At the recent WFA Summit, Melissa Huizer, WFA Mentorship Lead, sat down for an in-person conversation with Sophie Bell, a young Irish farmer, civil servant and freelance marketing professional working in and around agriculture. Their discussion offered an honest look into why mentorship matters, how confidence grows through community, and what it means to lift others as you rise.
From Farm to Policy to Communications
Sophie farms in partnership with her father in Ireland while also working full-time in the civil service and freelancing in agricultural marketing and communications. This dual perspective, hands-on farming combined with professional and policy-facing work, allows her to understand and communicate the agricultural industry from multiple angles.
As Sophie explains, being embedded in both worlds makes it easier to translate challenges, opportunities and stories across the sector. It is a balance that not only strengthens her professional credibility, but also shapes how she shows up in industry conversations.
Why Mentorship, Why Now?
When Sophie applied to the WFA Mentorship Program, she was at a point of strong career momentum, but without the support network she felt she needed to take the next step.
“I didn’t feel like I had the right support to match where I was in my career,” she shared. While she was progressing well, she lacked access to people who could offer guidance, reassurance and perspective beyond her local network.
The timing proved perfect. Sophie was paired with a mentor she already admired within the industry, someone whose career path aligned closely with Sophie’s own ambitions to eventually build her own business.
Tackling the Confidence Question
Like many high-achieving women, Sophie identified confidence as the key challenge that brought her to mentorship. Despite external reassurance, people telling her she did not need help, she still found herself questioning her own abilities.
Through conversations with her mentor, Sophie began to recognise something powerful. Confidence grows through shared experience. Hearing how others navigated similar doubts, setbacks and decisions helped her reframe her own inner dialogue.
“It’s really comforting,” she noted, “to know someone else has already gone through that and come out the other side.”
Learning by Example, Leadership That Lifts Others
One of the most impactful lessons Sophie has taken from the program has not come as direct advice, but through observation. Watching her mentor run a large business while consistently bringing other women along with her left a lasting impression.
Despite a hectic schedule and significant responsibilities, Sophie’s mentor prioritises education, inclusion and support, a leadership style Sophie finds both inspiring and aspirational.
“It showed me that even though I’m young, I can still bring people along with me,” Sophie said. “You don’t have to wait until you’re ‘established’ to support others.”
Community Over Competition
Both Melissa and Sophie reflected on a recurring theme heard throughout the Summit. Progress happens faster when women lift each other up rather than compete.
Agriculture can be a tough industry, Sophie acknowledged. That is why spaces like WFA, where collaboration, generosity and shared learning are encouraged.
Mentorship, in this sense, extends beyond the one-to-one relationship. It opens doors to a wider community of mentors and mentees, across countries and disciplines, connected by shared values and ambition.
Advice for Hesitant Mentees
For those considering the WFA Mentorship Program but feeling unsure, Sophie’s advice is simple. You do not need to have everything figured out.
She admitted that before joining, she felt pressure to be a perfectionist, to have every box ticked before taking the leap. What she learned instead is that most successful people started before they felt ready.
“You just need to go and do it,” she said. “Everyone you admire has had their own struggles. You just don’t always see them.”
More Than Mentorship
Attending the Summit itself was a powerful example of the program’s ripple effect. Sophie shared that she would not have been in Amsterdam without joining the mentorship program. As a result, she gained insights, connections and potential future opportunities she never expected.
That, she believes, is the true value of WFA. Not just mentorship, but access, visibility and a community that grows with you.
Interested in joining the WFA Mentorship Program?
Discover how mentorship can support your growth, confidence and connections across food and agriculture whilst helping you build the career you want.
Applications for our 2026 cohort are now open! Apply now by clicking here
