September Mentor: Brian R.

The September Mentor of the Month is Brian R.!

When Brian began planning for retirement, becoming a mentor was already part of the picture. He'd spent most of his adult life coaching youth sports, drawn again and again to the moment a kid grows, not just as an athlete, but as a person. Mentoring felt like the next chapter of that same story. A former colleague introduced him to Tuesday’s Promise and after a single conversation with the organization, he knew he'd found the right fit.

Since then, his relationship with mentee Bronson, and his brother Florian, has become the heart of that decision. "I've learned just as much from them as I hope they've learned from me," he says of their time together. Because Brian lives in the Philadelphia area and Bronson’s family lives in Virginia, most of their relationship runs through phone calls, but every face-to-face visit in the DC area is treated like a gift. The two make the most of it: museum visits, bike rides, swimming, and whatever else fits in the day. One memory stands above the rest: the year Bronson's family joined Brian's family and friends for Thanksgiving in Pennsylvania, a gathering that turned a mentorship into something that felt a lot like family.

“I've learned just as much from them as I hope they've learned from me.”

— Brian

That distance has also shaped the advice Brian offers to mentors just starting out: meet in person early. In his experience, an early face-to-face connection makes every phone call that follows feel more personal and grounded — a foundation the relationship can lean on even when the miles get in the way.

Outside of mentoring, Brian stays busy. Cycling, golf, traveling, and time with family fill most of his calendar, and this year he and his wife added a new hobby to the list: curling, which they've taken to with enthusiasm. Bikepacking remains a particular passion. He's logged trips across the U.S., Canada, and abroad, and there's always another route on his mind.