Who helped you become the person you are today?
Maybe it was a parent. A grandparent. A teacher. A coach. A neighbor. A friend.
Sometimes we don't even realize we've been mentored until years later, when we discover that the lessons, encouragement, and examples someone gave us are still shaping the way we live.
In Episode 34 of The Never Alone Podcast, Iris Fisher Smith welcomes her friend Cindy Kinney back for a heartfelt conversation about mentoring, encouragement, perseverance, and helping other people discover their potential.
Cindy has spent much of her life coming alongside others—from her children and grandchildren to adults, family members, and people in organizations where she has served.
But mentoring has changed Cindy, too.
She explains that she naturally likes to take charge and make sure things get done. Mentoring taught her something different: sometimes the greatest way to help another person is to step back, encourage them, and give them room to discover what they can do for themselves.
Iris also reflects on the people who mentored her throughout her own life—often without anyone calling it "mentoring."
Her mother didn't simply tell her that family was important—she brought the family together.
She didn't simply tell Iris to work hard—she worked hard herself.
She didn't simply tell her daughter to enjoy life despite difficult circumstances—she demonstrated how to do it.
That example became a lesson Iris carried into adulthood.
In this episode, Iris and Cindy discuss:
• Why mentors can influence us long after they've left our lives
• How parents and grandparents mentor through their everyday example
• Why encouragement can help someone discover talents they didn't know they had
• The importance of being teachable
• Why mistakes and setbacks can become some of life's greatest teachers
• Helping people without controlling them
• Meeting people where they are instead of expecting them to learn your way
• Why perseverance often requires someone encouraging us not to quit
• Mentoring children, grandchildren, adults, and even aging family members
• How helping someone else discover their purpose can give our own lives greater purpose
And then there are the horses.
Cindy shares how she encouraged her granddaughter through a difficult start at a horse competition. Rather than forcing her to continue—or allowing one bad experience to define the entire day—Cindy gave her granddaughter support, encouragement, and the freedom to decide when she was ready.
She tried again.
And she did wonderfully.
Iris then shares a memorable story from her own childhood about being thrown from a runaway horse and landing in a cranberry bog. Her riding instructor gave her advice Iris never forgot:
Get back on the horse.
That mentor understood something important. Sometimes after we're knocked down, we need someone beside us who believes we're capable of trying again.
That's what good mentoring can be.
It isn't about creating another version of ourselves.
It's about seeing potential in another person, encouraging them, giving them room to grow, and being there when they need help.
And you don't need a special title to become a mentor.
There may already be someone in your life—a child, grandchild, friend, coworker, neighbor, or even an older person beginning a new chapter—who could benefit from something you've learned along the way.
❤️ Think about someone who believed in you when you needed it. Then ask yourself: Who could I be that person for today?
If this conversation encouraged you, please Like, Subscribe, Share, and leave a comment. We'd especially love to hear about someone who mentored you—or someone you've had the privilege of mentoring.
📖 Discover Iris Fisher Smith's memoir, Never Alone, and order your copy:
IrisFSmith.com
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You were never meant to walk through life alone.
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