EPISODE · Dec 9, 2025 · 26 MIN
969: LEADERSHIP STORIES: How to Find Mentors in Unlikely Places
from Shameless Leadership · host Sara Dean
I love having mentors. Watching and learning as others navigate the world is one of my superpowers. Sometimes I feel like a spy as I closely and quietly observe the behavior of others and think, “Oh, I want to be more like THAT.” Because I love learning and growing personally and professionally, I have hired many mentors and coaches over the years - paying well over 6 figures to learn how to improve many aspects of my life. However, some of the most important mentorships I’ve benefited from have been totally free and come from unlikely relationships. In this episode, I talk about the mentorship I’ve received from one of my sisters-in-law. On paper, our lives are wildly different. We were born in different generations, have had very different career paths, and many different interests. However, there is an overlap in some of our most important core values that has always made it feel like she just gets me. That said, she approaches life with a quiet wisdom and deep curiosity that I don’t have (yet). I pay close attention to how she asks questions, how she listens with her head and her heart, how she speaks with compassion, and how she is never afraid to learn or try something new. I’m curious for you, who are the people you already have proximity to who might be your greatest teachers, even though they lead a very different life than you? And, what might happen if you were to identify and adopt some of their greatest strengths as your next stepping stones of growth? Listen in to learn how to find and learn from these kinds of unlikely mentors in your life. Links Mentioned: [Open Enrollment] Join Sara’s Aligned Leadership Incubator: saradean.com/aligned Hire me to speak: saradean.com/speaking Coach with me: https://saradean.com/executive-coaching-services Connect with me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/saradeanspeaks Watch Shameless Leadership episodes on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@saradeanspeaks Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
What this episode covers
I love having mentors. Watching and learning as others navigate the world is one of my superpowers. Sometimes I feel like a spy as I closely and quietly observe the behavior of others and think, “Oh, I want to be more like THAT.” Because I love learning and growing personally and professionally, I have hired many mentors and coaches over the years - paying well over 6 figures to learn how to improve many aspects of my life. However, some of the most important mentorships I’ve benefited from have been totally free and come from unlikely relationships. In this episode, I talk about the mentorship I’ve received from one of my sisters-in-law. On paper, our lives are wildly different. We were born in different generations, have had very different career paths, and many different interests. However, there is an overlap in some of our most important core values that has always made it feel like she just gets me. That said, she approaches life with a quiet wisdom and deep curiosity that I don’t have (yet). I pay close attention to how she asks questions, how she listens with her head and her heart, how she speaks with compassion, and how she is never afraid to learn or try something new. I’m curious for you, who are the people you already have proximity to who might be your greatest teachers, even though they lead a very different life than you? And, what might happen if you were to identify and adopt some of their greatest strengths as your next stepping stones of growth? Listen in to learn how to find and learn from these kinds of unlikely mentors in your life. Links Mentioned: [Open Enrollment] Join Sara’s Aligned Leadership Incubator: saradean.com/aligned Hire me to speak: saradean.com/speaking Coach with me: https://saradean.com/executive-coaching-services Connect with me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/saradeanspeaks Watch Shameless Leadership episodes on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@saradeanspeaks Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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969: LEADERSHIP STORIES: How to Find Mentors in Unlikely Places
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