The Power of Mentorship for International Women finding their Path in Finland
How Deeana Lehtinen is helping international women in Finland build meaningful lives, fulfilling careers and supportive communities
Many people look to mentoring aiming to get ready-made answers on career and lifestyle challenges. However, for Deeana Lehtinen, it is about helping them see the potential they may have stopped seeing in themselves.
As Trainer and Team Coordinator at the City of Turku, Deeana works closely with newcomers and integration mentors, supporting international residents as they build lives, careers and communities in Finland. She is also the Founder of International Women Turku and Chairperson in 2025-2026. The International Women Community is a space created to bring international women together through connection, support and shared growth.
Deeana´s work was recently recognised with the Mentorship Award at the IWWOF Awards 2026 in Finland, a recognition that is closely aligned with her mission: making skilled internationals more visible, supported and better equipped to contribute.
Deeana’s story is a reminder that reinvention is about adapting to life and growing. Having the strength and wisdom to abandon an old path creates opportunities for beginning a more meaningful new one.
And mentorship, at its best, is about helping people recognise what is possible and make the best of everything available to them. In this conversation, she reflects on the real meaning of mentorship and why international women should not hesitate to ask for career guidance.
By Varsha Saraogi
Q: Tell us a little about yourself
My work is connected to the international community. I help skilled people create and reinvent meaningful careers. My work often begins in the space between what people believe about themselves and what they are still capable of becoming.
I truly believe that a career is much more than your education or previous job titles. It is also about values and unexplored potential. When people focus on what they can offer and how they can grow, not just on what they have done before, new opportunities arise.
Q: What has shaped your professional journey?
Reinvention. The skill to adapt and grow.
My first field of study was law, but before graduating, I realised I didn’t want to become a lawyer or a judge. I moved into marketing, sales and management, and later into coaching, occupational therapy, wellbeing and mental health approaches. I followed my intuition and created a professional path aligned with my values.
Every job I had meant something to me at the time. But when the meaning was gone, I changed direction.
That ability to reinvent myself has helped me a lot, especially in Finland. Many people find it difficult to even imagine doing something different. For me, change has always been part of the professional journey.
Q: What cause are you most passionate about today?
Helping skilled internationals.
It is a real loss of resources and potential when people are treated as one group, as if everyone has the same background, skills, talents, abilities, dreams and needs. Equality should not mean ignoring differences. Equity would be a better criteria in creating sustainable integration programs.
I want to support people who are ready and willing to contribute, adapt meaningfully and become part of Finland’s future as active builders of a healthy society.
Q: What makes a mentorship relationship work?
Honesty and readiness.
Mentoring is a developmental relationship. Someone who has walked the path helps someone else move forward. But for that to work, the mentee needs to trust the process and also be honest about what they really want.
Some people say they want a certain job, title or career because that is expected of them. But after reflection, they may realise they want something else. That honesty is important.
Mentoring only works when both persons, the mentor and the mentee, are ready to do their part.
Q: What should someone ask themselves before seeking a mentor?
Start with: What do I really want?
Then ask: Do I truly want it? What will be different in my life if I get there? Am I ready to do the work?
People often think success means a certain job, house, car or title. But those things do not automatically create meaning. Knowing who you are and what matters to you is imperative. Mentorship becomes much more useful when you know what you are actually trying to build.
Q: Can people change direction later in life?
Yes, and Finland gives people more chances to do that than what is possible in other countries. The support exists, and society is more open to that than many people realise.
Often, the biggest barrier is not the system. It is the person’s own mindset. If you carry the belief that at 30 or 40 or 50 it is too late, you may not use the opportunities that are actually available.
Q: Can you share an example of mentoring that stayed with you?
I have many good examples in mind, but this one is very inspiring: One woman came to career coaching in her 50s with very little confidence. Over a couple of years, she completely changed. She gave herself permission to explore new paths, build connections and used her strength, the energy she naturally brought into every room.
Today, she guides groups of migrant women and has become visible and respected in the local community. That amazing transformation was her achievement. Mentoring worked because she trusted and followed the process.
Another international woman with a background in law was told that practising law in Finland would be almost impossible. Instead of giving up, she explored related possibilities including NGOs, children’s rights, migrant support and legal guidance. Fast forward, a few months ago she had become a partner in a company providing legal advice.
That is why it matters to look beyond the obvious path. Sometimes people are told something that is partly true, but not the whole truth. If they accept that as final, potential and opportunities are lost.
Q: What is the difference between coaching and mentoring?
Coaching is usually more goal-driven. Mentoring is about transferring knowledge. A mentor says, “This is how I got there.” and the mentee decides what to take from it, what to do with it, and whether that path fits them.
That is why mentoring can be so accessible. It does not require the same goal-oriented pressure or structure as coaching, and it is often free. You do not need to make every mistake yourself. You can learn from someone who has already walked the way and made a few.
Q: How can someone find the right mentor?
First, decide where you want to go.
Many people attend every event and join every network, but after a year they still feel stuck or lost, because they did not build strategic connections.
If you want to become like someone, ask yourself: where can I meet people like that? Then go there and ask. Surprisingly often, people say yes to mentoring.
Q: What is your superpower?
Seeing potential in people.
The difficult part is when I see potential that the person does not believe they have. Then the work is helping them stand in the right place to see it too.
Q: How did it feel to receive the IWWOF Mentorship Award?
I was very happy, especially because this kind of event creates visibility for work that is often not seen.
There are many international women creating value in Finland, but their stories are not always visible in mainstream conversations. Awards like this help show the contribution, talent and community work that internationals bring.
Visibility matters because it changes the narrative. It helps society see beyond the struggles, how people are building, contributing and making a difference.
Q: What is your message to international women in Finland?
Decide what kind of common future you want here and contribute to that. Everyone has something to offer.
And if you do not know how to start, ask someone who contributes already. Someone has already walked some part of the path. Their footsteps are there for you.