From Cancer Contest to Corporate Change: How Finding My Voice Transformed Lives
- Oct 2
- 3 min read
By Ellin Sidell
I couldn’t believe I won a "Cancer Contest." As a breast cancer survivor, I was terrified of putting myself out there, but my mentor Craig pushed me to "get uncomfortable." That 30-second leap of faith—winning second place and creating a breast cancer awareness ad shown on The Doctors and Dr. Oz—gave me something I'd rarely used consistently: my voice.
For years, I'd watched colleagues at Costco struggle with untapped potential, just like I once had. Many brilliant people didn't see themselves as leaders, trapped by limiting beliefs that I recognized all too well. The image that haunted me was a ladder with the first rung too high to reach—talented employees with nowhere to climb because traditional one-on-one mentorship couldn't scale to meet their needs.
I founded Costco's Mentee Ring program—a unique approach I call "leveraged mentorship." Instead of the impossible task of pairing every employee with a senior leader, I created monthly circles where mentees lead their own development alongside experienced mentors. The format was intentionally simple: small groups meeting for just a couple hours monthly, focusing on what mattered most to the mentees themselves.
The personal WHY behind this program ran deep. Those transformational mentors who saw my potential when I couldn't—I wanted to recreate that experience at scale. As a cancer survivor, I'd learned profound lessons about resilience that I hoped to share. But I also knew transformation can't be forced. The mentees needed to realize themselves that they would get out of the experience what they put into it—my role was simply creating the framework for their own discovery and growth.
Building the program required me to step far outside my comfort zone. I created pitch decks for executives, developed messaging frameworks, recruited mentors, and taught communication skills. Each step demanded the confidence I'd discovered in that contest moment—the belief that my voice mattered, and my vision could create change.
The results exceeded my wildest expectations. Over five years, we've positively impacted over 200 mentees and countless employees throughout the organization. More than 40 mentors have invested their time. But the numbers only tell part of the story.
I've watched mentees invite their managers to ring presentations, suddenly being seen as organizational leaders. I've seen people discover transferable skills they never knew they had. The program's "4 R's"—Relationships, Recognition, Reigniting Culture, and Ripple Effect—created transformation that spread far beyond our monthly meetings.
What moves me most is witnessing the moment when mentees start seeing their own potential. They begin understanding that success isn't about climbing the ladder alone but building it together.
The ripple effect continues to amaze me. Mentees take their newfound confidence into leadership roles, community involvement, and personal relationships. They become mentors themselves, multiplying the impact exponentially.
Starting with those 30 seconds I learned that transformation begins when we find our voice and choose to use it in service of others. My soul came alive founding and building the mentee ring community so much so that I had the confidence leave my corporate role to build my own boutique professional Talent Development firm called the Sidell Method. My firm's tagline is: The formula for trailblazing leadership is to add the science, not subtract the art.
The most profound community impact starts with a single moment of self-belief and the courage to act on it.
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