Mentorship is more than simply taking someone out for coffee once a month and doling out bits of wisdom.
According to “Morning Joe” co-host and Know Your Value founder Mika Brzezinski, it means having “a real connection where you can show the way and see those lightbulbs go off in a young person’s mind … I know when I see those eyes light up, that woman is going to make more money.”
Mentors, she continued, “are people who actually have an impact on your psyche when it comes to your professional or personal spirit.”
Brzezinski said mentors have been instrumental to her own success, so she has prioritized mentoring the next generation. That includes several women at NBCUniversal including MSNBC host Kasie Hunt, NBC political reporter Heidi Pryzbyla, “Morning Joe” booking producer Daniela Pierre-Bravo, who recently co-wrote “Earn It!” with Brzezinski, and more.
“I cannot think of one woman I’ve helped who hasn’t paid it back in spades by in turn helping others,” Brzezinski said.
She sees her own prioritization of mentorship as paying forward the guidance she has received from people over the course of her own career.
Brzezinski shared the four mentors who have impacted her work and life:
Arianna Huffington, the friend who taught her how to solve problems with ease:
“Arianna approached me at a hard time in my life, and we had a deep conversation about my sleep deprivation. She was so generous personally and professionally.
She told me, ‘You are so vulnerable and open with your issues. You should share them with more people. Let’s do an event together on this.’
I was blown away. And the more I think about it, she is the inspiration for the way that I invest in women today.
She proposed that in 2014 we co-produce a massive women’s event on the issue of self-care. It became her inaugural Thrive Conference. I learned so much, as we worked together creating this event and building a team.
She solved problems with ease and was able to convince people to do things that they never intended to do. For example, the theatre initially said the stage could not support the weight of my mother’s massive two-ton sculptures, sent from Washington D.C. to New York City. She made it all happen and filled the room.
It was an amazing evening, and working side-by-side with Arianna was the experience of a lifetime that I will never forget.”









