“I Don’t Recognise Myself – It’s a New Me”: C.C’s Mentoring Journey with the Network for Black Women Leaders

When C.C joined the Network for Black Women Leaders (NBWL) mentoring programme in early 2024, she brought with her big ideas, bold ambition, and a deep desire to build something transformative for her community. What she didn’t yet have was the clarity and strategic focus to make it happen.

Fast forward six months, and not only has C.C stepped into a new leadership role, but she’s also designing services for peer support for other professional women experiencing high-level stress, trauma, and burnout, ready to teach training, and preparing for a new board of trustees position. Her confidence, strategic thinking, and sense of visibility have all grown, and she credits the Network for Black Women Leaders Mentoring Programme as a catalyst for that change.  

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Connecting with Peers and Inspirational Women

C.C’s experience with the Network for Black Women Leaders mentoring programme opened the door to meaningful connections that extended well beyond the formal structure. While her one-to-one mentoring relationship was central, it was the wider NBWL network, through online events and in-person workshops, that provided space to connect with other inspirational women navigating similar paths.

“My mentor didn’t just give advice, she shared her blueprint,” C.C says. “Step by step, she broke down how she built her business. It was practical, generous and empowering.”

Even after the formal mentoring concluded, her mentor offered continued support, offering to review C.C’s website and stay connected. “Having access to someone who’s done what I want to do, and who’s willing to guide me, has been huge.”

Following the mentoring programme, C.C attended an NBWL Authentic Approaches to Marketing Workshop where she built further connections, including with the founder of a peer programme and the director of a counselling service. These women offered introductions, feedback, and partnership opportunities. The Network for Black Women Leaders, she found, wasn’t just professional, it was personal and generous in spirit.

Navigating Challenges as a Black Woman in the Workplace

One of the most persistent challenges C.C faced in her journey was access. “Gatekeeping has been a big barrier,” she says. “Even when the opportunity is there, you can feel like you don’t meet expectations or the keys aren't given to you." 

Through her mentoring relationship and NBWL Elevate Sessions, she was able to hear from women who had successfully navigated the same systems and understand their approaches. One guest speaker and NBWL mentor, Caroline Bernard, made a lasting impression by talking about “zigzag career progression" and the value of lived experience. It helped C.C shift her thinking. “She reminded me that your story matters. It’s not always about traditional pathways.”

That session pushed her to audition for a place at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, a space she hadn’t stepped into in over ten years. Although she got through all of the audition rounds but didn’t secure a place, she was told she was overqualified and instead invited to return as a guest lecturer!

“It was a reminder that what looks like rejection can actually be redirection,” she reflects. “And because I asked for feedback—something I used to avoid—it was the gateway to new opportunities.”

Impact on Confidence, Career Progression and Financial Resilience

C.C now describes herself as “a new version” of who she used to be. Since the programme, she has applied for and secured a trustee position at a university. She has also been accepted onto a fully funded Home Office training programme for Domestic Homicide Review Chairs.

She credits NBWL and her mentor for helping her shift from hesitation to action. The difference, she says, is in the doing.

“I used to wait until I ticked every box before applying. Now I know my lived experience counts, and I apply anyway.”

She’s also started to think more strategically about finances, understanding how to avoid burnout and make her community work sustainable. “My mentor helped me ask: what can I build now, with the resources I have? That’s where my peer support programme for professional women in the charity and social services sector was born.”

Learning Through Mentoring

One of the most transformative lessons C.C learned was how to prioritise. She came into the mentoring programme with big ideas for a full-service advocacy model for Black women, but left with a more focused and sustainable approach.

“I was trying to launch everything at once. My mentor helped me ask: What can you do with the time and energy you actually have?”

By zooming in on the peer-to-peer support element, C.C found a starting point that didn’t overwhelm her, and one she could build sustainably around her life and family.

She also learned to honour her own rhythm, as sometimes we need someone outside the storm to help us see clearly.

“I’ve always been creative and people-focused. But the NBWL mentoring programme helped me become a strategic thinker too. That’s a powerful combination.”

Shaping Aspirations for Leadership

C.C no longer sees leadership as something that happens after collecting qualifications. Instead, she sees it as something grounded in lived experience, initiative, and self-belief.

“Mentoring helped me realise that I’ve already been leading. I just hadn’t seen it that way.”

She’s begun showing up more visibly, in applications, at events, and in decision-making spaces. And she’s more intentional in how she supports other Black women, shifting from a place of overgiving to one of mutuality.

“I used to think, ‘you’re Black and a woman, here’s everything I have.’ But now I know it’s important to build genuine connection first.”

Advice to Other Black Women Considering NBWL

“I’ve already recommended the Network for Black Women Leaders to five or six other women,” she says. “Whether you’re returning to work, changing careers, or building something from scratch, it gives you the tools, support and energy to keep going.”

She’s a strong advocate for mentoring and sees value in extending the offer beyond the initial six sessions.

“I would’ve paid for more sessions with my mentor. If there was an extension programme, I’d invest in it.”

C.C’s journey with NBWL didn’t just change her mindset, it helped her make moves that are reshaping her future.

“This isn’t just mentoring. It’s a movement. And I’m proud to be part of it.”