Sustainable Mentoring with Leslie Chapman

Welcome back! Today I’m talking with Leslie Chapman. Leslie is an Emmy award-winning distinguished software engineer and a huge inspiration for me. Even so, she still struggles with imposter syndrome and believing that she deserves to be in the room.Leslie has found that it’s crucial to surround yourself with a group of mentors or sponsors that you’ve collected over the years. They will help support each other, lift you up, move you forward, and give you the tough love when you need it.Being a mentor or being mentored is a relationship, first and foremost. Relationships need time to grow and build trust before going into the deep work. It’s important to listen with empathy, rather than just waiting for your turn to talk. When the relationship runs its course and you’re able to part amicably, you’ll be able to pick back up where you left off months or even years later.Everyone has the ability to lead. Where in your life are you a leader? In order for people to want to follow you, they need to trust you. They need to trust that you’ll give them credit for their contributions and be accountable for what you say you’re going to do. We’re all doing the good work of getting more women of color into positions of power.If you want to tune into the conversation, be sure to hit Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can also subscribe to our newsletter to make sure you don’t miss an episode. Thanks, Trailblazer!www.trailblazingincolor.comA Podcast Launch Bestie production