Where Mentorship Grows: The Garden, Meadow, and Wild
A Journey Across Spaces
Over the years, I’ve come to see mentorship not as a single act, but as part of a living ecosystem—a dynamic landscape shaped by Gardens, Meadows, and the untamed Wild. Each space offers its own rhythm, its own conditions for growth, and its own lessons.
While pure mentorship—those rare, serendipitous connections—blooms most vividly in the Wild, it’s in the Meadow and the Garden where mentorship most often takes root, thrives, and creates lasting impact.
We often imagine mentorship as a singular, transformative encounter—a rare flower discovered in an untamed space. But in reality, mentorship is rarely static or confined to one place. It moves fluidly across these spaces, evolving with time, intention, and the care it receives.
This article is an invitation to explore this ecosystem together—to map its landscapes, understand its nuances, and notice how mentorship, much like nature, thrives best when there is space for it to grow.
The Wild: Where Pure Mentorship Blooms
Pure mentorship is like a rare wildflower—it grows in unexpected places, without planning, cultivation, or structure. It happens when two people, often strangers, recognize something meaningful in each other and choose to invest in a relationship without external incentives or expectations.
One such connection for me was with Keva Walton. We first met while I was exploring Charlotte’s entrepreneurial ecosystem, and our conversations were spontaneous yet impactful. Over time, a natural alignment emerged, leading to our current collaboration on an upcoming mentorship workshop in January of 2025, where Keva will join as a special guest.
Reflection point:
We often talk about mentorship in the Wild as if it’s the standard path: send a cold email, get a ‘yes,’ and magic happens. But mentorship in the Wild is not the norm—it’s the exception. Pursuing mentorship here is like hoping to stumble upon a rare bloom in an open field. It can happen, and when it does, it’s extraordinary—but it’s not guaranteed. That’s why the Meadow and the Garden matter so much. They are spaces where mentorship is far more likely to take root, grow, and thrive.
The Meadow: Where Mentorship Grows Organically
In the Meadow, mentorship doesn’t arrive with a formal introduction or an assigned pairing. Instead, it emerges naturally through repeated interactions, shared spaces, and casual conversations. These environments—like coworking spaces, collaborative projects, or professional communities—offer fertile ground for connections to grow organically.
But mentorship in the Meadow is rarely the focal point of these relationships—it’s more like a dot on a curve, a moment of connection or shared insight within a larger, evolving dynamic. These relationships are unstable by nature, often shifting and adapting based on shared goals, mutual respect, and recurring opportunities to collaborate. Mentorship might surface briefly, but it rarely stands alone—it blends into and overlaps with other roles: colleague, collaborator, client, or friend.
What makes the Meadow unique is that mentorship here isn’t static or easily defined—it’s an aspect, a shade, a layer within broader human connection. Its strength lies in its fluidity, its ability to adapt to what the relationship needs in each moment.
When I joined a coworking space, this dynamic became clear. Relationships grew naturally, shaped by shared spaces, recurring conversations, and mutual curiosity. With Lisa Speer, a branding strategist, our connection began with casual exchanges about shared challenges. Over time, those conversations led to collaboration on branding projects. Our relationship evolved into a blend of professional partnership, trust, and moments where mentorship naturally surfaced as part of our ongoing dialogue.
Similarly, Kevin Giriunas, the coworking space owner, became a meaningful connection through repeated interactions and shared ideas. Our relationship wasn’t defined by a single purpose—it flowed between conversations about community building, collaborative projects, and mutual support. Kevin, being an incredible connector, created pathways to opportunities both within the coworking space and across the broader Charlotte ecosystem.
Another connection that thrived in the Meadow was with Brian Formato. We first met in the coworking space, where recurring conversations gradually turned into opportunities to collaborate on workshops and client projects. Our connection deepened not because we set out with clear mentorship goals, but because we continued to show up for conversations, ideas, and shared purpose.
Reflection Point:
In the Meadow, mentorship isn’t a destination—it’s part of a journey. It weaves itself into other forms of connection, appearing at times as guidance, at other times as collaboration or friendship. Its strength isn’t in stability but in its adaptability, its ability to be one layer of something larger and often more enduring.
The Garden: Where Mentorship is Cultivated with Intention
In the Garden, mentorship takes root within structured programs. These are carefully tended spaces designed with clear pathways, intentional pairings, and a focus on consistent growth. But a garden is not a machine—it’s a living ecosystem. Its success depends on the care, attention, and skill of the people who steward it.
Over the years, I’ve noticed some recurring “weeds” in mentorship programs—common myths and misconceptions that, if left unchecked, can choke the potential for true impact.
Myth 1: The Right Tools Guarantee Success
Tools, software, and processes are like watering cans and gardening gloves—helpful, but not the garden itself.
When I was building Traction5, a mentorship tool designed to support programs like Innovate Charlotte’s Venture Mentoring Program, I initially thought success meant making administration seamless.
I later realized that the real purpose of these tools isn’t administrative efficiency—it’s creating an environment where mentors, mentees, and program managers feel supported, valued, and empowered. As I explored in ‘When the Raft Becomes the Destination,’ tools—whether in spirituality, work, or mentorship—are meant to guide us, not define the journey. In structured mentorship programs, tools like frameworks or pairing systems are essential, but they’re not the goal. They’re rafts for crossing rivers—not destinations themselves.
Myth 2: Just Plant the Seeds—Connections Will Grow Automatically
Pairing mentors and mentees is like planting seeds—an essential first step, but not the whole picture.
Without guidance, consistent care, and clarity, even the best pairings struggle to thrive.
Trust takes time to grow, focus areas need cultivation, and mentors and mentees often need gentle tending to stay aligned.
Myth 3: Mentors and Mentees Instinctively Know What to Do
Every flower in a garden needs the right conditions to bloom—sunlight, water, and space. Mentorship relationships are no different, and these three elements find their counterparts in the mentorship ecosystem:
Sunlight: Onboarding provides clarity and direction, like sunlight guiding growth. Without it, mentors and mentees can feel lost, unsure of where to begin or how to approach the relationship.
Water: Shared expectations act like water, sustaining the relationship and ensuring both sides remain nourished and aligned as it develops. Without consistent clarity on goals, roles, and boundaries, growth can stall.
Space: A shared framework offers room for growth—structured enough to provide support, yet open enough to allow the relationship to evolve naturally. Without this space, mentorship can feel constrained or directionless.
Myth 4: Mentorship Is About Individual Relationships, Not the Garden as a Whole
A healthy garden isn’t just about individual flowers—it’s about the ecosystem they exist in.
Strong mentorship programs create space for mentors to learn from one another, for mentees to feel supported beyond their one-to-one relationships, and for collective growth to take root.
Running Innovate Charlotte’s Venture Mentoring Program taught me that tending a mentorship garden requires patience, adaptability, and care. While the program was built on the MIT VMS model, its success came from evolving beyond rigid structures and embracing the unique needs of our mentors and mentees.
But here’s the thing about gardens—they are never finished. They require ongoing attention, adaptation, and insight.
This space is where much of my expertise lies, and it’s an area I’m deeply passionate about exploring further. In future articles, I’ll share more about what I’ve learned in the tending, pruning, and nurturing of mentorship gardens—the practices that make them not just productive, but truly thriving ecosystems.
How Mentorship Flows Across Spaces
One of the most interesting things about mentorship is how relationships can transition across these spaces. A formal mentorship in the Garden might evolve into a casual connection in the Meadow. A spontaneous Wild encounter might later become formalized in a structured program.
Navigating the Mentorship Ecosystem
Whether you're a mentor, mentee, or simply curious about mentorship, here's what I've learned:
In the Garden: Be clear about goals, embrace structure, and invest in the process.
In the Meadow: Show up consistently, let relationships evolve naturally, and build trust through repeated interactions.
In the Wild: Stay open to serendipity, trust your instincts, and be bold enough to reach out.
The Ripple Effect of Mentorship
The effects of mentorship extend far beyond two people. A single conversation in the Wild, a recurring connection in the Meadow, or a structured program in the Garden can create ripples that reach teams, communities, and entire cultures.
Mentorship isn’t confined to one space—it thrives in all three. The key is recognizing where you are and approaching each space with curiosity, openness, and intention.
Reflection point:
The impact of mentorship doesn’t stop with two people—it ripples outward. Every meaningful conversation, every shared insight, and every moment of trust creates a ripple. You can extend that ripple by sharing your own mentorship stories, paying it forward, and becoming a bridge for others. Mentorship isn’t just something we receive—it’s something we pass on.
So, wherever you find yourself—tending a garden, walking through a meadow, or stumbling across a rare flower in the wild—pay attention. You might just discover one of the most transformative relationships of your life.
If you’re curious to see these mentorship spaces in action, join us on January 23, 2025, in Charlotte, NC, for ‘Mentorship in Action: Defining Relationships That Drive Growth.’ Alongside special guest Keva Walton, we’ll explore how to build meaningful connections, sustain engagement, and drive personal and professional growth through mentorship. Whether you’re a mentor, mentee, or simply mentorship-curious, this workshop offers practical insights and space to grow. Reserve your spot here.