⚡️Have You Found Your Mentor?
- Cory Charles
- 6 days ago
- 4 min read
(Or Are You Still Waiting for Obi-Wan to Slide Into Your DMs?)
From Dumbledore to Morpheus, from Mr. Miyagi to Mary Poppins, one thing's always been true in storytelling: the mentor always shows up right before the breakthrough. They’re the weathered guide, the mysterious voice, the one with a lantern in the dark saying, “This way.”
But here’s the part we don’t always clock: The mentor isn’t there to do the journey for the hero. They’re there to awaken something already inside of them. Something buried under doubt, fear, and the belief that they’re “not ready.”
In every great story, the mentor is less of a teacher and more of a permission slip—a reminder that the hero is the one they've been waiting for all along.
Which begs the question…
Have you found your mentor?
Or are you still stuck thinking they’re coming with a wand, a robe, and a life plan in PDF format?
Today, in 5 minutes or less, you’ll learn:
Why mentorship isn’t about finding a guru on a mountain.
The myth of the “perfect mentor” (and why it's holding you back).
How to recognize mentors disguised as coworkers, kids, enemies, or YouTube thumbnails.
Why your mentor might be you—just a few chapters ahead in the story.
Let’s start with a truth bomb: If you're still out here waiting for Gandalf to show up with a staff and a prophecy, you're going to die with a dream and an unopened email inbox.
We’ve romanticized mentorship.
We act like it’s a quest to find the one—a wise, wildly successful, spiritually enlightened human who has the exact blueprint for our life. Someone with time, wisdom, and the emotional availability of Yoda on a good day.
Let me ask you: Have you actually looked for a mentor? Or have you just fantasized about one?
“Mentor” Doesn’t Mean Master
Contrary to LinkedIn mythology, a mentor isn’t some magical unicorn with 50k followers and a morning routine that includes green juice, journaling, and curing imposter syndrome with a cold plunge.
No. A mentor is someone who reminds you who you are before the world told you to shrink.
Sometimes they’re older. Sometimes not. Sometimes they wear suits. Sometimes they wear hoodies. Sometimes they show up in a podcast, a passing conversation, a comment thread, or—plot twist—in the mirror.
I’ve had mentors who never knew my name. And I’ve been mentored by people I didn’t even like at first.
Let me tell you—one of my most transformative mentors? A salty sales manager who once told me, “You talk too much for someone who hasn’t closed sh*t.”
Rude? Yes.
Accurate? Also yes.
That one line rewired my approach to listening, confidence, and humility. He never called himself a mentor. But his lesson lives rent-free in my mind like Mr. Miyagi teaching “wax on, wax off.”
Stop Searching for the Guru. Start Spotting the Guides.
In The Hero’s Journey, Joseph Campbell lays it out: the mentor shows up once the hero accepts the call. Not before.
Not when the hero is whining. Not when the hero is hiding. Not when the hero is binge-watching Netflix waiting for a sign.
The mentor arrives when you start moving. When you show you're serious. When you start building before you feel ready.
Because mentors are like mirrors. They only reflect what you’re already becoming.
And sometimes… Your greatest mentor is your past self. The one who dared. The one who failed. The one who got back up, bloodied but not broken.
What If Your Mentor Isn’t Who You Think?
Your kid? Mentor. Your critic? Mentor. Your former self, dragging their sorry butt out of a hole they dug with bad choices? Mentor.
Mentorship is less “let me teach you” and more “let me remind you.” It’s a sacred interruption. A pattern-breaker. A voice that doesn’t give you answers, but asks you better questions.
We keep waiting for mentors to hand us a map. But they’re usually just handing us a mirror.
🔥Special Shoutout to the Real Ones
Not all mentors wear suits. Some wear hoodies, heels, or hand you a mic and say, “Go make ‘em feel something.”
Some show up exactly when you need them—with truth, trust, and just the right amount of push.
💥 Abbie Mirata – The first one to take a real risk on me. She put the mic in my hand before I knew what to do with it—and gave me the space to be fully me (the good, the bad, and the seriously, you said that on stage? moments). That kind of trust is rare... Game-changing. I never forgot it.
💥 Kait LeDonne – The branding ninja who looked me dead in the soul and said, “You already ARE the brand.” No more hiding. No more waiting for permission. No filters. No watered-down versions. Just bold, total, unapologetic presence. Just me. She reminded me that stepping out only works if you step out all the way.
💥 Jennifer Herold – The imposter syndrome slayer. Jennifer helped me finally quiet that loud, whiny inner critic (ugh, he sucks) and gave me the clarity to see how I’m built to impact others in deep, meaningful ways. She didn’t just shift my mindset—she helped me own my story.
To the mentors who see us, challenge us, hand us the tools, shine the mirror, and say, “Go. You’ve got this,”—thank you. This journey wouldn’t be half as powerful without you. And you’re the reason so many of us even make it past Chapter One.
Your BIG Hero Move:
If you’ve been waiting for a mentor—become one.
If you think you’ve never had a mentor—look again.
And if you feel like you're not "ready" to guide others yet—remember:
The best mentors aren't perfect.
They’re available.
They’re honest.
They’ve just walked through fire and kept walking.
So here’s your challenge:
Stop auditioning for approval.
Start assembling your mentor council—past, present, virtual, and accidental.
And most importantly: Say yes to your own damn hero’s journey.
Because mentors show up when you do.
1, 2… GO.🚀
P.S. Want to go deeper? I’m building a workshop experience where we unpack the cost of fragmentation, reclaim our full identities, and learn how to lead from wholeness. DM me "HERO", and let’s get you back to you.
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