Thanksgiving Back
A Quick Reflection
It's been a big year for the JUGs. Each of the founders turned 30 (gulp!), making us rethink what being a grownup really means. No surprise, we don't feel older and we don't feel wiser, but we are - in all the good ways. And with this Thanksgiving, we're definitely accepting that we are grownups and that it really is a great thing.
Giving Back as a Grownup
Our methods of "giving back" have also evolved as we've grown older. Of course, we still donate to our favorite charities and nonprofits (hey Planned Parenthood, Rosie's Place, The Nature Conservancy and others). But now, were also giving back in a non-monetary way, as mentors.
After Sheryl Sandberg's Lean In, career gals across the country sought mentors, including us. But now that we've been in our respective career fields for 7-8 years, we have the opportunity to share our experience and advice with others. Many young women thrive in their careers with the help of mentors - who guide them through common experiences like imposter syndrome or starting a side hustle. And we're excited to empower women of all ages to excel at whatever they do - in fact, that is one of the main missions of this blog.
Mentoring isn't Always Obvious
Being a mentor doesn't necessarily mean meeting with a mentee in a formal way. In fact, simple things like having lunch with younger co-workers or suggesting post-work activities are a great way to be a behind-the-scenes mentor.
At JUGs, we recently brought on two fabulous new contributors, Colleen and Faith. We share feedback on their blog post drafts and photos while also and encouraging traffic to their own blogs and social media accounts. This is sort of an informal blogging mentoring relationship that we find mutually beneficial.
Ladies Lounge, an event that we co-host with General Assembly and WeWork every month is another way we encourage Boston women to learn from each other. These events are another type of informal mentorship concept that we facilitate.
Perhaps, in the next year we will even have more formalized mentees. Who knows what the future holds, but we certainly hope to give back by supporting other women and creating a safe space for dialogue and learning.
Always Learning
And of course, to serve as useful mentors, we need to be constantly learning and improving ourselves. We love to learn and are eternally grateful for the many opportunities we have to acquire new skills and start new projects.
Over the past year, we've learned a lot about personal finances from the Society of Grownups and hope to continue to learn on their new all-digital platform. If you haven't taken a class with them yet, try out one of our favorites: You're A Grownup, Don't Panic.