Participating in the program with a partial open mind, you’ll get
something. Participating with a full open mind, and your mentor beside you,
the world’s your limit.
– Cyndie Adams, WLA Mentee
– Kristy Sullivan, WLA Mentor
Traditional mentorship programs often miss the mark — especially for women navigating an historically male-dominated profession. The Women’s Leadership Alliance set out to change that by building a mentorship experience by women, for women, focused on meaningful support and real outcomes. Many mentorship programs rely on a one-size-fits-all model, with pre-determined goals, little accountability, and mentors who may not understand the lived experiences of women in this profession.
WE CREATED SOMETHING DIFFERENT.
The WLA Woman to Woman Advisor Mentorship Program is designed to offer a more impactful and personalized mentorship journey.
Here’s how it stands apart:
Participants consistently tell us how transformative this program has been — not just professionally, but personally. Having a mentor who truly understands and champions their journey has been a game-changer.
The WLA Mentorship program has been designed to provide one-on-one professional development to women in their financial planning careers through the support and experience of another financial advising woman. Mentees identify specific areas of professional development for their mentorship and are matched with mentors to support those defined goals. Possible areas of mentorship focus include: Professional Presence, Public Speaking, Financial Analysis, Strategic Thinking, Networking, Client Acquisition, Account Management, Divorce Planning, Estate Planning, Developing a Marketing Plan, Branding Your Practice, to name just a few.
Mentee Criteria
Mentee Program Commitments
The program may not be a fit for you at this time if:
The WLA Ambassador Community for Mentees:
The Ambassador Community of the WLA is a membership community of advisors, allies and advocates sharing resources, tools, and support to advance women in the financial advising profession. All WLA mentees must be members of the Ambassador community prior to the initial mentee training. This membership requires no additional time but does provide access to ongoing networking and support to both mentors and mentees. The membership dues are $150/year or $75/year for early career advisors in their first four years. Upon acceptance into the program, mentees agree to join the Ambassador community. No other costs are associated with the mentorship program.
The WLA Mentorship program would not be possible without the amazing women who give of their time to mentor another woman. With that in mind, we have structured our program to ensure that the time our mentors invest is time well spent, providing both mentor and mentee with an initial onboarding, together with a proven program framework to guide the mentor/mentee experience.
During the application and training period, mentees identify particular areas of development in which they would like to focus. Possible areas of mentorship focus include: Professional Presence, Public Speaking, Financial Analysis, Strategic Thinking, Networking, Client Acquisition, Account Management, Divorce Planning, Estate Planning, Developing a Marketing Plan, Strategic Planning, Branding Your Practice, to name just a few. We use this information to help match mentors with mentees whose goals are aligned with your areas of experience.
Mentor Criteria & Commitments
There is no single profile of the ideal mentor. Our mentors represent a range of years of experience in the business and in working within a variety of different models. The one quality that all mentors have in common: the desire to positively influence the life and career of another woman in the financial advising profession.
The WLA Ambassador Community:
The Ambassador Community of the WLA is a membership community of advisors, allies and advocates receiving and sharing resources, tools, and support to advance women in the financial advising profession. WLA mentors are asked to become a part of the Ambassador community during their time in the program. This participation requires no additional time but does provide access to ongoing networking and support to both mentors and mentees.
– Kate Starkey, WLA Mentee– Alexa Kane, WLA Mentee
– Pamela Grey, WLA Mentor