This week on Mother Up, we’re unlocking the secret to boosting confidence through mentorship with the incredible Illana Raia, CEO of Être. Illana shares how the right mentors can bridge the “confidence gap,” especially for girls navigating life’s challenges.

We also get real about Illana’s journey, from her high-powered career as a lawyer to the unexpected twists of motherhood. Transitioning between these two worlds wasn't easy, and finding the right support system made all the difference.

This week on Mother Up, we’re unlocking the secret to boosting confidence through mentorship with the incredible Illana Raia, CEO of Être. Illana shares how the right mentors can bridge the “confidence gap,” especially for girls navigating life’s challenges.

We also get real about Illana’s journey, from her high-powered career as a lawyer to the unexpected twists of motherhood. Transitioning between these two worlds wasn't easy, and finding the right support system made all the difference.

“Empowered” is out, and “inpowered” is in, according to The Female Quotient, an experience and media company advancing gender equality in the workplace.

The FQ teamed up with mentorship ecosystem Être, which matches girls with women in leadership roles, on “iamINPOWERED,” a print and digital campaign kicking off Thursday.

“iamINPOWERED” will be featured in The Guardian US and The New York Times, with outdoor media companies Clear Channel Outdoor and Outfront Media bringing it to billboards in New York’s Times Square.

The Female Quotient (The FQ), an experience and media company advancing gender equality in the workplace, today is launching a new social awareness campaign featuring girls from 10–17 years old proclaiming they have the power to be in the career they want when they grow up. This is in collaboration with Être, a mentorship ecosystem closing the confidence gap by bringing girls directly into companies and face to face with female leaders. An F1 driver, a Supreme Court justice, a CEO, and an Olympic medalist are some of the variety of careers the girls not only want, but understand they have the power from within to be. The #iamINPOWERED print and digital campaign debuts on October 10 followed by print and digital media beginning on October 11, International Day of the Girl.

In this episode of the Women in Leadership Talk podcast, host Vicki Bradley sits down with Illana Raia, a former corporate lawyer turned entrepreneur and founder of Être Girls. Illana shares her journey from the legal world to launching a groundbreaking organization that helps young women gain confidence and envision their futures by connecting them with female role models from leading companies like Spotify, the United Nations, and NASDAQ.

Illana explains how Être, meaning "to be" in French, encourages girls as young as 10 to ask, "Who do I want to be?" rather than "What do I want to be?" Through mentoring, hands-on experiences, and inspirational conversations with industry leaders, Être provides girls with opportunities to engage with women from all fields, giving them the confidence to see themselves in those roles.

Join us in the #EqualityLounge at #AWNewYork24 as we unveil The FQ’s International Day of the Girl campaign, featuring powerhouse girls from Etre, ages 10-17. Together, we will discuss how mentorship changes lives and builds confidence and the magic that happens when we come together to share and pair our collective power. Hear from girls who have the power to be everything from an F1 driver to a financial titan and more. Learn how exposure to boardrooms across industries has changed their lives.

Illana chats to Stephanie about why mentors matter for girls and how she began Être, a mentorship platform for girls. Believing that mentors matter as early as middle school, Illana brings girls directly into companies they select to meet female leaders face to face.

They've done the research and the stats are in fact staggering! Mentors matter as early as middle school because that’s precisely when girls’ confidence can falter. Were you aware that between the ages of 13 and 18 girls' confidence drops by 20%? Or that by the age of 14 girls drop their sport at 2X the rate of boys? Or that the sharpest fall-off of girls in computer science remains between 13 and 17? These are just a few data-driven facts Être shares and it's no wonder we need mentors early on in life. Watch until the end as Illana shares her story, top tips, challenges, and more. We would love to hear from you, did you have a mentor when you were starting out and how did they impact your confidence in the workplace?

We recently connected with Illana Raia and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Illana , we’re so appreciative of you taking the time to share your nuggets of wisdom with our community. One of the topics we think is most important for folks looking to level up their lives is building up their self-confidence and self-esteem. Can you share how you developed your confidence?

I developed my confidence and self-esteem largely thanks to the incredible women who’ve been part of my life. My grandmother, for instance, graduated from Brooklyn Law School in 1936—a remarkable achievement, especially for a woman at that time. Her determination and pioneering spirit left a lasting impression on me.

Young business leaders often encounter challenges early on in their entrepreneurial journey. Without access to adequate resources for knowledge or guidance, it can be difficult to overcome these obstacles alone.

From industry-specific programs and online platforms to in-person events, there are a number of easily available resources newer entrepreneurs can tap into to ensure they are knowledgeable and able to run their businesses with minimal interruption. Below, 20 Forbes Business Council members each share additional resources they recommend young entrepreneurs look into for mentorship or advice.

One of the biggest aha! moments of Illana Raia’s life came quite unexpectedly.

As a corporate lawyer in New York City, Raia realized one day that her middle school-age daughter not only had no idea what she actually did, but she also was completely unaware of what her mother’s super-accomplished women friends did.

“It was a stunning revelation, honestly,” Raia said. “These very accomplished friends were CEOs, TV news anchors, doctors and more. They did amazing things and yet somehow my daughter had no idea who these women really were. So, I took her to see what they did.”

Through the experience with her daughter, Raia realized the importance of providing opportunities to interact with businesswomen, to ask questions and to learn firsthand from other accomplished women. What began as a mother's concern for her daughter's future blossomed into a global movement called Être — French for “to be” — designed to inspire young girls to dream big through mentorship opportunities.

Feeling happy in your skin

“My mother, the most wildly talented person I will ever know, taught me about confidence without even knowing the lessons were happening. Her hair, long while I was growing up, was effortlessly tied back with a scarf because she cared more about what was in her head than on it. Her figure, still slim now in her eighties, wasn’t a focus because she was always on the move. And her smile was bright because she had smart things to say. My mother wordlessly showed me how to be confident and happy in my skin – and I’m grateful every day.”

Every penny counts when you're starting a business with limited resources, and where you allocate your capital can significantly impact your trajectory. Listening to the investment ideas and experiences of seasoned entrepreneurs who have navigated the challenging terrain of limited funds can help you make smarter decisions about your own spending.

Here, 20 Forbes Business Council members share the strategic investments that helped propel their ventures forward. Follow their advice to maximize the impact of your financial resources.

Petite Plume, founded by Emily Hikade and renowned for its premium sleepwear, has recently unveiled the Made for Change initiative, a charitable program dedicated to empowering women and girls. The initiative starts with stellar inaugural partners, including Être Girls, founded by Illana Raia, Every Mother Counts, founded by Christy Turlington Burns, and Ladies of Hope Ministries, founded by Dr. Topeka K. Sam. These collaborations underscore the commitment to mingling crucial social support with community engagement.

Emily Hikade's journey is a testament to the power of resilience and compassion. From high-threat missions for a U.S. government agency to the creation of Petite Plume in East Africa, her story is one of unwavering dedication and a deep sense of duty. Her personal experiences, including the birth of her first son and a near-death encounter, have shaped her commitment to humanitarian causes, making her an inspiring figure for all.

When it comes to confidence, hindsight can be a valuable thing. Especially when looking back at our younger years when a lot of the things that we worried about now seem futile and unnecessary.

A report by Être, the organization that arranges mentorship programmes for young girls and teens, found that there’s been an alarming decline in self-image and mental wellbeing. The survey found that between the ages of 13 to 18 girls, confidence drops by 20% and girls who say they feel smart drops by a shocking 50%.

Adolescence can be a turbulent time, especially for girls and their mental health.

According to a new study by Être, a mentorship program for girls, confidence drops by 20% between the ages of 13 and 18.

Girls who say they feel smart drops by 50%, and those who say they feel stressed increases by a staggering 241%.

But there is some good news -- 91% of girls believe higher confidence is directly related to mentorship.

We spoke with Être's Founder and CEO Illana Raia about its work to build girls' self-esteem.

You've heard of spring cleaning your locker, your bedroom and your closet...but what about your self-image? A confidence refresh might be *just* the thing you need to achieve, uh, full bloom this szn.

But building sustainable self-love is about more than treating yourself to a face mask and a bubble bath now and again. It means making concrete changes in your life so you can bounce back after any struggle—whether it's an awk crush interaction or not-so-great quiz grade.

If you feel like channeling confidence is low-key tricky, you're not alone. A new study from Être shows that girls' self-image plummets between the ages of 13 and 18, thanks to a combo of your brain and social skills developing during high school. Plus, growing up brings all kinds of new pressures (Friend drama! SAT scores! Internships!), so it's no surprise that the percentage of girls who say they're stressed increases by 241% (!!!) at this life stage.

A recent national survey conducted by YPulse in collaboration with Être has shed light on a significant decline in confidence levels among girls aged 13-18, pinpointing the lack of mentorship as a critical issue. This research emphasizes the dire need for early mentorship to enhance self-image and mental well-being in young girls, with Être leading the charge by connecting them with influential female mentors.

Plenty of people struggle today with stress and declines in their mental health—but the experience of middle and high school girls is especially concerning. Girls are struggling with some of the highest-ever levels of depression, anxiety and thoughts of suicide. They are sad, insecure and pessimistic about themselves and their lives.

Worst hit are some of the youngest girls—those in 5th grade—and girls’ experiences have been trending negatively since 2017.

The crisis that girls face is important for many reasons. First, they are our daughters, sisters, nieces and friends—and we want the best for them and their lives.

But the problem is broader as well. Today’s teens are tomorrow’s adults and to make their best contributions, they must have healthy experiences which shape their choices, their confidence, their capabilities and their ability to be in community with others.

Today, Être, the mentorship ecosystem closing the confidence gap by bringing girls into companies and face to face with female leaders, launched a new proprietary survey measuring the current state of girls’ confidence and the direct link shown between early mentorship and higher confidence.