doing so is rewarding. I have been doing this in different ways at my current company as well as with ic stars (see the episode with Sandee Kastrul to learn more about that organization. Maybe you’ll even become a volunteer!) I’d love to hear about your mentor/mentee stories too.

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Find Deborah The Mentor Project: https://mentorproject.org/

TedX Talk: https://www.ted.com/talks/deborah_heiser_rethinking_aging_mentoring_a_new_generation

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/deborah-heiser-phd-3963693/

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Mentioned in this episode: Bob Cousins: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bocousins/

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