It Takes a Village: What Mentorship Has Meant to My Career

There’s a moment early in many careers when you realize “you don’t know what you don’t know” about the corporate world. For me, that realization came with an added layer: I was the first in my family to step into corporate America — without insider knowledge, a blueprint or anyone at the dinner table who had navigated this path before.  

What I found instead were people who showed up at exactly the right moments throughout my career. And that’s the thing about mentors: they have a way of appearing when you need them most. 

Finding direction through mentorship 

The mentors I’ve had throughout my career often came into my life when I found myself at a crossroads. Time and again, guidance arrived in moments of uncertainty, when the next step wasn’t obvious and the path forward felt unclear. Looking back, those encounters almost felt like divine intervention: the right conversation at the right time, offering clarity when I needed it most.  

My career has not followed a straight line. I started in one industry and was soon pulled into another, moving across roles and sectors that, on paper, had little in common — from publicity to recruiting, and from public relations and digital media to nonprofits and consumer brands. What made those pivots possible weren’t perfectly mapped plans, but people who helped me see possibilities I couldn’t yet see on my own.  

I believe in having multiple mentors at once, each serving a different purpose. The cheerleader who reminds you of your own potential when you’ve lost sight of it. The straight shooter who tells you the hard truth. The empath who helps you feel it before you fix it. These relationships ebb and flow; some people will walk with you through one chapter, while others will stay for the whole book.  

And my personal favorite? When the student surpasses the teacher. There’s nothing quite like watching someone you believed in going further than you ever imagined. That’s the whole point. 

Giving back with intention 

At some point, you stop counting what you’ve received and start thinking about what you owe. For years, I was shaped by mentors without fully realizing it — every industry shift, every tectonic pivot, guided by someone opening a door I didn’t even know existed. That kind of generosity doesn’t leave you; it follows you. And eventually, it asks something of you.  

This year, I answered. I decided to be more intentional about how I show up beyond the walls of Cox for my community and the next generation, and to be the mentor I once needed.  

That’s what led me to Start:ME, an accelerator program through Emory University’s Goizueta Business School that supports small business owners from underserved communities in Atlanta, GA. This season, I’m proud to serve as a mentor in the program, helping guide others the way mentors once guided me. Showing up for my community feels exactly where I’m meant to be right now. 

Why this feels like home at Cox 

The way I show up for others in my community mirrors the same principles that guide how we work here at Cox. Mentorship isn’t just something I practice; it’s something I experience every day here. One of the reasons I love my job at Cox Enterprises is that the company’s history of entrepreneurship, sustainability and community investment is a lived value. 

It reflects the standard I hold myself to, and there’s something powerful about doing purposeful work in a place that genuinely reflects who you are. 

Mentorship is connective tissue. It can change the entire trajectory of someone's life. If you’ve been on the fence about finding a mentor, becoming one or asking for guidance, consider this your sign. The person who needs you most might already be right in front of you. 

Join a workplace where mentorship and purpose guide everything we do. Explore careers at Cox.