Finding a Mentor in 2025

I've always been a proponent of having a coach or mentor at every stage of your career. My coaches and mentors have helped me clarify my goals and map strategies for achieving them. As a coach, I often get asked what's the difference between the two.

A mentor is typically someone with more experience in your field or area of interest who offers guidance, advice, and wisdom based on their own experiences. As Kristine and I often talk about on the Embrace the Squiggle podcast, a mentor can be older OR younger than you. It's about their experience in one particular area that you are looking for some help with.

A coach is a professional trained to help you achieve specific goals by focusing on personal growth, performance, and transformation, regardless of their experience in your field.

• Advice vs. Facilitation: Mentors share advice from their experiences; coaches facilitate your discovery of solutions.

• Field Expertise: Mentors often have direct experience in your industry; coaches don’t need industry-specific knowledge.

• Structure: Coaching is structured with defined goals; mentoring is often more flexible and informal.

• Accountability: Coaches hold you accountable for your progress through regular check-ins and measurable outcomes; mentors may not actively track your progress.

Which One Should You Choose?

If you’re looking for:

Guidance based on experience in your field: Go for a mentor.

Self-discovery, goal achievement, and overcoming challenges: Work with a coach.

How to Find a Mentor or Coach

Mentor:

• Look in your existing network: Places like college alumni associations, professional organizations and your employer (often through the human resources department or employee resource groups) often have organized mentor programs

• Join communities where potential mentors are: Look into industry groups related to your field, follow leaders on LinkedIn, join groups on LinkedIn, join a Slack channel for your industry, reach out to podcast hosts, or connect with speakers at conferences.

• DO NOT ask: Will you be my mentor?" Instead, send a quick message with something like "I really admire your work in [specific area]. I’d love to learn from you—could I buy you a coffee or set up a quick call to get your advice?"

Coach:

• Start by thinking about what it is that you need a coach to help you with.

• Ask colleagues, friends or family members if they’ve worked with a great coach.

• Book a discovery call – Many coaches offer free consultations. Ask about their coaching style and methodology and success stories with clients similar to you.

• Did you know that the team at Maxady has 9 coaches? You can read them here or schedule a quick consultation here.

Some people benefit from both, as mentors can provide context-specific insights, while coaches enhance your broader development and execution. Both relationships can be transformative when chosen and utilized intentionally.