The Beginning of a Radiant Path: the Mentorship Journey
A little intro
I’m Sekar, a woman who works as a product manager in a tech company. I love sharing my thoughts and content with the community, and I’m also a verified mentor at ADPList. I love writing. In fact, when I studied in Edinburgh, my monthly groceries were paid with my little fee as an online novelist. Note: for the sake of protecting my public image, I won’t share the links (yes, I’ve written a couple of online novels) here.
I also blog on Medium, and I’ve been doing it forever. My Medium has my product manager’s POV stories covered. But Substack is where I want to share more in-depth content, my tongue-in-cheek responses towards a situation at work or in life in general, and my entrepreneurship journey. Those stories are inherent parts of me, but they might not fit my Medium audience. So, here’s hoping for a better outreach.
Writing to build a community of growth-seekers
The benefit of interacting with different kinds of people from all walks of life during my time in product management and MSc study is I got more extroverted. I can safely say I’m an extrovert, now. Edinburgh has changed me for the better, so, credit to the beautiful city. But, I believe it’s only the “key” part to unlock the floodgate. The gradual changes have happened over the years. I found out I love sharing my knowledge and insights, I love learning from other people, and ultimately, I find rejoice in seeing the personal growth of the people I’m in close contact with.
Who we become in the next 5 years depends on a few things in our control today:
our physical diet: this includes our foods, exercise, and sleep schedule
our mental diet: this is of course the information we consume, the songs we listen to, the podcasts we habitually play, and so on. You get the point.
our circle: the close people to whom we give access. For some, it might mean family members under the same roof. For those who live alone, it might mean our newfound family and close friends. For the majority of us, they’re our loved ones. Plus our mentors. Acquaintances but we look up to. In fact, I read some saying that is bold enough to say we are becoming the closest people we surround ourselves with. That’s true. You can observe the slowly rubbing off behaviour in parents and spouses, friends, or work colleagues. Someone’s accent might change unnoticeably after a prolonged close interaction with a person with a different accent. Let alone our thought processes, mindset, and more subconscious patterns that are influenced by our environment.
When we are able to curate our environment, please do so by any means.
Therefore, I hope my writing can be that little spark you read every now and then. I’d be grateful if my stories could sound like a big sister’s, a mentor’s, a mentee’s, or simply a friend’s voice to brighten up your day, to provoke your silent thoughts, or simply to put a smile on your face.
On my healing trail to mentorship
Things are getting more serious onwards.
Also, the chapter title mentions “trail”, a hint to my favourite pastime: hiking.
On my old journal note, when I was still on my journey to manifesting a product manager position, I experienced a series of events that made it abundantly clear that God was behind this.
(The screenshot of my actual journal note. Yes, I wrote it in iOS/Mac Notes app.)
Although the details would be good material for another deep dive post, I’ll give the summary now.
I was approached by a few headhunters in April, including one from my home country, Indonesia. While the roles they presented were intriguing, I remained committed to my goal of finding web3-related product roles. As a result, I declined offers from other Indonesian headhunters during that time because they didn't align with what I was searching for.
Towards the end of June, while I was in Berlin, I decided to return home and focus solely on completing my dissertation, setting aside the pressures of job hunting and flat searching. Ideally, I wanted to secure a job before finding a place to live so I could conveniently reside in the same city as my office. Unfortunately, I couldn't find any promising leads.
In July, during my visit to London to network with a friend, a colleague of one of the aforementioned headhunters reached out to me. They informed me about a crypto-related product role available in Jakarta. Interestingly, this message came when I had temporarily given up on searching for jobs and had stopped sending out applications daily due to constant disappointment and being ignored. I figured, why not give it a shot?
However, during the subsequent rounds of the hiring process, I discovered that the take-home assignment I was given aligned perfectly with my dissertation topic. I was in awe of this magical coincidence.
It became clear to me that this was the reason why previous job applications hadn't succeeded. They were not meant to work out because this particular opportunity, which arrived at the perfect time, was part of a grand design orchestrated by God.
The best part of it all was that I completed my final interview with the COO on 22nd August, just five days after my intended deadline as stated in my manifesto. To my surprise, as soon as I landed and switched on my phone at the Jakarta airport, I received the confirmation of my job offer.
Praise the Lord for the way things unfolded.
And that's how I ventured into mentoring/coaching. I'm deeply grateful for the coaches I encountered at the University of Edinburgh—career mentors and business guides—they truly shaped my path. Through their guidance, I learned to bridge the gap between my current self and the aspirations I held.
They encouraged thorough introspection, aiding me in identifying steps towards my goals, offering feedback during mock interviews, and providing insights on launching my own business venture.
Suddenly, everything seemed attainable. Life appeared more expansive, liberating me from the constraints of my own mind. Even upon returning to my role as a PM, this time with soaring ambitions, I didn't feel like I was starting from scratch. I embraced the position with a renewed mindset, an array of global connections, and an enriched skill set.
My desire to give back grew, prompting me to join ADPList, a free mentorship programme. Here, I could mentor others, dedicating 30 minutes to each session. I preferred varied mentoring sessions, aiming to focus deeply on understanding different mentees' challenges.
Despite my vast knowledge and experience, I'm aware of the need to refine my delivery. Ultimately, the message needs to resonate with mentees for my efforts to truly impact them.
Life takes on a new hue when driven by a grander purpose, surpassing mere paychecks. I acknowledge the privilege inherent in saying this. Yet, there was a time when I realized I received no assistance when I needed it most. It became my personal commitment to help others within my capacity.
Feeling lonely is awful, especially when you’re trying to navigate your life.
Coming from a rocky past, I understood that having someone to talk to or to guide you is insurmountable.
Having a support system to hold you accountable, to cheer you on, is a privilege I didn't have. Considering the immense help I've received along my journey, I aspire to leave a meaningful impact in return.
I learned to be more attuned to my body and mind, to listen to my inner yearning, and to take actions that bring me closer to fulfilling my little tasks at each stage of my life.
I discovered that being in my feminine energy sharpens my intuition and lateral thinking
Feminine leadership aligns you with your life's purpose; it doesn't oppose it. Embracing feminine energy is about healing and co-creating, not forcing. This is where my calling resides.
My goals have shifted throughout the year—from employment to entrepreneurship, back to employment, and now back to entrepreneurship. And it begins with being open to receiving.
That's why I've titled this coaching programme:
”The Radiant Path: feminine leadership and healing wisdom”
Since my background is in product management and tech career, my mentorship portfolio so far is on that topic, mostly about navigating life as a product manager. For this topic, don’t shy away from me if you’re a man, this mentorship is open to all.
However, my personal experience in healing and being more in tune with my feminine energy also provides nuggets to share with fellow women.
We’re empowering each other as the rising tides lift all boats.
If you enjoy this wee post, let’s connect:
Thank you for reading my first-ever Substack post. I hope it can be a better platform to connect with fellow women in tech, product managers, or friends who just enjoy some banter!
Until then,
