Mentorship Isn’t Magic: What It Really Takes to Guide Somebody Artwork

Four Titles, One Truth

Four Titles, One Truth is a raw, real, and often hilarious podcast hosted by two retired Army veterans — a Sergeant Major and a Colonel — who’ve lived, led, and learned through decades of service, fatherhood, marriage, and manhood.

Tommie and Lance explore the real conversations that matter: life after the military, raising families, confronting loss, staying grounded, and navigating the world as Black men in America.

This isn’t just a military podcast. It’s a lot more. Join the conversations between two friends, two men who’ve seen it a lot, learned even more— and have something to say.

Veterans. Husbands. Fathers. Black Men.

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Four Titles, One Truth

Mentorship Isn’t Magic: What It Really Takes to Guide Somebody

August 25, 2025 • Tommie Jones & Lance Taylor • Season 1 • Episode 35

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How to find mentors, be coachable, and turn advice into growth.

Mentorship doesn’t work by wishing for it — it works when both people do the work. In this episode of Four Titles, One Truth, we get real about what mentorship actually looks like in the military and beyond: expectations, boundaries, accountability, and the difference between a mentor, coach, and sponsor.

We cover:

•What mentorship is (and isn’t): mentor vs. coach vs. sponsor

•How to find a mentor without being awkward (and how to keep one)

•The mentee’s job: being prepared, coachable, and consistent

•Setting goals, boundaries, and meeting rhythms that stick

•Giving and receiving feedback without getting defensive

•When it’s time to outgrow a mentor (or evolve the relationship)

•Sponsorship: getting someone to speak your name in rooms you’re not in

•Lessons from the uniform: leadership, accountability, and paying it forward

Whether you’re looking for guidance or ready to guide someone else, this conversation gives you a practical playbook to make mentorship real — not mythical.