Transcriber: Youstina Wahid Reviewer: Hélène VERNET
Seven years ago, I thought I was nobody.
I was 31. I lost my job in politics, and I didn’t know what to do with myself.
The only thing I knew was that I wanted to truly work for and with people.
Then I had the opportunity to go to India to work for an NGO
as a social worker, as a trainer, and as a consultant.
I came to a small village with the name of Karjat
in the middle of the state of Maharashtra in India.
So there was me, Miss Nobody, in the middle of nowhere’s land.
And, at the beginning, I had many obstacles.
I ate food so spicy that it burnt my throat.
I became so sick that I fainted several times
and I was searching the village
for something very trivial, toilet paper.
Yet, I didn’t ask anyone for help
because I didn’t want to annoy people with my questions and concerns.
So I felt quite alone.
But then, I met someone.
It was on a ride to a nomad village.
Sitting next to me in the car, there was a young woman,
in fact so petite, she was almost childlike.
Her name was Poonam.
She was sitting next to me and just giggling and making jokes
while we were riding those Indian bumpy dirt roads.
I liked her right away.
Poonam told me that she was one of the social workers of the NGO
and that she was assigned to take care of me
when I was living and working in Karjat.
She told me that she was on the field every day.
So the next days,
I went with her on the field and visited villages, schools and health centres.
And I realized that every people we met trusted her,
that they liked her, and that she consulted them.
And you know what?
I did, too.
So that tiny and petite and young woman, Poonam,
became the biggest and wisest adviser for me,
my guide to this foreign world,
my door opener to the Indian people,
and the provider of the answers to the many questions I had.
With Poonam at my side,
I found someone who I trusted and turned to for my questions.
You know what?
I found my first mentor.
So let me tell you about the story of personal growth
that my mentor Poonam pushed me into.
One day, we came to a school, and suddenly, Poonam asked me,
“Karin, can you hold an inspirational speech to the pupils?”
I was shocked
because, like many of us, I was afraid of public speaking.
I didn’t know that I would end up on a TEDx stage here.
But Poonam gently pushed me on stage,
and she said, “Karin, You will do fine. Just let your heart speak.”
So I went on that stage,
and I was looking down at 200 children
sitting on the school’s floor and staring at me.
And you know what?
I just let my heart speak.
I told them that I lost my job,
and that I decided to go on a journey to find my path again,
that it is okay to sometimes lose track.
It’s embarrassing, it’s frightening;
yet, it’s part of living and learning.
I told them to be easy on themselves,
to surround themselves with people who support them and help them.
And you know what?
After this experience, I was no longer afraid of public speaking.
So,
that little and petite and young woman, Poonam,
supported me in overcoming my fears, in finding confidence in myself,
and in growing as a human.
She, as my mentor, helped me to see
that I am not Miss Nobody,
that I am, in fact, somebody,
that I am a woman with a purpose,
that I am a woman who is able of creating change,
that I am a woman who is here and ready to take action.
So I returned to Germany from India,
and I was ready to create that space of empowerment for people,
especially for women,
because that is something I learned to know in India very dearly.
And yes, I did.
I decided to become an entrepreneur of a social venture.
However, here are the obstacles again.
I realized I did not know much about the social sector nor the business sector,
and I didn’t know many people working in these sectors.
So, in the beginning, no one wanted to join me.
I had to realize
that that was the more appropriate picture of me trying to be an entrepreneur.
It was like people were thinking, “Wow, she’s riding on a lion.”
when I was thinking, “How the hell did I get on that lion? How do I survive?”
I was desperate.
And in despair, I thought of Poonam,
and then I knew I had two options:
one, not asking for help,
and two, asking for help and trying to find a mentor.
So I tore down all of remaining fears of asking people for help,
and I reached out to everyone.
And you know, I found two mentors:
one, Stephanie, a successful business lady;
and two, Philip, a young social entrepreneur.
These two mentors became my mentors,
and they helped me to build my company from scratch.
Philip even gave me the best advice I’ve ever received.
“Just start!”
And this “Just start!” was the motivational boost I needed
to overcome my fears of failing as an entrepreneur.
So,
seven years later,
I can tell you, mentoring became this tremendous movement.
Hundreds of people believed in it.
MentorMe, my company, the company that I founded after this
is now a community of thousands of people,
two thousand mentors, hundreds of mentees.
They all are here in the name of mentoring, of MentorMe.
And this year already,
we are about to create a mentoring program between Kenya and Germany,
where we will match thousands of mentees and mentors.
And more and more people and companies are approaching me
because they want to offer mentoring for their employees,
for their personal and professional growth.
There is even scientific evidence that mentoring has positive effects.
Studies show us that mentees, on one side,
are more self-confident, more social and seen.
And HR people, please listen.
They achieve more; they are promoted more;
and they are less likely to quit their jobs.
Mentors, on the other side, are more successful and happy with their careers.
They are more prone to leading others and -
HR people, listen again -
if they do the mentoring as corporate volunteers,
they are more connected to the companies
and they are happier in their jobs.
That sounds perfect, right?
But here comes the obstacle again,
and it is a last one and also, again, a very personal one.
As the entrepreneur I’ve been becoming the last years,
I can tell you it was a heck of a work
creating this understanding for mentoring
and building this mentoring community!
As a mother of two small children, and during the times of Corona,
I have many tough days, and I am often very tired.
But, there is something that keeps me going every day.
It is the thousands of mentors and mentees of MentorMe
and their beautiful stories and motivations.
Last week, I asked them on Facebook and LinkedIn,
“Why did you become mentees and mentors?”
And my heart was filled with joy
because I received so many positive messages.
The mentees on one side said,
“I want to be seen.
I want to make the right decisions.
I want to become who I am afraid of being right now.”
The mentors on the other side said,
“I’ve never had a mentor before who supports me,
so today I want to be that support,”
or “I always had a mentor, so for me, it’s giving back what I received,”
and obviously last but not least,
“I’d really like my mentee to grow
with my little help and my support.”
All those stories show us
that we like to learn from the experiences of others as mentees,
that we like to share our experiences as mentors,
that we as a community like to connect with each other,
collaborate with each other, and grow with each other.
So,
my mentoring story started with my wonderful mentor, Poonam.
And the mentors and mentees you just heard all have their own personal stories.
It is my wish that you get inspired by our stories
and become mentees and mentors.
So, become a mentee.
Search for people who will mentor you.
Ask your employer to provide you a mentor.
Enroll in a mentoring program,
or create a mentoring program yourself and become a mentor,
be willing to share your knowledge.
There’s somebody out there who needs it.
And I guarantee you by giving it,
you will be given the best gift in return:
growth and joy.
So, the audience, the world out there,
let’s all become mentees and mentors.
(Applause)