Mentorship Matters: How Big Brothers Big Sisters Gives Youth a Second Act Start | #248

In this special episode of the Second Act Success Podcast, Shannon Russell participates in Podcastathon 2026, a global initiative where podcasters dedicate an episode to highlight a charity that matters deeply to them.

The organization Shannon chose to spotlight is Big Brothers Big Sisters, specifically Big Brothers Big Sisters of Coastal and Northern New Jersey.

Before becoming a business coach for women, Shannon spent years running a Snapology STEM and robotics franchise, where she partnered with Big Brothers Big Sisters to bring hands-on LEGO and robotics programs to their mentorship events. Through those experiences, she saw firsthand how powerful mentorship can be.

Big Brothers Big Sisters pairs children, known as “Littles,” with caring mentors called “Bigs.” These relationships help young people build confidence, develop strong life skills, and see new possibilities for their future.

In this episode, Shannon shares:

• Why mentorship can change the trajectory of a child’s life
• How the Big Brothers Big Sisters mentorship program builds confidence and opportunity
• The connection between mentorship and personal growth
• How one supportive relationship can create a lifelong ripple effect
• Ways you can support Big Brothers Big Sisters in your own community

This conversation ties directly into the mission of Second Act Success, because whether you are a child learning to believe in yourself or an adult building a new chapter in life, having someone who believes in you can change everything.

If you’ve ever had a mentor who shaped your life, or if you believe in supporting the next generation, this episode will inspire you to take action.

Ways to Support Big Brothers Big Sisters:

You can make a difference by supporting the mission of Big Brothers Big Sisters.

Donate nationally:
 donate.bbbs.org

Support Shannon’s local chapter:
 mentornj.org

You can also volunteer to become a mentor, share this episode, or simply spread awareness about the impact of mentorship.

One caring adult can truly change the life of a child.

🔗 Get the full show notes here!

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Transcript

Transcription:

Second Act Success Podcast

Season 1 - Mentorship Matters: How Big Brothers Big Sisters Gives Youth a Second Act Start | #248

Episode - #248

Host: Shannon Russell

Transcription (*created by Descript and may not be perfectly accurate)

[00:00:00] Hey there, my friend. Welcome back to the second Act Success podcast. I'm your host Shannon Russell, I am participating in the 2026 podcasthon where podcasters around the world dedicate one episode to shine a light on a charity that matters deeply to them. The organization I chose is Big Brothers, big Sisters

specifically Big Brothers, big Sisters of Coastal and Northern New Jersey.

This podcast is all about second acts, and trust me, it's all tying together because this organization is part of mine.

Now, if you're new to the show, you may not know that prior to being a business coach, I was in television for many years, and when I made my pivot out of television and into a second act, I actually owned and operated a Snapology franchise. And in that business we provided Lego based STEM and robotics [00:01:00] programs for kids in my community.

I ran that business, grew it, scaled it. For over eight years before selling it. But through that work I had the opportunity to partner closely with Big Brothers Big Sisters.

Now Big Brothers Big Sisters matches children with volunteer adult mentors, or in some cases matching elementary or middle schoolers with high schoolers. .

And when they match, they are put together to really create this friendship and this bond where they do different activities together. And It really helps create a relationship that is designed to help that child's potential, boost their self-confidence and really help move them along in life knowing that there's someone there that cares for them and supports them.

Often these are children who are from either a single parent, low income, or challenging households where they might not always have this kind of relationship.

So to get this kind of, friendship [00:02:00] bond mentorship from someone outside of their home is really important. these pairings meet together. They meet a couple of times a month. Usually it's an afterschool program where they come into the school and they do an activity together.

What I would do with my synology business is that we would bring our Legos and robotics to their events that would oftentimes have high schoolers teamed with middle schoolers or elementary schoolers, and they would build together. We would also work with organizations that had adults that were paired with kids, and they were the bigs and the littles. And they would come together and they would build a robot, or they would create this project using Lego they would do it as a team. 

We would see this confidence growing as they would work together. For most of these programs, I would volunteer myself even though I was the owner of the business to go because I liked to watch the interactions. I liked to be able to offer this program and see these [00:03:00] bigs and littles really connect over what they were building, really for us as the instructors of the program would bring the materials, but we would stand back because we didn't want to get in the middle of their relationship and help them problem solve.

We wanted the bigs and littles to do it together, and it was always really cool to watch that connection

Big Brothers Big Sisters is about really the idea that one caring adult can change the life of a child. through those little things, those relationships, the showing up, the listening, the being that mentor, being someone that that child can lean on and talk to if they might not have that person in their life in another way.

I believe that the mission of Big Brothers Big Sisters aligns with second act success. And that's because these adults, who are mentoring these littles, are allowing them to start fostering a successful second act. If you think [00:04:00] about it, this podcast is all about support,

it's me sharing advice, tips on how you can start your second act, and how you can take your career experience and start a business. The guests that I have on offer support in ways that they have learned over the years, how to go from their first act to their second act.

 this podcast is about saying, I believe in you and you can believe in yourself. It's about having someone else say to you, you can do this, and I'm giving you the permission to do so.

In many ways the littles in Big Brothers, big Sisters are asking those similar questions. They're asking for someone to believe in them, for someone to support them, for someone to say, you can do this. And when women come to me for coaching, they're in that moment of uncertainty of what's next?

Can I really do this? Am I capable of building something new in my life? The littles are asking the same thing, they need that older mentor to lead them to what's [00:05:00] possible because these kids might not be seeing their potential.

They might not have that reinforcement in their homes or their own community. So by having this person, this outside, adult, or older mentor, they get to see someone who is supporting them, who's all in on them, and who can see how they can move forward in their lives. They can be a better student. They can find the path forward outside of school, and by having this big or this mentor, it can change the trajectory of their lives.

There can be a long term impact. And Big Brothers Big Sisters isn't about a one-time event. It really is that mentorship, that relationship that happens all year. Research shows that in these programs, children are more likely to graduate high school and even enroll in higher education, and they're less likely to engage in risky behaviors.

They have something to do after school. They have someone [00:06:00] who wants them to show up, who wants to spend time with them, that gives them an opportunity to go to a Big Brother's Big Sister's meeting, hang out with their big, and not be peer pressured into maybe going down the wrong path.

Beyond these stats, it's really about that identity that when a child grows up, knowing that they have someone outside of their family who believes in them, they can see themselves differently and it expands what's possible, it's that ripple effect that can truly last a lifetime.

Maybe you can think back to someone who impacted you as a child, maybe in college or university

or even early on in your career. Okay. Think about that person and the impact that they have had on you and your trajectory.

In a world that feels very disconnected right now, organizations like Big Brothers Big Sisters reminds us that relationships matter. Showing up matters, and consistency matters because that leads to [00:07:00] confidence. And confidence leads to you knowing that you can start over, that you can make a change, that you can build that second act. We do talk a lot about second acts here on the show, obviously, and it's all about reinvention and about growth later in life. And what Big Brothers Big Sisters does is they lay that foundation early and hopefully the lessons these children will learn through their program will lead to them reinventing a better life for themselves down the road and allowing them to have that confidence to grow in whatever way they want to as an adult.

 When a child learns early that they're valued and that they have the capability to do big things, they carry that with them into adulthood and that can be really, truly transformative.

Chances are you have a Big Brothers Big Sisters organization near you. And if this episode resonates with you, there are two ways that you can support this [00:08:00] incredible organization. , 

you can volunteer at your local Big Brothers Big Sisters, or you can donate to the National Big Brothers Big Sisters organization and that is@donate.bbbs.org.

Or if you're local to New Jersey, you can support my local Big Brothers Big Sisters of Coastal and Northern New Jersey. And that is@mentornj.org. I will drop both links in the show notes below. Every donation helps match more children with mentors.

 And if donating isn't possible right now, consider sharing this episode or consider volunteering at your local organization, or just spreading the word

I feel so grateful that through my first business I had the chance to witness the magic of the Big Brothers big sisters mentorships firsthand. I saw what happens when someone says, I'm here for you. Let's work together. And in Many ways, that's what we're all looking for. Whether we're 10 years old [00:09:00] or 45 years old, building a second act, we want support.

We want someone to believe in us, and we want to know that change is possible

and I believe that every relationship can rewrite someone's future. Thank you for supporting organizations that make a difference in the lives of children who need it most. I will also link to podcast athon in the show notes so you can learn more about that organization and all of the wonderful charities that podcasters across the globe are working to support today.

As always, I'm your host Shannon Russell, and I will see you on the next episode of the second Act Success podcast.

[00:10:00]