Bettina Guirkinger works with global companies to stop losing women after maternity leave, and lately she's focused that work on keeping women in tech. This year, mid-pivot from a B2C to a B2B business model, she needed the same kind of support she gives others. Here's what came out of being matched with her mentor, Zuzana, including the moment she almost talked herself into a 9-to-5.

Aleksandra Arutsiunian has spent over a decade in travel technology, leading international teams and global partnerships. But it is her work as a Femme Palette mentor that she talks about with the most warmth. In this spotlight, she opens up about how she came into mentoring almost by accident, why first-time leaders are her favourite people to work with, and the lesson about confidence that her mentees keep teaching her.

As the founder of Semínkovna, Klára had years of experience building communities and leading educational projects. But when it came to transforming that expertise into sustainable online learning, she knew she needed a different perspective. Through the Femme Palette mentoring program, she refined her course design, gained confidence in pricing and communicating the value of her work, and began thinking not only as an educator but also as the creator of valuable intellectual property. In this Mentee Spotlight, she shares how mentoring helped turn knowledge into meaningful, sustainable impact.

After being promoted to Grocery National Account Manager at Harry's Grooming Ltd., Lauren Hayward knew she wanted to grow beyond mastering day-to-day tasks. Through mentoring, she strengthened her confidence, developed her leadership skills, and learned to approach difficult conversations with clarity. In this Mentee Spotlight, she shares how having an outside perspective helped her communicate more effectively, challenge self-doubt, and step into her new role with confidence.

Meet Daniela, a global marketing leader with more than 17 years of experience helping technical and industrial brands grow internationally. Having led marketing teams across Europe, Latin America, the Middle East, and APAC, she has always believed that great leadership is about developing people, not replacing them. In this interview, she shares how mentoring helped her navigate challenging leadership decisions, build resilience, communicate with greater confidence, and stay true to her values while leading international teams.

Gabriela Borutová has spent over a decade in tech, but what drives her as a Femme Palette mentor has little to do with technical skills. In this spotlight, she shares why she said yes to mentoring, how our upbringing as women shapes the way we see ourselves across every generation, and why professional growth is so often less about learning something new and more about finally being heard. Plus her advice for mentors who want to go beyond giving advice and start creating real, lasting change.

Your best people are not leaving because of the salary. They are leaving because they feel unseen, unsupported, and out of road. And the 2025 data makes that clearer than ever. This article breaks down why mentoring is the most effective answer to the retention crisis companies are quietly facing right now. From the numbers behind why people leave, to what good mentoring actually looks like in practice, to why women in particular are being underserved by most organisations, it is a practical, honest read for any HR or People leader who is tired of losing good people and ready to do something about it. The research is compelling. The cost of doing nothing is significant. And the solution is more straightforward than most companies think.

AI is a powerful tool and we are not here to dismiss it. Use it to prepare, research, draft, and think out loud. But use it in your favor, as a starting point, not a substitute. Because there are things AI simply cannot do. It cannot know you. It cannot challenge you. It cannot sit with you in the harder moments and tell you the truth you needed to hear. It cannot grow with you over time and see the progress you cannot see yourself. That is what a mentor does. And no algorithm is coming for that anytime soon. Curious where AI ends and a mentor begins? The full article is waiting for you.