Karen Gee's journey on the road to success with the Mrs Australia Globe contest is throwing up all sorts of unexpected experiences and rewards; one of the most important for her is working with June Dally-Watkins as a mentor.

I'm always a big supporter of working with a mentor and I think women are particularly good at taking on the advice and fresh ideas of a mentor, the only trick is finding the right mentor. Karen got lucky straight off the bat. Learn about her experiences and tips and read on!

You chose to have a mentor for this Mrs Australia journey, why did you feel that was important?

Mentoring is to support and encourage people to manage their own learning in order that they may maximise their potential and develop their skills.
Having a mentor is of great importance to me, having someone that I look up to, can learn from, and extend my existing knowledge is going to give me more opportunities and also explore what I thought I could never achieve.

Miss Dally established her agencies in 1950, so has invested over 60 successful years in ladies, hands on, unlocking their potential to "Be The Best they Can Be" and gain the confidence required to succeed in today's competitive world. June Dally Watkins has years developing, improving, implementing and sharing ideas with the leaders of the industry. It works, hundreds of thousands of students have been through her program. All I can say is I am learning from the best and very proud to say it.

How has working closely with June Dally-Watkins helped you? Has there been unexpected benefits or experiences in being mentored?

June Dally Watkins is the first person that came to my mind when I decided I would like to have a mentor with me on my journey.

It has helped me in so many ways. June Dally Watkins has brought out the best in me, she will say it the way it is and if there is something that requires work she will hone in on that. At times she has given me constructive criticism and I have only learnt from this and moved forward. I have grown as a person so much by having her guide me, laugh with me, and encourage me.

How does the mentoring work? How often do you meet and what sort of structure is there to work with?

We have contact every week or two and talk about what I am doing. It is very important that we set goals and had a clear understanding of where I would like to be for the finals in September and moving into the future.

I go into her studio and we work on different areas like proper manners, meeting and greeting, table manners, walking, how to sit like a lady, stance, modeling, speaking, how to introduce people, how to walk into a room when you do not know anyone, how to use your best features, and how to be you and not anyone else. When I have events coming up we go through what the event is for and how to present myself, Miss Dally gives her advice and I listen and implement, because I value it so much.

Women tend to mentor their friends and family without even realising they are helping out in such an important way. What have you discovered as part of your journey about how women mentor each other?

Women mentor each other through encouragement and support without even knowing it. There is a lot of encouragement from most ladies in the Mrs Australia Globe finals - a lot of mentoring going on. For me, I want everyone to feel important and sensational, if I can do that through words of encouragement and action, that is a great feeling. Everyone is working very hard, and should be very proud of their achievements.

Would you continue with a mentoring relationship after participating in the Mrs Australia contest?

Yes definitely, to what extent I do not know. Obviously if I am the winner I will continue to work very closely with June Dally Watkins as I will be representing Australia in my year of service, but not only this I will then travel to the United States to compete for the Mrs Globe Crown. To have someone there to call on, to throw questions at, to ask honest opinion is vital to ensure I showcase the best I can. I would have a responsibility to not only myself, but to everyone involved and Australia.

What would be your 5 tips for working with a mentor?

1. Choose someone you respect and are inspired by
2. Have a clear goal of your required outcomes
3. Don't take Constructive Criticism personally - use it to move positively forward
4. Listen and Learn and put into practice
5. Always show your appreciation

A Supportive Mentor!

I love working with my own mentor but particularly enjoy hearing him talk about me so find out what June Dally Watkins has to say of Karen.

What was the first thing you noticed about Karen Gee and what do you think are her strengths?

Karen made a big first impression on me. She stood out, because of the way she carried herself - with confidence, and in addition her warm personality.

Karen's great strength, in addition to her attractive image, is her enthusiasm to be her best in every way and to help and give to others.

Being a judge for hundreds of pageants over the years, what do you feel important particularly in one such as Mrs Australia Globe?

To be Mrs Australia Globe is to be outstanding in every way. The way she carries herself, with confidence - a warm and pleasant personality - to be able to stand up at a moment's notice and give a speech. To stand out from everyone else.

I believe Karen has a very good chance of becoming Mrs Australia Globe 2011 because she wants to, and she is working enthusiastically towards it. This is what I admire - if you want to be, your enthusiasm will continue and Karen would do a very worthwhile job, with happiness, enthusiasm and pride.