Mentors come in all shapes and sizes. A mentor might be a parent, a coach, a boss, a teacher or a friend who, at a critical moment, offers sound advice that makes a difference.
In his more than 40 years as a communications professional, Tom Martin, executive-in-residence in the College of Charleston Department of Communication and founder of the Martin Center for Mentorship in Communication, wants to share the value of mentorships with the community through the recently launched Mindful Mentoring podcast.
The podcast is intended to inspire students to explore the potential of entering mentorship relationships as well as inspire other leaders to become mentors. The inaugural episode features an interview with College of Charleston President Andrew T. Hsu.
“I had so many mentors throughout my career, I can’t even count,” says Hsu. “Early on in my career there were people who saw something in me that I wasn’t even aware of, and they took an interest in intentionally training me for my next job. I’m a living example of what mentoring can do.”
Hsu encourages students to seek mentors in their day-to-day lives: “A mentor is whoever happens to know something you don’t and can teach you something. A mentor can be someone sitting next to you in class.”
These are exactly the kind of conversations Martin wants to share on the podcast.
“I’ve found since starting the podcast that when you speak with people about their mentors, you tap into a deeply meaningful conversation. These mentoring relationships change careers and lives in profound ways, and that’s what we’re trying to capture in the podcasts,” says Martin. “I hope listeners will be inspired to become mentors themselves, and for our students I hope it’s helpful in making the most of the mentoring relationships they have, both now and in the future.”
New episodes will start appearing twice a month in January. Upcoming guests include:
- Tony DeSanti, veteran sports producer with stints at NBC, ABC, CBS, ESPN and the Big Ten Network. He has covered the Olympics, NFL, NCAA football and basketball, NBA, U.S. Open tennis and major league baseball.
- Hayes Roth, branding expert, former chief marketing officer for the global branding firm Landor, and a longtime member and past chair of the College of Charleston’s National Advisory Council.
- Jacquie Dalton, one of the first female thoroughbred racing jockeys. She is now the founder and CEO of Sparrow Executive Jet Charter.
- Steve Cody, founder and CEO of Peppercomm and author of The ROI of LOL: How Laughter Breaks Down Walls, Drives Compelling Storytelling and Creates a Healthy Workplace.
For more information on Mindful Mentoring with Tom Martin, visit https://www.buzzsprout.com/2283079.
