We all need a Paul and a Timothy in our lives. We need to be the mentor and also be mentored.
- You have something to give. Be a mentor.
- You have room to grow. Be mentored.
My college internship at a Fortune 500 company introduced me to the concept and terminology of mentorship. Since then, I have always found value in both being mentored and mentoring others. None of us are at the top, nor are we at the bottom. We are all at different points on a spectrum of understanding and wisdom for any variety of topics.
3 Types of Mentoring Relationships
If you’re going to say yes to any relationship, be willing to set the time aside and make the other person a priority. That means saying no to other opportunities so you can honor the yes you’ve already given.
To do that, I only engage in three mentorships each year.
- I am the mentor: This can be personal or professional and in the past has included bible study, career path planning, internship guidance, and how-to lessons on specific marketing tasks and approaches.
- I am an accountability partner: Monthly lunch dates with a female Christian peer to encourage each other as we work on our passion projects, our professional growth, and our personal walks with God.
- I am the mentee: My faith is at the core of my life and I’m working to mature and grow that as a business owner, wife, writer, and presenter.
For 2025 and 2026 I am already committed as a mentor and an accountability partner. But I am looking for someone to mentor me. Read on and if you think we’d be a good fit, reach out for a virtual coffee as the next step.
Topics for Mentoring
- Running a Business with your Spouse
- Growing your Faith when you work in Media
- Using AI for Non-Creative Work Tasks
Please do not send me a TikTok, YouTube video, or an online course I should take.
I’m looking for a relationship with someone who has done or is succeeding at doing this.
Someone who knows it to their core and has developed a sense of wisdom and understanding that only experience can teach. Through this relationship I expect that they might point me in the direction of podcasts, books, YouTube channels, online courses, etc. to fill my knowledge gaps they find vital to our lessons together, but it would be a natural outcome of our time together, not a replacement for it.
I would prefer it to be in person and local, however video calls done right can build relationships and depth for specific topics that might not be available in my community at the moment.
Wait, who are Paul and Timothy?
The Christian bible is divided into two main sections, the Old Testament and the New Testament. A significant portion of the New Testament was writing by a man named Paul who met Jesus and then radically changed his life.
Paul helped start many of the early churches and encouraged them and their leaders by writing letters, even when he was in prison. If you’ve heard of 1st Corinthians (often read at weddings), it was a letter that Paul wrote to a church in the city of Corinth. But he also wrote letters to individual people, and Timothy was one of them.
Paul mentored Timothy. We have letters Paul wrote to him to help him navigate being a leader and honoring God at the same time.
- You can be Paul and mentor someone.
- You can be Timothy and be mentored.
I’d encourage you to read Paul’s letters to learn more. And if you’re looking for a few reputable sources to get started, consider the Bible Project. Their short videos are insightful, easy to follow, and provide helpful context for a text that is more approachable than you think. A few are linked below.
jessica lynn shull 