In every life, there is at least one "mentor that matters" a person whose insights spark change and whose influence endures. It might be an educator whose knowledge ignites new passion. A family member whose wisdom steers us away from irreparable mistakes or encourages our boldest dreams. An expert whose training spurs us to do more than we could have imagined. A leader who elicits strength or courage. A friend who sees and encourages our hidden gifts. Sometimes, this transformational teacher calls him- or herself a mentor. More often it's someone whose role in our lives has another name: parent or pastor, colleague or child, manager, friend, therapist, role model, inspiration, hero. It might be someone sitting across from us in a classroom, office, or kitchen...someone working beside us in a lab, a gym or a studio...someone miles or even countries away...even someone known to us only through news headlines, the pages of a book, the annals of history, or the beauty of a work of art. In a series of brief and richly thought-provoking essays written by both recognized "names" and extraordinary ordinary Americans, THE MENTOR THAT MATTERS: STORIES OF TRANSFORMATIONAL TEACHERS, ROLE MODELS AND HEROES shares the perspectives of forty unique individuals as each speaks about one person who unforgettably changed their lives. Encompassing moods from playful to fierce and professional fields including academia, the arts, business and marketing, medicine, philanthropy, science, and more, each contributor's story is vividly different and personal. Yet all invite us into their lives at a pivotal moment. And all explore the same core questions. How do we define and embody excellence? How can another person help us be most powerfully ourselves? Must someone's presence in our lives be lengthy to produce a lasting impact? How does an effective mentor balance words and actions, information and broader insight to help create change? How can we best honor our mentors and pass on the gifts they have given us? What do the transformational individuals we have encountered teach us about becoming role models, inspirations and mentors ourselves? THE MENTOR THAT MATTERS does not offer a single answer to these queries. Instead, it offers an array of possibilities and perspectives that affirm the human capacity to change, grow, connect, and make a lasting mark on the world. The Mentor that Matters will become go-to reading for anyone interested in personal growth, teaching in all of its different forms, or the trajectory of lives of achievement. It will also inspire readers to celebrate the richness of their own life journeys, remember their most extraordinary teachers, and continue to reach for opportunities to become "mentors that matter" themselves.