Jenni (&) Amy
Meet our match, Jenni and Amy!
These ladies have been matched for quite awhile and wrote in to us very early in their mentoring relationship to share the ways this work had begun to change them. We were able to catch up with Jenni over the weekend, and she shared the most incredible story with us… a story we just have to share with you.
Check out what Jenni had to say:
“Running for City Council is a highlight of my life. As I was campaigning, I had many people ask me why I was running? The answer they wanted was to know what I was going to do for Rock Island as their Alderwoman.
Since the election as I talk with women in the community, I am again asked why did I run? But they are not asking what my plans for Rock Island are, but WHY did I put myself out there. How did I find the courage and the self-confidence to step into a very public arena and in Rock Island a very male dominated arena?
If you would have told me 10 years ago that I would run for City Council, I would have laughed. I would not have made myself that visible or put myself in a position where people would scrutinize me and question my decisions-or worse yet, not like me.
In the past few years I have embarked on a growth journey. I have challenged myself to step out of my comfort zone, to stretch myself and do things that I would not have done before. What I have discovered is that I CAN do them, and they have made me a more confident and stronger woman.
What has made the biggest impact on me is other women. Watching other women become leaders, entrepreneurs and success stories. Watching women succeed in areas where we were once discouraged to participate.
Being part of Lead(h)er has been one of the biggest and best influences on me. Being a mentor has allowed me to share my knowledge and experiences with my mentee and helped me realize how much I have to give. Listening to her experiences and watching her succeed has impacted me with her courage and willingness to challenge herself. Networking with other mentors has given me the courage to stretch even further. I listen to their stories; I hear of their successes and I see their impact in our community and I celebrate with them.
Being a part of Lead(h)er has strengthened my self-confidence in more ways than I can count. Knowing that I have a huge community support system in Lead(h)er makes me realize that I can reach higher, continue to challenge myself and succeed.
Lead(h)er gave me the confidence to run for City Council. It gave me the courage to make myself very visible. But most importantly, it has shown me that I am a leader and a role model for other women-young and old- to step out of their comfort zone and challenge themselves to be all that they can be.”
We could not be more proud of Jenni for her recent accomplishments and we are so grateful to have been a part of helping her discover the confidence she needed to put herself in a position to make a difference in our community. It is easy to understand how a mentoring relationship helps the person being mentored, but it is equally easy to forget the impact to the mentor. This is an incredible story that highlights the mutual benefits of the mentoring relationship.
Keep up the great work, ladies!