Delores Morton on Mentorship, Leadership, and Creating Change

In the season finale of Speaking of Phenomenal, host Amy Boyle chats with Delores Morton, CEO of Step Up, as she shares her inspiring journey and leadership in empowering girls and young women ages 18-29. Learn how Step Up’s innovative flash mentoring model and expanded programs help participants become confident, connected, and career-focused. Delores discusses navigating challenges, securing federal funding, and creating lasting change. Discover how YOU can help Step Up build a bigger table for the next generation of leaders.

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Chapters

• 0:00 Introduction to Delores and Her Journey
• 3:18 Navigating Nonlinear Paths to Success
• 6:38 The Role of Mentorship in Personal Growth
• 9:31 Step Up: Empowering Young Women
• 12:43 The Impact of Representation and Visibility
• 15:56 Creating Safe Spaces for Vulnerability
• 18:48 Future Goals for Step Up
• 22:01 The Power of Authenticity and Community
• 32:22 Outro

Transcript

Amy Boyle (amyboylephoto) (00:00.066)

Welcome to the Speaking of Phenomenal podcast, Delores. I'm so glad you're here. Thank you for having me, Amy. I'm so glad to be here with you. I cannot wait for you to introduce your phenomenal self to our audience. Is it time? Do I do it now? It is time. is time. Well, you know, I am, I sometimes say I am just, but I am a girl from the Bayou in South Louisiana.

You know, a small town country girl who has lived the dreams that my mother and father and grandmother and grandfather and, you know, generations of Julliets and Bishops, that's my family name, have had for me that I didn't even know about, right? So I have had this, this amazing career that has taken me to, I've worked with a number of

presidents that worked with the Bush's and the Obama's and the Clintons. So I worked with President Carter's I've worked with presidents and been celebrated by them throughout my almost 30 years in the nonprofit sector creating change and so that really has been my life's call my life's purpose is using the talents and the gifts that I have to make good happen in the world and in those 30 years of

I really do feel like I've made a difference in the lives of so many people, whether it is in the lives of veterans, in the lives of students, in the lives of people who have been impacted by, and I've spent the last five years really trying to make a difference in the lives of teenage girls and young women in my role as the CEO of Step Up. And so I end with being CEO because that's not something that I had dreamed about or my parents had dreamed about, but

all of the things that are just wilder and bigger than I could have imagined for myself. And I really, I do believe that so much of that is because I just like doing good. So when you enjoy the work and you appreciate doing good, then good things come back to you. And so I don't know how phenomenal that is. I'm a phenomenal, probably should let my kids tell you that, but I think I'm a phenomenal mom, a phenomenal daughter, phenomenal sister, and

Amy Boyle (amyboylephoto) (02:21.234)

right now professionally a phenomenal CEO of an organization that is supporting girls and women. i love that. And you know, yes, absolutely. We have to celebrate all the things that we're phenomenal at our places and spaces in our lives. And I loved how you said B you're ending with the CEO, but that's not necessarily where you thought you might've been our common thread on the show often.

is nonlinear paths. What was the biggest change from where you started out of college to where you are now?  Actually, I'm going to go back. I like thinking around nonlinear paths. That's something we talk about a lot at Step Up. You know, I was a high achieving student when I was in high school, and I was starting to focus on academic success. Neither of my parents had done a college. My grandmother, my mom's mom had only had a

third grade education. My paternal grandmother was a domestic worker. So I, you know, I didn't have a lot of examples of this is how college is gonna go. This is how you're gonna get there. But there was an expectation from my parents that that was gonna happen for me. And so I did it. I was so focused. I did it. I made my way to college. But like a lot of girls who lived in Delcourt existence in high school,

I got to college and did not know how to navigate. I thought just getting to college was going to be a success. I didn't know that I needed internships. I didn't know about networking or any of those things when I was in college. you know, probably didn't have all of the social and most of the skills that were going to be required for me to be successful either. So making good decisions and that first breath of independence. And so I actually lost a full ride scholarship because I got pregnant and had to leave college.

And so that was the first time I went off the path that was supposed to be to take this step and this step and this step. So I left college. I went back to my hometown with my daughter and I found an AmeriCorps program and AmeriCorps actually not only did I have the opportunity to earn money and you know do good for my community, but it gave me a scholarship so that I could finish my education. So I did find my way back. It was harder. I was almost

Amy Boyle (amyboylephoto) (04:43.374)

30, Amy, when I graduated college. So if you look at my college graduation photos, I've got, you know, my maybe six month old son holding him on my hip, my daughter is standing next to me. So by the time I finished college, I was married with children. And so that wasn't the plan that I had for my life. But I was really fortunate that even throughout those years, while I was still pursuing my degree that

I had people in my life who knew what I was capable of and opened doors for me that I didn't think I should. i was the executive director of a statewide association for community development and I didn't have my degree yet, but I was doing the work and still working on my degree. I was leading a state organization, but I'm a small town girl. I never expected to be working for a national organization. And then working here at Step Up, I didn't see myself as a CEO.

Someone else saw me as the CEO and said, Hey, you should apply for this job. And I'm so glad that I did. Initially, when she said to do it, I was like, I'm a solid number two. I'm the best number two. will make a CEO look great. You know, I'll help them to achieve their vision. And she helped me to see that you are capable of leading in this way. So leading on a national level was not something that I thought, you know, that I'd even dreamed about or running an organization. are the things.

I hadn't dreamed about, you know, I like to say that, that it was a saying you want people to surround yourself with people who will mention your name and won't that you're not in. And, you know, I have had people in my lives who've mentioned in my life, mentioned those that mentioned me in those spaces. And I call it good gossip who've been saying good things behind my back. I really, really love that. And so, you know, I think that first, you know, off ramp was when I, you know, got pregnant, but there've been.

other moments throughout that have just not been as fundamental and transformative as that one. But I embraced my missteps as a part of my whole story. And so I know how long I've been doing this work in this sector because I can measure it in terms of how old my children are. My daughter just turned 30. And so that means that I've been doing this work for 29 years. So I always thought I started my AmeriCorps position

Amy Boyle (amyboylephoto) (07:05.934)

right before her first birthday and she just turned 30. So 29 years later, no, here I am. And so interested in investing in another generation of young women who look like me or come from communities like mine, or have struggles and stories similar to my own to help them to know that one misstep, one intro off the past is not detrimental to you. doesn't mean that it's a death sentence. So much more good is still ahead of us. Absolutely. And having

that passionate drive within you to find, like you said, to try to do everything you were doing with a family. I was similar in that sense. I had started college. I got a job offer my junior year that I thought, well, I don't need to finish college. I could do this. I also finished (undergrad) at 30. It's kind of one of those things that, yeah, initially I've probably lost sleep over this. And now I look back and I'm like, what a gift because

If you could do all these other things and still be present for your family and the things at your core, your, your, your real life is right in front of me. One quick thing I did want to clarify is that while I'd worked with the administration, I didn't work for the, for any, never was a government employee. I've always spent my career in the nonprofit sector, but in

In that capacity, I have had the opportunity to do projects and to work with all of these phenomenal leaders. For our audience who may not be familiar with Step Up, can you give a little bit of background or big background? Like, let's talk about this incredible organization. Of course, my favorite thing to talk about other than food, I think. But, Hussin, we are mentoring nonprofit and we focus specifically on supporting

girls and young women and it is because as they navigate careers and college and life, they're doing it in a world that wasn't necessarily built for their success. So the workplaces weren't built for women, colleges weren't built for women, none of the things that we are.

Amy Boyle (amyboylephoto) (09:20.15)

working on financial systems were not built for women. And so we really are helping them to navigate in those spaces that weren't designed for them. And we do that by engaging with women who have navigated in those spaces. So we are, that's the mentorship component. We bring it is by women and girls for women and girls. We provide after school program for high school students.

And we provide virtual and in-person mentoring programs for young women 18 to 29. And I like to say that education is so important. We're not an education organization, but the programs and support that we provide help girls to succeed in the academic setting and in careers. And so what you think about education,

It is critical, it is an equalizer, but I believe that mentoring is an accelerator. So if education can get you to the same place, mentoring can accelerate, it can help you to get there faster, to get to places and spaces that you would not normally have access to. And so that's our goal, that's what we do. One of the models that we're really proud of is we call it flash mentoring, and it's because

Our mentoring, we believe that one conversation at the right time, structured correctly, can make a tremendous difference. so, so often people think about mentoring as this, I'm going to meet my one mentor who is going to be by my side for the next five years, the next three years, or some extended period of time. And that's not always practical. just, you and I both talked about being

a mom and a student and in the workforce all at the same time. And one of the things that we know is when women want to sign up to do things they want to be, they give it their all. They want to be their best. They don't want to have to do anything. They want to really be excellent at it. know, so flash mentoring creates spaces for more women to be mentors, because if they want to be great at it, then they might say, well, I don't have enough time to give.

Amy Boyle (amyboylephoto) (11:25.592)

So I'm not going to sign up to do it, but if I know that I can make a difference in having one conversation, then I'll, more likely to sign up and help with that. So that's, we've kind of reinvented mentoring, made it more accessible and scalable so that every young person can get a mentor when they need one. Well, and I've come into contact with the organization through your annual awards in Chicago for the last two years.

How many different cities do you serve and how many girls are a part of this program currently? We have programs on the ground in eight cities. Chicago, Los Angeles, Madsville, Atlanta, Dallas, Houston, San Francisco, and New York. We work with about 3,000 girls and young women a year. So about 2,000 teens, 1,000 young women.

an army of more than 2000 mentors actually makes that work possible. So they are the lifeblood of the organization and we couldn't do it without the network of mentors who us. So back, you said even before you became the CEO of Step Up, that you were all in the best number two. would serve whoever was involved, but it was a mentor of your own, right? What was that like for you to have someone

really encourage you to take that bigger leap to dream bigger. was, I think it was surprising first of all, because the mentor is someone that I really admire, looking us through and the places and spaces that she has been. It's so impressive to me. And so I was initially a little bit intimidated to even have her as a mentor. And it was, it was an informal mentoring relationship. And so for someone that you hold in such high regard to see

this kind of potential in you is just, it's humbling, but it is also empowering. I think that that's really how I felt empowered. And she didn't just send my name to the recruiter as someone to talk to, but when she coached me she was like, all right, let's prepare for your interview. She even said like, picked out outfits.

Amy Boyle (amyboylephoto) (13:47.818)

I should wear it when I go to the next stage and go in person for the interviews. was intentional about helping me to present the best version of myself, but also really reminding me that I was enough as I am. So it's the best version of you, but it is still you. It's not necessarily that you have to put on this mask or facade.

So show up as yourself. And I think I did exactly that. I was in various conversations. I was vulnerable. I was imperfect. The Thing about my story is that I didn't actually get my degree until I was almost a month, I think, maybe two months before my 30th birthday was when I finished college. couldn't cost all of those things and let them in for, like, not put a date on my resume for when I graduated.

Although I could have not been authentic, instead I chose to be vulnerable and authentic and talk not just about my successes, but about my missteps. And I think that, and that was empowering that she encouraged me to do that. And it helps me to show up as myself in the interview. Think in relationships, you can pretend to be, you know, be one thing for a certain amount of time, but eventually over time, the kind of costumes and makeup that we put on.

eventually washes away and it falls to the wayside. So it really allowed me to be my authentic self from the beginning. She helps me to do that, you know, in the interview and had been, and have carried that really with me even to now. There's so much talk about authenticity, but I think it's hard for us to manage what, how vulnerable and authentic that is, right? But at the end of the day, the way you just said, you know, the makeup and

like that washes away. If it's just a cover up for something else. mean, yes, there's a fake until you make it kind of, we have to pump ourselves up. But at the same time, our authentic selves are our superpowers. And that's what gets us that relationship that spark in someone's eye when they're like, my gosh, I totally believe that you're going to carry this across the finish line, or at least bring a whole bunch of us with it. that is, it's just refreshing and

Amy Boyle (amyboylephoto) (16:04.652)

needs to be repeated and louder more often so that we do show up with our whole self. Yeah. I don't know how to be anyone else. I don't know how to be anyone. We can try to be someone else, but we're playing a character. And I'll admit, Amy, when I first started at Step Up, I thought I was, you know, being what I thought as CEO was, right? Probably. And then I started at Step Up in

August of 2019 and what came shortly after that. so by the time we were, you know, into March and April of the pandemic of 2020, there was no pretending and fake it till you make it. had to really get in there and figure out how we, how do, how do I help this organization to survive this tumultuous time, this uncertainty, and how do I, and to set us up for success so that we are.

I don't want to say disaster proof, but as close to disaster proof as we can be as an organization. so it really, you know, was not a lot of time for me to face it till I made it. I had to really make it by that next six months later was in the deep end. And then thinking about that time and knowing how things were so virtual and especially young women and teens feeling isolated.

But how do you encourage these young women to share so that they can feel seen and heard and get to the next steps of whatever it is that their goals might be? You know, I think the thing that we've recognized, the spaces we create, I think it's first of all, is the kind of space you create. We create intentional spaces.

where girls are still empowered and mentors still empowered too. And so the mentors are trained and understand the importance of listening, the importance of that. They are not an expert in what's happening in the girls' lives. And so they are experts at what's happened in their own lives and they're sharing from their perspective. And sometimes their perspective comes with privilege.

Amy Boyle (amyboylephoto) (18:19.276)

Right. And so we train the mentors so that they are equipped, know the girls that they're going in with and can give any advice or guidance that they give the girls is structured and given in such a way that they are, there's some self-awareness that happens. And I think that by creating activities, our mentoring isn't just going to mentor. is like, okay, today our mentorship is focused on time management.

or today our mentorship is focused on setting goals or priorities. And so we're really specific about the context and the intention that's happening. Because it's specific and there's guidance and structure to it, I think it helps girls to be more brave and vulnerable and willing to be open because we often don't know where to start?

talking or where do I ask for advice? But if we know I'm asking for advice in this kind of container, then that helps me to open up and start talking. And so just by saying time management is what we're talking about, it is the gateway to other parts of your life and other conversations. So by giving that package, I think that box or container for it, think it's part of the magic of Step Up and how we're able to quickly help girls and mentors

to make connections and build relationships, even if it's only in that one conversation. And then from my personal experience of being at the Inspiration Awards for the last two years, I love even the most recent award winner being there to cheer on and champion for the next, they're so proud, right? And want to just share. And I love whether it's Chicago or any other city, is there...

How can you pick? It's like your favorite child, but paint a colorful picture for everyone to feel, see what it's like to have been a part of the program, if you could. Sure. I'm trying to think of a great story. I'll talk first about Uchechi, who was the honoree this year in Chicago. And one of the things like these girls that we put on that, that join us on stage, they are, they spent time with stuff up in our, based on our program.

Amy Boyle (amyboylephoto) (20:41.996)

and have already taken from them and asked to be able to talk about their history and their story. you know, that we were just talking about how we curate the space so that girls feel empowered. And one of the things that Ustessi talked about is culturally, she's grown up in a household where children and especially girls are to be seen and not heard, you know. And so over time, she had lost her voice.

practically became mute and lost the voice. She found her voice, she is clear about who she is. And even more important, she's committed to helping other girls find their voice, their girls know that they have something to say. And I just, I loved her talking about, she has something to say. I have something to say, I have value that I bring. And so she's clear about.

what she wants to do from a career perspective because of her participation in Step Up. She's clear about the difference she wants to make in the world. And she has this passion about making connections to other girls because he wants to ensure that they all feel heard and still seen. And so that's one example of a girl who I think has really benefited from our program. So then we have another.

I can think of another story of a young woman in California who we took, one of the things that we do is take girls out of school sometimes into workplaces where they can see all of the amazing things that women are doing in the workplace. And it kind of expands and helps them to see careers that they didn't know existed. And this specific girl went to visit a cosmetic company, Benefit Cosmetics. I'll say their names, but she wanted to be a makeup artist before she went to Benefit.

and she's about to finish a degree in cosmetic science. I could do more than put on the makeup. I can actually create it. I can be in the lab creating these things, right? And so I was like, that was the moment that the mentor who was at Benefit told her about how she approached this creating the products and those things. A light went off in her head. And so one of the things we're able to do is draw it in

Amy Boyle (amyboylephoto) (23:00.258)

the idea of what's possible. started off thinking about talking about I didn't know what all of the things that I was going to accomplish. Being a nonprofit executive wasn't a career path that I wasn't going to be a doctor, engineer.. Those are the five jobs my family knew concretely about. There wasn't going to be any of those things. knew that. so being able to, I didn't know a nonprofit executive.

who could have told me that this is a pass for you. know, so much of what we do is, I don't like to say you can't be what you can't see, but that's a little bit of it is in that I think you can be what you can't see, but you have to know that it's a possibility and you don't know that it's out there. And so that's one of the things that we just work with girls so that they can see more and connect with more women so that they know all of the things that.

are possible for them. Absolutely. I, you know, just even in how this podcast shines light on different women's stories and where they came from or where their goals are, but also just knowing that there's someone else out there who has had struggles or goals like yours, because we can feel so alone. Speaking specifically to representation and

Like you said, you can do things you can't see, but it's so much that aha moment that, wow, I was thinking small until I met someone who actually does it and showed me that there's more to this road ahead. How to step up, help these young women see the possibility within themselves by having as broad of representation as possible.

That's it.It  is about as broad of representation as possible. And one of the things we know is that some of the places where girls will be able to make a tremendous impact down the line are actually in industries and places that are dominated by men. You know, and so while I talk about we're bi women, for women, we actually do, especially after 18, encourage girls to connect with men as well. So we want mentors that are from all walks.

Amy Boyle (amyboylephoto) (25:15.63)

So they are in, I learned about Megatronic, know, big robots. I didn't know that was a career field, you know, so I learned about Megatronic, but there aren't a lot of women, you know, there are globally who work in Megatronic. And so if girls want to move into that field, they're going to have to very likely connect with men. And so that's one of the things that we encourage and make possible. So that's an example, but it is, you know,

welcoming the mentors into the spaces where the girls are, but also bringing girls into the spaces where mentors are. So there really is an exchange. There was one young woman, a Poema, who told the story of, know, walking, of going to Accenture and the mentor who was there with her was running to the airport right after she left. So she came with her suitcase and she was in a suit and she was like,

I realized that I'm more of a stooge girl than a scrub girl. So she's like, I want to be that woman who is running off from a meeting since I'm giving back, but now I'm about to hop on a plane to make another thing happen. And so it is even helping them to see different lifestyles. It's something that they might not normally get exposure to. And so just that little thing, I don't know that's a mentor who

ran off to the airport afterwards, realized that even in that moment, how she had impacted Paloma. So that is so important. just in big ways and little ways. And I think when we think about mentorship, I mentioned that my mentor, Karen, it's not a formal mentor. And I tell her all the time that she's my mentor. tell her after this and say, I talked about you on a podcast. She's like, why do you think I'm your mentor? I learned from you.

But that is an exchange, right? So it's an exchange between you gain as much from being a mentor as you give. And so I think we are all transformed in that process. about the future, what are some of the goals that you have for 2025 for the organization? When I joined Step Up in 2019, we were in four cities.

Amy Boyle (amyboylephoto) (27:37.774)

reaching just about 1200 girls a year. And now we are in eight cities, reaching 3000 a year. And so really want to make sure that our model and the innovation that we have brought to life in New York as an organization are stable and sustainable. So that's the thing I want most. But I also think that there are more than 3000 teens and young women who need our support.

You know, I won't be happy until every girl everywhere has a mentor when she needs one most. So that's really my goal. And so whether that is really expanding the reach and impact, we have a mentoring app. And so getting, you know, getting the word out about that mentoring app and getting more mentors and mentees involved in the app, I'm curious too about how

AI is going to be able to provide some supplemental support for girls, even in the gaps with mentors. So there could be some things that we're looking at there. Ultimately, I want Step Up to be more than the eight cities that we're in. I want Step Up to be accessible for everyone everywhere. So that's what 2025 and beyond is going to look like. It's going to be.

you know, step up in the mentoring model that we provide, really taking off and more people having access. And then with that, like for our listeners who go, gosh, you know, Dolores mentioned early on, it doesn't have to be like a three, five year commitment. You can be a micro mentor. How do we get more people that are listening -  I have time. I want to be involved. How do we make sure they know about all that?

Well, if you're in one of the eight cities that we're in, if you visit our website, SUWN.org step up women's network, suwn.org. You visit our website, sort by city, you can find an in-person mentoring opportunity wherever you are. Or if you, you know, want to, if you're not in one of those eight cities I mentioned, you can mentor in our mentoring app.

Amy Boyle (amyboylephoto) (29:49.55)

and you can find that information on our web page as well. So sign up to get on the app. Someone from our team will contact you and help you to get a profile set up and in no time you'll be mentoring on your schedule. this will be listed in our show notes, but one of the things I've been doing more recently is ending on what is phenomenal to you.

When I think of what os phenomenal to me, I think I probably would connect it to authenticity. So it's being authentically yourself, but in being authentic yourself, not doing it alone. So always either bringing someone with you, someone beside you, pulling someone up behind you from beneath you, from around you, bringing other people along that journey with you. you know, making the table bigger so that there's more space.

for more people. So I think it's being authentic, but being authentic together with other people. That's phenomenal. I think that is tremendously phenomenal. And I'm so grateful to have you a part of our community. And I'm looking forward to seeing our listeners share their talents and treasure and time to help support women and young girls. We just need that community. We need

The bigger table, I'm all for it in 2025 and beyond for the rest of my life. So I'm here for you and I'm excited about all the amazing things. I'm glad to go back to one of the things you said in the very beginning. You were someone who wanted to do good and you're doing darn good. So thank you, Dolores. I really appreciate you. Thank you so much, Amy. Thanks for having me.