Building a career is a journey we rarely go on alone. Behind many professional milestones are the people who offered us advice, knowledge and encouragement. The Female Ventures Career Vitality Mentor Program supports women’s career aspirations by providing them with tailored guidance from experienced professionals. In this blog series, we present mentor and mentee stories in the hope that these reflections will be valuable to anyone considering joining the Female Ventures Mentor Program. We hope these stories inspire you, motivate you and give you a glimpse of the difference women can make in each other’s personal and professional lives.
Vola Rasendramala is a Renewable Energy and Sustainability expert based in Amsterdam. After meeting Tessa at a hackathon and learning about Female Ventures’ work, Vola joined the mentorship program to gain clarity, insights, and support for her career transition.
Infobox – Key Takeaways
– Keep networking – you might learn from others, make friends, and find a business partner in the ecosystem of Female Ventures.
– Help your mentor guide you – Interact with your mentor regularly and openly and ask for help in answering questions that you are wrestling with.
Seeing through the fog
Energy and sustainability is still Vola’s first love, but after eight years in the same corporate role, she was questioning her next move. Stay in corporate? Strike out on her own? Try a different role entirely? A chance meeting with Tessa de Flines connected her with Female Ventures. “The name Female Ventures says it all, and I was not sure I was on an adventure. I just wanted to grow within my corporate life.” But once she read through the mentorship programme questions, she felt she was in the right place.
Brainstorming
Vola was matched with a mentor who’d evolved in corporate and launched her own business. The discussions were therefore not focused on one path or the other. Instead, Vola received tools to support her own self-reflection and decision-making, lighting the way to the next move in her career.
Thanks to these conversations, Vola was able to get comfortable in this transition phase and explore the question: what is the next step?
A shift in perspective
Before the mentorship, Vola had a narrow definition of what a career path could be. “But now it’s broad. I’m more open to applying for different roles, and not afraid to do so.” Her mentor helped her see that the skills she had gained in procurement are transferable to other functions. “I’m also not afraid of taking a step back to come back stronger later.” Other perspective shifts included getting clarity on her values and her skills, and remembering that transitions are rarely linear.
Bridging the gaps
Vola’s mentorship journey helped her to look at herself differently. “We often place aspects of our life into separate boxes – this is my professional life, this is my personal life, this is my hobby. But all these things say something about you.” When you understand all the different aspects of yourself, you can choose a different version of yourself. The mentorship program is helping Vola to awaken and express that new version.
Vola’s advice to other mentees
“Tools are only valuable if you use them.” It’s also important to ask the right questions so your mentor can give you the best tools for your specific needs.
“Make the most of your relationship with your mentor, but don’t stop there. Network – with mentors, other mentees and the Female Ventures community. You can really enrich your life through the lessons other people have already learned. You can also find friends, accountability partners, even business partners for the future.”
Vola also recommends two books for anyone going through a career transition:
- Career Forward: Strategies from Women Who’ve Made It, by Christiana Smith Shi and Grace Puma
- Working Identities: Unconventional Strategies for Reinventing Your Career, by Herminia Ibarra
Final thoughts
“Before starting the mentorship, I knew I was in a transition, but I wasn’t clear. My mentor helped me gain clarity, build confidence, and leverage my current skills.”
The Career Vitality Mentor Program for 2027 will be open for applications from October 2026. To learn about the program or to register your interest, go to the Female Ventures Career Vitality Mentor Program page.
Thank you
Thank you, Vola, for sharing your experience with us.
Connect with Vola Rasendramala on LinkedIn.
Connect with Arielle Ruys Strem on LinkedIn.
Authorship
This blog was written by Melanie Bertaud based on an online interview with Vola Rasendramala on 21 August 2026.