Traditional investing is transactional: money goes in, and returns (hopefully) come out. But capital isn’t just financial—it’s human. It’s experience, guidance, introductions, and support. It’s the difference between funding a company and actually fueling its success.

Because money alone doesn’t build great businesses, people do.

And people don’t just need funding. They need someone who believes in them, who opens doors, who makes them feel like they belong in the room.

This is exactly why Mentor Capital matters.

I believe so deeply in mentor capital—the idea that investing in women isn’t just about money. It’s about backing each other with support, guidance, and the confidence to take up space in places that weren’t always designed for us.

Whether we’re running businesses, leading teams, stepping into investing or navigating career changes, women often face the same hurdles. It’s not just about working hard—it's about having the right network, the right access, and the right reinforcement that we belong here.

Many years ago, I adopted the practice of choosing a "Word of the Year"a powerful personal tradition that transcends the often fleeting New Year's resolutions. It's a meaningful exercise that sets intentions and nurtures personal growth. The concept involves selecting a word or phrase that deeply resonates with you, steering your decisions and shaping your mindset for the forthcoming year.

I share my story as a reminder that our voices and contributions are valuable at every stage of our lives regardless of the whiteness of our hair.

Women investors want to help make the world a better place, add jobs, help to bring life-saving technology to the masses, and so much more. So, I am calling all women to partake of this privilege; we cannot let our male colleagues have all the fun!!

As the only woman in the room for most of my career, I found out quickly that one of the most important things I needed to learn was to be direct and to the point. It seems it was hard enough to have a woman at the table, but a chatty woman was just too much.

I am always looking for articles, book, podcasts, videos etc. that provide focus on the challenges of and hurdles of starting and growing a business – yesterday in this hunkered down world I found an extraordinary source in the Netflix series – Self Made: Inspired by the Life of Madam C.J. Walker

21 years later and these principles of entrepreneurship have stood the test of time!

I have been consciously smiling at or with servers in restaurants, store clerks and cashiers, ticket takers, etc. for many years. I think what they do makes my life easier and it’s my way of saying thank you or I appreciate you; I notice you.

Over the course of my career, I have come to love the collaboration process. I cannot express how much I value and appreciate the input of others. Why? I look at projects, as a harmony of different ideas, skill sets and talents to bring together one perfect piece of music, project, business or life.