How Mentorship Has Impacted My Life and How I Said Thanks to My Mentor

So, it’s been several weeks since my last blog post and I apologize for falling behind! It’s been so busy at work, we’ve been doing a lot of wedding planning, and I’ve been super focused on my physical fitness (as you can probably tell if you follow my IG stories) …and well, you really can’t do EVERYTHING, even though you can try! But I’m excited to be sharing a new post with you today on Valentine’s Day about a topic that is very near and dear to my heart: mentorship. I recently had the opportunity to say a big “Thank you!” to my mentor, Jack, by surprising him on video with this heart-shaped pizza from Boston Pizza*.

What Mentorship and My Mentor Mean to Me

When Boston Pizza approached me and asked me to share my story about mentorship, there was one person who immediately came to mind: Jack. Jack is a Founding Partner at my previous law firm, KRMC LLP, which is where I began practicing as a corporate lawyer in 2011. It was a first for both of us, since it was a new area of law for me and it was Jack’s first time working with an Associate. Lucky for me, it was an instant connection, which made all the difference for me over the next five years!

Jack was more than just the Partner I reported to; he was a friend and father figure to me. He treated me with respect on a professional and personal level, challenged me, entrusted me with greater responsibility than I had previously had, encouraged me, listened to me, and really believed in and supported me. He was someone I felt comfortable speaking openly with, and someone who I felt was genuinely invested in my career. He was always there for me. And, had I not started working with Jack, I would never have developed so much confidence in myself and built my legal practice.

Because of this experience, I can state, first-hand, how important mentorship is for young people. Everybody needs at least one mentor in his or her life – someone who will make the time to be there and ‘go to bat’ for him or her. Having this type of support and care from another person is necessary for our personal and professional development. I’m really lucky to have someone like this in my life. But unfortunately, not every kid is given this opportunity.

Boston Pizza and Mentorship

So, what does Boston Pizza have to do with mentorship, you might be thinking? I wasn’t previously aware, but the Boston Pizza Foundation Future Prospects is actually dedicated to mentorship! The BP Foundation has raised more than $24 million over the last 27 years to give kids in communities across Canada access to mentors. They created Future Prospects in 2014, and each year on Valentine’s Day, Boston Pizza sells this heart-shaped pizza for a purpose.

Isn’t it adorable?! (I can also tell you that it’s delicious, because I may or may not have had 2 over the weekend!)

Here’s how it works. $1 from every pizza (including heart-shaped pizzas) sold on Valentine’s Day will go to Boston Pizza Foundation Future Prospects. If you buy a paper heart for $2 (which will go directly to Future Prospects), you’ll receive a “$5 OFF” coupon for your next visit. And from now until April 2^nd, if you buy their Future Prospects red velvet cake, $1 will also go to the Foundation. All of these proceeds are used to provide kids with the critical time that they need with positive role models, through organizations like Big Brothers and Big Sisters, Kids Help Phone, Live Different, JDRF and The Rick Hansen Foundation.

I’m so happy to be partnering with a brand that is committed to social responsibility and making a big impact on people’s lives. I’m also super honoured to be one of a select few influencers across Canada who got to share their story about mentorship in support of this campaign through a special video. You can check out the Boston Pizza Foundation Future Prospect’s website for more information and to see the video, which should be going live this week! So surreal!

Celebrate Valentine’s Day by saying thanks to your mentor!

*This post was done in partnership with Boston Pizza; but as always, all opinions and thoughts are my own.