Olga Maximova has built a career in international diplomacy and crisis management, and after nearly a decade she shifted into mission-driven work, helping organizations secure sustainable funding and guiding women to grow with confidence and self-trust. As she says, “I don’t measure success only in money raised, I measure how confident my clients become, how boldly they can articulate their value, and how they grow as leaders.” Today, as a longtime mentor at Femme Palette, Olga supports women in defining their own meaningful version of life and leadership, grounded in self-sufficiency, resilience, and community.
Not feeling confident is something that we all struggle with at one point or another over the course of our careers. Building confidence, becoming more assertive as a leader and finding your own style is an important goal for many mentees who are aiming to move into a leadership role or who have found themselves in a management position recently. Working with a mentor who has overcome imposter syndrome and improved their own confidence shows mentees that they aren’t alone and that it is possible to overcome these challenges with the right resources and support.We asked Femme Palette mentor Maja Seggerman about the strategy she used to help her mentee build confidence as a leader.
Mentoring programs are becoming increasingly popular in companies as a powerful tool for talent development. There’s been a lot of talk about mentoring for employees, and so it can understandably be hard to navigate this sea of information. This ultimate guide to mentoring for talent development will provide you with the necessary knowledge to start building a mentoring program in your organization.
Mentee Romana Prochazkova had already had experience with mentoring before joining our Mentoring program, and therefore knew it would be beneficial to her. Romana and her mentor Veronika Dvorakova were both fully committed to their mentoring sessions, which enabled them to build a trusting relationship. With Veronika’s help, Romana was able to make her return from parental leave and living abroad even more successful and get fully back into the business mindset. Find out more about their journey together in this interview.
Becoming a mentor is a great way to give back while also continuing your own growth and learning. However, there are many myths that might cause you to think twice before applying to join a mentoring program as a mentor. From fears that you aren’t experienced enough to concerns that it will take up too much of your time, we’re debunking five of the most common myths about mentoring.
Mentee Petra Sebkova found out about the Mentoring program through attending a Femme Palette event and thought she would give it a try. When she got matched with her mentor Maria Loparcakova, they were able to establish a genuine connection and build a trusting mentoring relationship. Thanks to that, Petra was able to gain a new perspective and grow professionally, but Maria also benefited from the program as a mentor. Come meet this mentor-mentee duo and learn more about their mentoring journey.
We spoke to three of our Femme Palette mentors working in HR roles — Olga Castillo, Becca Garner, and Nicolas Bowles — about why companies hire people with mentoring experience.
Mentoring can take shape in many different ways — from informal career chats and advice to internal programs at your company or global mentoring programs such as Femme Palette. No matter the format, being a mentor has many benefits including further developing your active listening, leadership, and feedback skills, just to name a few. However, sharing experience across companies, countries, and cultures provides even more value to both the mentor and mentee.
Lisbhit England signed up for our Coaching and Mentoring program. After working with a coach first, she got matched with her mentor Lucia Belkova and they clicked instantly. And despite this being Lucia’s first time mentoring fully online, they managed to overcome this challenge through transparency and building trust. In their interview, Lis and Lucia open up about their mentoring journey, what surprised them, what they learned and what were their favorite parts of it all.
.png)
.png)
.png)
