Nourish and Navigate, Episode 2: Amy Summers on having a mentorship mentality

Rebecca Takemoto: Welcome to Nourish and Navigate. I'm Rebecca Takemoto, executive director of Women in Nutraceuticals. I'm so thrilled to welcome Amy summers, founder and president of Pitch Publicity and INICIVOX and author of the forthcoming book "Lift." Earlier this year, Amy led a powerful session at our win leadership summit on mentorship, and particularly on finding and living a mentorship mentality. So I'd love to start this conversation with just your kind of 30 second blurb about what that means, mentorship mentality, about having a mentorship in this mentality, and how that might be different from what people initially think of when they hear that term. Mentorship.

Amy Summers: Sure. And first of all, thank you so much for having me at the first win Leadership Summit, it was such a pleasure to speak to your group about a mentorship mentality and their leadership. And I have to just confess that I was terrified because your group win was the first time I was publicly sharing the some of these content for my book that's coming out, so I was not sure how it was going to be received, but I was very pleased at the end, people really connected to it. So I'm happy that we can share it now on this podcast.

But one of the things that I shared during the session, the workshop session was we went through a lot of exercises because it's more of a workshop, but it's just kind of getting in the mindset that mentorship is not like an extra thing that you have to do. It's not something you should put on a to do list. It's just really a mentality. It's a mindset. It's something that you should just naturally be doing through your leadership style as you're managing your own team. So some of this, the questions we had during the workshop was trying to get people to focus on, first of all, you know, what are their goals as a manager, and who, where do they want to be, and how do they want to be seen as a leader? And I think that you have to first answer those questions to understand how to mentor somebody else. Because how are we going to mentor somebody else if else if we don't even know where we want to be in a few years?

Rebecca Takemoto: Yeah, and, and that's interesting, because it sort of speaks to the point that at different times in our careers, we think we're either, oh, we hit that line of, now I'm a mentor, but really we're always both mentors and mentees, right?

Amy Summers: Yeah, we're either one role or the other at all times, I feel like at any stage of your career. And you know, I, of course, I have a lot of mentees because we have a program at Pitch Publicity, which is an internship program, mentorship program, and it thrills me so much when my mentees move on from Pitch and they get into the, you know, the early parts of their career, and they report back to me that they're already mentoring younger people at their own in their own office. Maybe interns came in and they'll send me a text and say, "Amy, you can't believe it, I'm already mentoring. I'm only 23," and I'm like, that's great, because I'm glad that they see themselves as a mentor, because I think again, when we hear that word, it sounds like someone more senior in their career. That's not me, but it is. We're always setting examples.

Rebecca Takemoto: And that was just what I was thinking of my with with my kids. When I had all my kids at home, we used to often talk about like, you know, find somebody today that needs you like, especially if they were going through a hard time themselves, or if they were, you know, had friend drama or whatever, I would constantly be saying, find that kid that doesn't have anybody talk to, or the new kid, or the, you know, whatever. And that's, I mean, in our job, we can do the same, right? You might be the receptionist at a big firm, but a new person coming in needs you, right?

Amy Summers: Yeah, as the front desk person, or the receptionist, or, I mean, you're the first point of contact, you know, so you're the one that has the opportunity to really welcome that person and give them a good start at the company. So absolutely, and that you bring up another great thing, it doesn't rely on status either. So, you don't have to be an executive or have an official manager title. You don't have to have a title to be a mentor. You can just, you know, like you said, identify someone that might be looking a little lost or who's not getting invited to lunch ever, and connect with that person.

Rebecca Takemoto: Yeah, I love that. So I've been part of formal mentorship programs, on both sides, as a mentor and a mentee, and I think they can be incredibly valuable. WIN has a mentorship. Program that I am constantly amazed at, but like most people, have also had less formal mentor and mentee relationships throughout my career, which can be every bit as valuable. So what advice can you give to someone who is looking to either find a mentor or be a mentor, but maybe doesn't have the flexibility or time to do so through a formal program. I mean, you said at the beginning like it doesn't have to be on your to do list. It doesn't have, you know, but so what are, what are some specific things we can add to our like daily habits that will help us get in that mindset?

Amy Summers: Well, first, I think that if you are seeking a mentor, it doesn't matter what stage you are at your career, we should always be seeking mentors. So you always want to again do an evaluation on yourself. Okay, here's where I'm at now. Where do I want to be in five years? And who is ahead of me that's already there, and that's where I want to be, you know? So for example, when I wanted to write this book, I did not know the first thing about writing a book and getting it published, and how to do all those things. So step one was, I just reached out to my contacts who, you know, had written a book. You know, some were clients of mine that were authors, and I said, "Where do I start? How do I get to where you are?" And so it's just finding those people. And again, it doesn't have to be a long term relationship with that person. It could just It could just be, hey, can we get 15-20 minutes on the calendar? I'd love to pick your brain on something I'm researching. I did that all the way through my book every single stage, and every time I got to a different level in my book, and I was okay. Now I need somebody that's, you know, at this stage of their book, you know, that's already published. It's on stages and speaking. And so I would call a whole bunch of other people and get a bunch of advice that way. So that's one way that you can seek it in a real, immediate way. And again, doesn't have to be a long term relationship. Now, you might run into somebody who you really connect with, and there's a spark there, and you're you say, "Hey, can I give you a call back? You know, as I progress in this endeavor," and that might turn into something, as far as you know, if you want to mentor somebody, I have to say that not everybody thinks they need mentorship, especially early in their career.

So I think just letting communicating to someone in your office, that "Hey, I have your back. I want to really help you. I want to help you get to the next level," communicating to them how you want to help them so they can help you. And that's what the book is essentially about. My book is that you know, when you you lift others, you rise. So I think it's always important to seek out mentees and to share the knowledge, because if they know that, you have their back and you're going to help them get to that next level, wherever they want to go, and you have a conversation about, "Hey, just tell me, where do you want to go in this company, I'm going to help you get there." They're going to work so hard for you, because they're going to trust you. There's going to be trust built in there. So everyone should be looking for mentees, and a lot of times they're right there in your office, in your community.

Rebecca Takemoto: Isn't it funny how all of these just good practices just really come down to, like, be a good person?

Amy Summers: I laugh because I tell people it's not like rocket science. It's like, be nice, right? But I think we have to be reminded of that these days, because there's so much in, you know, that we're bombarded with which is not nice. And so as simple as it is, you know, be nice, be kind. We have to be reminded of that all the time. It has to be our mantra, because we are simply bombarded, and we're seeing tons of examples of not being nice and being mean and cruel, and, you know, cutting people down. And you know, the more we see it, the more we become it. So we become what we surround ourselves with. So all of us can emulate more of this, then the world gets better.

Rebecca Takemoto: And if you know, we see so much of it, and we think that that is what is successful, right? That's the picture of success. But especially if you're, you know, in a position to be a mentor, if you can show younger, you know, or not even just younger, but you know people coming up behind you, that they can still be a good person, and, you know, rise that I think that could have such an impact. Okay, let's switch gears to just a little bit and thinking about, Okay, I'm in this mentorship mentality, right? I'm in I have this framework, and I'm thinking about looking for people that need me and being a good person. I walk into a gigantic reception, and I know no one, right. So both as the kind of mentee and mentor situation here, and honestly in this in this situation as a network or it may not have anything to do with your career. Level, or anything it may have to do with just someone who doesn't know anybody versus someone who does. Give us some tips, like, how do you network at those, particularly those big events, I feel like small events, it's a little easier. There's introductions all around, you know, but at those big events, I mean, we've all walked in to those trade show receptions and just kind of stood around for a minute, and then, you know, we talked about, you know, just being in the mindset of looking for those people that are looking apprehensive. But what are some tips that you can give us about how to conquer those awkwardmoments?

Amy Summers: Sure. Well, first of all, if you've, you know, been in the room for a while, like, if this is a familiar crowd, make sure that you're not just hanging all the time with your crew, with the people that you know. So that could be people you work with. It could just be people that you meet up at conferences all the time. It's, of course, always fun. We want to hang out with the people we love, but you got to circulate. So take one of those people that is a buddy of yours and say, Hey, we're going to go, you know, spend the next 30 minutes just kind of speed working the room, speed networking, and meet some people. And it is a little bit easier if you have somebody. You can do it with a little buddy, but you can certainly do it by yourself. And, you know, I'll just walk up to a group and say, "I am sorry to break in, but we are at a networking event, and I just wanted to say, Hello, I'm so glad you're here. And you know, this is who I am, and I have to say, I really love your dress, or I really like that shirt," or you're leading with a compliment, get you in, like that, I mean, because people don't do that, right? And if you lead with a compliment, they're going to, you know, talk to you a little bit. So, yeah, I've also done it with clients before. Like, I'll just take a client, so maybe it's somebody new at your office you could take along if you don't have clients, you know, and just say hi, you know, I'm with Rebecca today, and you know, this is her first, you know, conference, her first Supply Side, or her first, you know, Expo West, and I wanted to personally introduce her to you.

And you may not even know who you're talking to, but now you're going to suddenly get the information, and you kind of have an excuse because you're trying to introduce somebody new. I'll do that a lot, because sometimes I bring my interns with me to conferences, and they're great bait. I'll be like, "I'd like you to meet my intern," and then I get to meet them in the process. So, there's all kinds of ways, complimenting, you know, bringing around a buddy, but really have to force yourself to do it. And I tell myself, I always remind myself about, you know, how much money I'm spending at the conference, or if your boss is funding your conference, think about like, how much money they're spending, and you want to show return on investment, so just make it a little bit work and work the room. You know, that's why you're there, is to make the connections, and you never know what can happen. I've gotten clients where I got a client one time from going up to this guy and telling him I really liked his golf shirts, and I was really impressed with all his golf shirts. And this is not a joke. He turned to me and he said, "Okay, I've heard about you write me a proposal." I was [flabergasted] and so the funny joke was, every time he signed a contract with me, I would send him a really fancy, expensive golf shirt, you know, right? Just colors always where you know something like this, like pink or something, but yeah, you just never know.

Rebecca Takemoto: That's awesome. So if someone is serious about kind of taking on the challenge of really finding a mentor, you talked at the beginning about, you know, find somebody that's where you're trying to be in five years. What are some other tips like that, what should, what should people look for in a mentor? What are some ways people can find a mentor if they're really like, I need someone to walk me through, and I don't know anybody, or I don't know if I know anybody in this situation, what? What do we do?

Amy Summers: Another one of my favorite things to do is to find recently retired professionals, especially if they were at prominent positions. Maybe they've downshifted, and maybe they're just the chairman now or on the board, or they're not really that active. First of all, they have more time on their hands. Because if they're not doing the day to day of the company anymore, they've got a lot more time on their hands. And professionals that have, you know, spent their life in their career, and then they suddenly aren't there anymore, and they've been replaced, or whatever happened. They're seeking a sense of purpose. So I love tapping retirees, because they seem to have a lot more time, and they have a wealth of knowledge, and even if you don't think it's totally applicable, because maybe when they were, you know, at work, they weren't using all the technology that you're using today, a lot of stuff still translates, you know, and a lot of their advice is very transferable to what you're doing. So that's another thing to be on the lookout for.

Rebecca Takemoto: That is such a good tip. Can you tell me about a mentor you've had, and how that person had an impact on your career? Sure.

Amy Summers: Sure. So very specifically, when I started Pitch Publicity back in 2003 one of my first clients I had, I started my company with five clients in this industry. That's how it started. And one of my clients was Anthony Zolezzi, and he was a serial entrepreneur, although today he says he's not a serial entrepreneur anymore, because he softened up a bit, but back then, he would have said he's a serial entrepreneur, and he really was, because he was launching a lot of companies kind of behind the scenes, and he knew a lot of people, and so he very much enjoyed working with me, and so I just told him, Look, I don't know if this business is going to fly or not, like I'd even get a website for pitch for, like, the first six months, because I thought for sure this is not going to last. But Anthony was very deliberate about making introduction, introductions to me in the industry with some of some really high level contacts. And so I was able to get clients like New Chapter, you know, and a lot of big clients right at the beginning, because he opened the door.

Now, granted, I was only 27 at the time, so it was a little bit like, oh my gosh, I can't believe I'm gonna be working with these people, but he really trusted me. He told them, "You should just hire Amy." That's just what he said. You know, it's like not a discussion. And they still vetted me and everything, but I think just him promoting me so much to his inner circle really helped out a lot so, and I really, you know, I think the other way Anthony mentored me was I just watched him. I watched him in action whenever I could. And so we didn't have, like, a formal meeting or, you know, like, Okay, this is our mentorship time. None of that, because he was way too busy. But I really observed and watched how he worked with people, how he networked, how he built his contacts, and really observed why people liked being around him, so like, at conferences I would just kind of, like, follow him around and shadow him, if you will. And sometimes you'll run into people like that. They're too busy to sit down and have some coffee. They're even awkward doing it. You just need to be around them, observe, observe them and and let them know. "Hey, I'm looking for people right now. I'm looking for new clients, or I'm, you know, looking to make a change in my career. If you hear of anything, let me know."

Rebecca Takemoto: And, and particularly people that you've done good work for before, right? Don't discount those people that you've you know, you've already, you've already kind of captured. They're the ones that believe in you and can make those introductions. And yeah, no, that's so great. Thank you so much, Amy, for taking a few minutes with us and walking us through this. I'm so excited about your book and to get it and read it. That idea of all of us lifting each other is what I love most about WIN and other organizations like it. So I'm, I'm super excited to read it. Thank you so much.

Amy Summers: Thank you. And you can learn more about the book. It comes out in February 2026 at lifttolead.com and have all the information there about it. And you know, if anybody wants some free virtual mentorship, we are always offering things inicivox.com which is my mentorship platform. If you want to check out some free virtual mentorship, we're always running different programs.