PowHERful Ties – An Intergenerational Mentorship
Clockwise from top left: Kim Bondy, Soledad O’Brien, Sheba Turk; Tassion Minor, Sheba; Sheba, Tassion; Kim, Sheba.
Mentorship is often seen as a journey where experienced individuals guide and support those who are just starting their careers. Yet, sometimes, these mentor-mentee relationships evolve into something deeper, more meaningful and enduring. In the case of Kim Bondy, Sheba Turk, and Tassion Minor, mentorship has extended far beyond guidance in practical matters, creating bonds that have become much like those of family.
Soledad O’Brien introduced Kim Bondy to PowHERful in its early days, and she became one of the foundation’s first mentors. By age 30, Kim had achieved a number of personal career goals working in broadcast news—she made it to “the network.” Twenty years later, mostly working in senior management roles in television including as an executive producer at the Today Show, Kim went back to the University of New Orleans, where she’d earned her BA, to achieve another personal goal—her MBA.
It was at the University of New Orleans in 2009 that Kim and Sheba Turk (who was to become Kim’s mentee) first crossed paths. “It was a twist of fate,” says Sheba. “I had dropped out of NYU because I could not afford it. The semester had already started when I enrolled at UNO, so I had to see a counselor to get situated. The counselor suggested I take Kim’s class about TV news, and I did.”
The course Kim designed and taught, ‘Inside The Newsroom,’ focused Sheba’s interest in broadcast journalism, especially as she found her professor uniquely inspiring.
As Sheba’s professor, Kim found her “incredibly smart, if a bit shy, or reserved—this is definitely not the Sheba we know today.” Sensing Sheba’s potential and seeing how she applied herself, Kim introduced her to Soledad O’Brien and the PowHERful Foundation. Opportunities followed: the foundation helped secure her a summer internship at CNN. And when Sheba’s funds ran out as she was about to finish her degree, PowHERful helped out.
Following her graduation with a B.S. in English, Sheba was hired by WWL-TV in New Orleans as an associate producer. In two years, she worked her way from behind the scenes to the anchor desk at WWL-TV, where she continued to anchor mornings for a decade.
Sheba remembers Kim guiding her through some of the toughest decisions and stressful moments. “While it’s fun to call Kim with big news or a success, what I especially value is that we are very honest about the highs and lows we go through.”
“Sheba knows that she can talk to me about anything,” Kim concurs. “I try to help her see around corners. But she has a good head on her shoulders so she needs less and less of that as our relationship continues to evolve.”
When an opportunity arose in 2022 at KCAL (CBS-Los Angeles), Kim strongly encouraged Sheba to go for it. “While a move to LA would be daunting, and definitely out of Sheba’s comfort zone,” Kim says, “I knew she was up to it.” In January of 2023, Sheba became weekend anchor and reporter for KCAL News. “As a city and TV market, it’s huge,” exclaims Kim. “Literally millions of people watch her work!”
Kim does not paper over the hard times and trip-ups she herself has made. “Over the course of my career, I’ve made mistakes—we all do. For example, as I moved into management very early in my career, I didn't have the tools to actually manage people, so I often overshared. I lost respect before I had a chance to earn it. Tough lesson.
“But I’m very open about these mistakes because, very often, the most important changes and growth come out of those experiences. I’ve never shied away from sharing them with Sheba. I do remind her how important it is not to overthink. If you’re smart—and Sheba is, you’ll learn with time and experience how to navigate choppy waters. I see the lessons I’ve passed on to Sheba filter down, through Sheba, to her mentee, Tassion. Tassion knows she has my ear, too.”
Sheba recounts, “When Soledad first asked me to mentor Tassion Minor nearly a decade ago in 2014 for PowHERful, I did not feel ready. I was just getting started in my career, and was still trying to get to a stable place financially. And I was still reaching out to Kim, constantly, with questions and for reassurance about every little thing. I couldn’t imagine being a good fit to mentor anyone, but both Soledad and Kim encouraged me.”
To hear it from Tassion, Soledad and Kim were spot on. “I can remember how reluctant Sheba was at first,” Tassion says, “but considering who mentors her, I had no doubts that she’d be great. In true Sheba fashion, she took on the role and transcended it…. Having a mentor in college was something I didn’t know I needed until I had it.”
Tassion describes, “There have been so many times I’ve felt stuck or encountered unexpected obstacles, and Sheba has been there for me. She has a way of relating that’s really effective: when things aren’t really working out in my favor, she gives me a period of time to emotionally react. Once that time is up, we focus together on how to move forward. Having someone by my side who sees my full potential—even when I can’t—is very special. Thanks to her, I’ve been able to accomplish many goals and surpass others. Sheba supported me through every obstacle that I think a college student could possibly face.”
At first, Sheba says, “Tassion was very shy, and sweet. And yet she was always eager to jump in and try anything. Quite soon, she began to feel like a little sister. I noticed her reaching out to me, just as I did with Kim, for everything from college advice to dating. I started to realize I had just been through a lot of the things she was trying to navigate and that I could, in fact, help her.”
Tassion, now a college graduate, says, “Sheba believes in me through and through. She taught me the importance and impact of setting goals, encouraging me to take them on brick by brick. One very important thing that Sheba has shown me is that being comfortable with being uncomfortable means that you continue to learn.”