by Cynthia Germain
One of the things I hear most often when talking with older adults is that retirement is not always what they expected.
It isn’t necessarily about money. It isn’t always about staying busy. More often, it is about something deeper: wanting to continue contributing, sharing knowledge, and making a difference.
For many of us, our careers provided more than a paycheck. They gave us opportunities to solve problems, guide others, build relationships, and use skills developed over decades. When that chapter ends, those talents don’t disappear. The question becomes: how do we continue to use them in meaningful ways?
That question helped inspire M² (M Squared), a new mentorship initiative being developed through a partnership between Do Good Door County and the Door County Economic Development Corporation. The program is designed to connect experienced professionals with emerging leaders, entrepreneurs, career changers, and others looking to grow professionally.
At its heart, M² is about relationships.
While there is no shortage of information available online, there is still tremendous value in learning from someone who has been there before. A mentor can provide perspective that can’t be found in a textbook or a YouTube video. They can help someone navigate challenges, avoid common pitfalls, build confidence, and see possibilities they may not have considered.
At the same time, mentoring is not a one-way street.
Many mentors discover that they gain just as much as they give. They build new relationships, stay engaged with emerging ideas and industries, and find renewed purpose through helping someone else succeed. Mentorship creates opportunities for both individuals to grow.
For Door County, the benefits extend even further. We are fortunate to have a community filled with people who have led businesses, managed organizations, built careers, solved complex problems, and developed expertise in countless professions. Those experiences represent an incredible community asset. M² is an opportunity to keep that knowledge circulating rather than allowing it to quietly fade away. It strengthens our workforce, supports entrepreneurship, and helps build connections across generations.
The idea also aligns closely with what we hear from residents through our ongoing work at Do Good Door County. People want opportunities to stay engaged, continue learning, and remain connected to their community. They want to know that they still matter and that their experiences have value.
Because no matter where we are in life, we all have something to teach, something to learn, and something valuable to contribute.
Contact us to learn more about this new program!
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