I am often asked, “How and where do I find a mentor?” The short answer is mentorship is literally available everywhere. All you need to do is pick up a book, download a podcast, join online forums, or attend professional organizations, to name a few. If you have a specific question or are seeking specific advice, the answers are at your fingertips. Today, I want to share a new online resource I recently discovered that provides mentorship with just one click: Radiate.

Radiate Review: How to Receive Instant Mentorship from CEOs and Multi-Millionaires

But before I dive into my review, I want to highlight why mentors are critically important for both the personal and professional development journey. Receiving mentorship is a great addition to coaching because mentors typically provide advice from their own first-hand experiences. Mentors enjoy sharing their wisdom in a “been there and done that” approach which allows others to learn from both their successes and failures.

What is Radiate?

Radiate is an online platform founded by Betty Liu, former Bloomberg Markets anchor. The website provides bite-sized nuggets of wisdom from business titans and entrepreneurs such as Arianna Huffington, Jack Welch, Kat Cole, and Gary Vanyerchuk. Its database of questions cover an array of leadership development topics such as:

• how to hire and build a team
• how to hack your day
• how to practice self-improvement
• how to be a stronger leader
• how to measure performance
• how to speak with purpose

My first impression of the site is that it has a similar concept to Tim Ferriss’s Tribe of Mentors. Both Liu and Ferriss interview successful people at the top of their game to provide answers to specific questions in an easily digestible manner. They both have amassed an incredible network of top performers and allow their audience to learn directly from the source. Instead of a book format though, Radiate offers answers in video interviews and each clip is anywhere from 10 seconds to 2 minutes in length… which is perfect for busy people on the go or in need of quick inspiration!

What I Enjoyed About Radiate

Radiate is easy enough to navigate. I started with the suggested videos on the front page of the membership site. There is also a search bar in the case you have a specific topic you would like to learn more about. Without knowing exactly what was available, I often found myself using the navigation bar of suggested topics and clicking around the top populated questions.

As I watched videos, I appreciated that every question had at least two responders (interviewees/mentors). It was interesting to hear similar responses to the same question, which echoed and confirmed an important point. It was also nice to hear some varied responses to the same question, as it provided a more holistic view and offered different approaches.

I quickly found myself gravitating towards some interviewees more than others (Kat Cole, if you’re reading this, you’re amazing!). One of my favorite videos I’ve seen thus far is, “How Do You Find a Mentor?” In Kat Cole’s video, she confirms mentoring needs to be reframed as moments. She explains that being a mentor and asking for a mentor feels like a big mountain you have to climb (for both parties). Instead of asking someone if they can commit long term and assume the responsibility of a mentor, you can just ask someone you admire a specific question and obtain their guidance and direction in a 5-minute chat. Overtime, as you follow up with your results or thank them, it can organically lead to long-term mentorship through relationship building.

Most Appreciated Features on Radiate’s Platform

Finally, I appreciated three features on Radiate’s website: the ‘like’ button, the transcripts to each video, and the question submission form.

Like Button:

There were several videos where, despite being less than a minute long, I walked away with feeling so enlightened that I decided it would be worthwhile revisiting again at a later time. With a simple click on the ‘like’ button, I was able to bookmark the page and view all of my favorite videos on one page.

Screenshot of Liked videos in my account

Transcripts:

The transcripts were helpful because I personally enjoy reading. When I see words, it helps me comprehend information on a deeper level (fact: I always turn subtitles on for Netflix movies and shows).

Question Submission Form:

Radiate also asks you to contribute questions of your own. This is really neat because it allows you to not only get your questions answered, but read answers to questions from other professionals such as yourself. I find it also refreshing that these questions are posted anonymously as some workplace questions can be sensitive.

What I’d Like to See More Of on Radiate

Radiate launched in March 2017 and it looks like they add new experts and more responses every week. As the site grows, it would be helpful to see a one-page index of all questions answered on the site for easier searching and browsing. Currently, you have to type in a specific name or keywords to view what’s available. While there is a one-page view of all experts, I would have liked to see an option to filter by industry. I imagine as the experts list grows, it will also be easier to sift through if sorted alphabetically.

Final Thoughts on How to Find a Mentor

If you’re looking for mentorship and access to get your questions answered by CEOs, Executives, and other leaders in various industries, Radiate can certainly be an option. With each video being less than 2 minutes, the interviewees get right down to the chase. While there is a lot of advice from various sources, books, and podcasts out there, I think it’s really helpful to jump right into the core of what you’re looking for with this simple, short, and sweet Q+A format. With the pace everyone is moving at, I believe Radiate will help reduce time spent searching for the answers.

Radiate offers a free 30-day trial. If you enjoy what you see, you can become a member with a monthly membership investment of $55 or an annual membership investment of $499 (which turns out to be close to 3 months free). If you’re looking for answers to questions from top executives without cold emailing them or crashing a board meeting, this very well could be money well spent.

What are your thoughts? Have you heard of Radiate or tried Radiate yet? I’d love to hear your experiences and best tips on how to find a mentor down below!