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Who Needs You to Show Up? The Power of Mentorship and Legacy · Mosaic Sparks with Lesley George

• 0:00
  SPEAKER_01: You remember the person who showed up when they didn't have to?
• 0:06
  SPEAKER_01: The person who sat in the audience made the introduction for you, reviewed the application, or reminded you that you were capable when your confidence had packed the bag and left the building.
• 0:22
  SPEAKER_01: You may not remember every word that person said.
• 0:31
  SPEAKER_01: So today we're looking at Disney Pixars up through the relationship between Carl and Russell.
• 0:38
  SPEAKER_01: This episode is about mentorship, emotional presence, and the people who need more than our advice.
• 0:49
  SPEAKER_01: They need evidence that they are worth our time.
• 1:02
  SPEAKER_00: I don't go with a couple of spots.
• 1:33
  SPEAKER_01: The podcast where Disney stories, where real life experiences, and some grown folks' lessons come together to help us see ourselves differently.
• 1:45
  SPEAKER_01: So last week we talked about Woody and what happens when the role you were known for begins to change.
• 1:52
  SPEAKER_01: So this week we're traveling with Carlin Russell from Disney's Pixar Up.
• 1:57
  SPEAKER_01: But before we get started, I want to send a special shout out to our sparklers listening in Switzerland, Hong Kong, Poland, Chicago, Illinois, and San Diego, California.
• 2:11
  SPEAKER_01: Thank you for listening, for sharing the podcast and allowing Mosaic Sparks to travel with you.
• 2:20
  SPEAKER_01: If today is a special day for you, perhaps you're celebrating a birthday, an anniversary, the beginning of something that you prayed for, or the first day of a new chapter, I celebrate with you.
• 2:34
  SPEAKER_01: Sometimes day one arrives with balloons and applause, but sometimes day one quietly appears as one brave decision.
• 2:44
  SPEAKER_01: Either way, you are here, and that deserves recognition.
• 2:50
  SPEAKER_01: So let's talk about up.
• 2:52
  SPEAKER_01: Most people remember the balloons, and I can still see it now with the house lifting up with all the balloons.
• 2:59
  SPEAKER_01: It's the floating house, the talking dog, and the beautiful love story between Carl and Ellie.
• 3:07
  SPEAKER_01: Their relationship captures our attention within the first few minutes of the movie.
• 3:14
  SPEAKER_01: We watch them create a life together while holding on to their dream of visiting Paradise Falls.
• 3:22
  SPEAKER_01: The deeper story begins when Russell knocks on Carl's door.
• 3:27
  SPEAKER_01: Russell is a young wilderness explorer trying to earn his final badge for assisting an older person.
• 3:35
  SPEAKER_01: He arrives with his uniform, he sash his sash full of badges, and enough enthusiasm to test the patience of anybody who enjoys peace and quiet.
• 3:51
  SPEAKER_01: Carl does not want any company.
• 3:55
  SPEAKER_01: He simply wants Russell to leave, to scram, to get out.
• 4:02
  SPEAKER_01: Russell represents noise, inconvenience, and most of all, change.
• 4:10
  SPEAKER_01: Carl has already lost Ellie.
• 4:13
  SPEAKER_01: He's protecting his house, the memories, and the routine that helps him feel close to her.
• 4:20
  SPEAKER_01: Russell walks into that protected space carrying a backpack, a mission, and a need he does not fully explain.
• 4:30
  SPEAKER_01: So at first, Russell believes Carl is a person who needs help.
• 4:35
  SPEAKER_01: The truth is that Russell needs someone too.
• 4:40
  SPEAKER_01: During their journey, Russell talks about his father.
• 4:43
  SPEAKER_01: He remembers sitting on the curb with him, eating ice cream, and counting cars by color.
• 4:50
  SPEAKER_01: How many of you remember that as you were going up, growing up, counting cars by color?
• 4:58
  SPEAKER_01: Red cars were worth one point, blue cars were worth more.
• 5:04
  SPEAKER_01: Russell says the activity may sound boring, but he remembers it.
• 5:10
  SPEAKER_01: That moment tells us something important about what people treasure.
• 5:15
  SPEAKER_01: Russell does not describe an expensive vacation.
• 5:20
  SPEAKER_01: He doesn't talk about a huge birthday celebration or any type of elaborate gifts.
• 5:26
  SPEAKER_01: He remembers sitting on a curb, eating ice cream, and having someone's attention.
• 5:41
  SPEAKER_01: Many people believe they must do something extraordinary to influence another person's life.
• 5:48
  SPEAKER_01: They imagine mentorship as a formal program with, I don't know, some kind of workbook, some scheduled sessions, and a carefully prepared curriculum.
• 5:59
  SPEAKER_01: Those things can be valuable, don't get me wrong.
• 6:02
  SPEAKER_01: Influence also happens during a phone call.
• 6:05
  SPEAKER_01: It can happen when someone explains an unwritten workplace rule.
• 6:10
  SPEAKER_01: What about introducing a woman to a decision maker?
• 6:14
  SPEAKER_01: What about reviewing her first proposal or attends an event because she knows the person presenting will be searching the room for one familiar face?
• 6:27
  SPEAKER_01: How many of us can relate to that when we are speaking somewhere or we're going somewhere?
• 6:35
  SPEAKER_01: If we know that there's just this one person that you can see in the audience or you can meet up with, that just makes it all better.
• 6:46
  SPEAKER_01: So think about the person who helped you become the woman you are today.
• 6:52
  SPEAKER_01: Have someone encourage you to apply for a position you thought was beyond your experience.
• 6:58
  SPEAKER_01: Maybe a professor noticed your ability before you had language for it.
• 7:03
  SPEAKER_01: What about a church member may have given you an opportunity to speak, lead, organize, or teach?
• 7:10
  SPEAKER_01: A supervisor may have explained how to navigate a room where you felt invisible.
• 7:17
  SPEAKER_01: And you know, as we talk about a church member have given you an opportunity to speak, lead, organize, or teach, that happened to me several years ago.
• 7:27
  SPEAKER_01: A church leader tapped me on the shoulder and wanted me to lead in church.
• 7:33
  SPEAKER_01: And that happened, oh my goodness, probably about 15 years ago.
• 7:38
  SPEAKER_01: And over the years, people have asked me to speak in church and to organize different things.
• 7:46
  SPEAKER_01: And it wasn't me asking, it was someone seeing something in me.
• 7:53
  SPEAKER_01: Somebody may have helped you without realizing that you would remember the moment years later.
• 8:01
  SPEAKER_01: Russell's badges show what he has accomplished.
• 8:05
  SPEAKER_01: His missing badge represents what he can't complete by himself.
• 8:13
  SPEAKER_01: That is a lesson for every high-achieving woman who has become accustomed to handling everything alone.
• 8:20
  SPEAKER_01: You can earn degrees, build careers, raise families, and collect visible evidence of success.
• 8:29
  SPEAKER_01: Certain parts of our development still require another human being.
• 8:34
  SPEAKER_01: Confidence grows through action.
• 8:37
  SPEAKER_01: Confidence also grows when another person sees something in us and has the courage to say it out loud.
• 8:43
  SPEAKER_01: A younger woman may already possess talent, intellect, and ambition.
• 8:49
  SPEAKER_01: She may lack access.
• 8:52
  SPEAKER_01: She may not know the language used in certain rooms.
• 8:56
  SPEAKER_01: She may not understand how decisions are made when the meeting ends and the real conversation begins.
• 9:05
  SPEAKER_01: She may be one introduction away from an opportunity.
• 9:10
  SPEAKER_01: Or she may be one honest conversation away from avoiding a mistake that costs five years.
• 9:18
  SPEAKER_01: The question becomes: who needs access to what you know?
• 9:24
  SPEAKER_01: Carl doesn't become Russell's mentor by announcing that he is mentoring him.
• 9:31
  SPEAKER_01: Their relationship develops through shared experiences.
• 9:34
  SPEAKER_01: Carl begins to listen.
• 9:37
  SPEAKER_01: He protects Russell.
• 9:39
  SPEAKER_01: He trusts him with responsibilities.
• 9:42
  SPEAKER_01: He eventually recognizes the emotional need hiding beneath Russell's enthusiastic personality.
• 9:50
  SPEAKER_01: That detail is important because people really walk into our lives carrying a sign that says, I need guidance.
• 10:00
  SPEAKER_01: Need can look like constant questioning, or it can look like someone trying too hard to impress you.
• 10:08
  SPEAKER_01: Need can also look like confidence.
• 10:11
  SPEAKER_01: And some of the most capable people are hoping someone will slow down enough to see them.
• 10:21
  SPEAKER_01: Carl also misses Russell because he is consumed with protecting what he's lost.
• 10:28
  SPEAKER_01: Grief can do that, disappointment can do that, and also exhaustion.
• 10:33
  SPEAKER_01: Pain can narry our focus until we only have enough energy to guard our own emotional house.
• 10:40
  SPEAKER_01: We stop noticing the people standing at the door before opening it feels like another demand.
• 10:46
  SPEAKER_01: Carl has a legitimate reason to protect himself.
• 10:50
  SPEAKER_01: His reason doesn't change the fact that Russell still needs someone.
• 10:55
  SPEAKER_01: There are seasons when we need to rest and recover.
• 10:58
  SPEAKER_01: And there are also seasons when healing begins because another person gives us a reason to participate in life again.
• 11:09
  SPEAKER_01: Now Russell doesn't replace Ellie, he just creates space for Carl to become someone new while continuing to love who Ellie was to him.
• 11:22
  SPEAKER_01: That gives us a different understanding of legacy.
• 11:25
  SPEAKER_01: Because legacy includes what you create, what you build, and what you own.
• 11:31
  SPEAKER_01: Legacy also lives inside the people who gain the courage, the clarity, or opportunity because you gave them access to your experience.
• 11:44
  SPEAKER_01: Now, your resume records what you accomplished.
• 11:48
  SPEAKER_01: Your legacy reveals who became stronger because you showed up.
• 11:53
  SPEAKER_01: Now, near the end of up, Russell attends his bad ceremony.
• 12:00
  SPEAKER_01: The person he hoped would be there is absent.
• 12:04
  SPEAKER_01: Carl walks into the room and stands besides him.
• 12:08
  SPEAKER_01: Carl takes a great soda badge connected to Ellie and presents it to Russell.
• 12:16
  SPEAKER_01: That small object carries enormous emotional weight.
• 12:22
  SPEAKER_01: Carl shares something deeply personal with a child who once felt like an interruption.
• 12:28
  SPEAKER_01: Carl's presence communicates what Russell needed to know.
• 12:34
  SPEAKER_01: I see you.
• 12:38
  SPEAKER_01: I am proud of you.
• 12:42
  SPEAKER_01: You do not have to experience this moment alone.
• 12:47
  SPEAKER_01: And that is pure leadership.
• 12:50
  SPEAKER_01: Leadership includes strategy, decisions, accountability, and results.
• 12:56
  SPEAKER_01: Leadership also requires us to notice who is standing in the room, hoping to be seen.
• 13:03
  SPEAKER_01: Many women are looking for mentors while experienced women are waiting for someone to formally ask them to become one.
• 13:11
  SPEAKER_01: Everybody is waiting and nobody is knocking on the door.
• 13:15
  SPEAKER_01: A simple invitation can change that.
• 13:18
  SPEAKER_01: You can say, I see how you handle that situation.