Can you picture Beyonce bringing out the bins? Or Kim Kardashian cleaning the kitchen? Us neither.

It’s easy to think of celebrities as fictional characters. We lose sight of their everyday human struggles. We assume their success was handed to them on a plate, but that’s not (always) the case. Even the stars have something to say about the role of mentorship in their success.

Although mentorship is a bit of a buzzword right now, it’s far from being a new concept. Don’t just take it from us. Here are six quotes from female A-listers over the years that take the words out of our mouth about why we’ve launched our very own Mentor Matching tool.

1. Margaret Cho

‘In my own life, there is [the loss of] Robin Williams and Joan Rivers, and so I guess it’s also about the passage — about becoming a mentor after your own mentors die. You have to become that. So, I think that’s what I’m trying to do.’

In other words, the student becomes the master – and so on and so forth.

As it stands, it will take 217 years to close the gender pay gap. We know this isn’t good enough. We also know that those who participate in mentorships are promoted at least five times more than those who don’t. See where we're going with this?

The more women who share their knowledge, skills, and experience with other women, the faster the gender pay gap closes. In short, sisterhood works. Margaret Cho knew it, and the brains behind our Mentor Matching tool do too.

2. Janet Mock

‘I’ve preached the importance of having role models, mentors and friends who support you. It took a village for me to be who I am today, and it still takes a village to assist me in the journey ahead.’

For Janet Mock, her village is made up of her ‘straight parents and siblings, gay and lesbian classmates, gender-nonconforming teen support group members, drag queens who practised at the community recreation centre where I hung out as a kid, queer volleyball teammates, and older trans women who used their transition experiences to light my path.’

If you don’t think you’re skilled enough to be a mentor, we’re here to tell you (with Janet’s help) that we all have something to teach each other – and you’re probably already doing it without even knowing.

3. Jane Fonda

‘I think the best advice a mentor could have given me was, ‘Jane, you know you can say no if the script isn’t good.’ I was just so surprised anybody ever wanted me in anything! I didn’t pay enough attention. I think the only actor who ever taught me much about life, more than acting, was Katharine Hepburn in On Golden Pond. Even though I did the movie for my dad … who I learned from was Hepburn.’

Here, Jane Fonda reflects on the guidance she wishes she had been given from a mentor. It wasn’t until she produced On Golden Pond at 45 years old that she met the person who fulfilled that role – Katharine Hepburn. If only Mentor Matching had been around a few decades ago – sorry, Jane.

Mentorship is for all ages and stages. But, if you leave it to happen naturally, there’s no guarantee how long it will take to find your perfect match – if you find them at all. So, if you’re not willing to take those chances, take matters into your own hands with Mentor Matching.

4. Sophia Bush

'It can be so easy to operate like an island and never ask for help. I find that I am finally comfortable reaching out more. Eva Longoria. Connie Britton. Debra Messing. Those ladies are always there for me. More recently I’ve been spending time with Ava DuVernay and Sarah Lewis — she is a beyond brilliant Harvard professor and fellow Super Soul 100 change-maker — and they both just blow my mind.'

Women supporting women, it’s kind of our thing. And Sophia Bush’s words about her personal sisterhood prove we’re better together.

Our ready-made community of like-minded women – aka the AllBright Sisterhood – is made up of successful and inspiring women all sharing their wisdom with each other. Mentor Matching simply makes it official. So, if like Sophia, you tend to operate as an island and never ask for help, you need a tool that does all the hard work for you. Hint, hint.

5. Justice Sonia Sotomayor

“Until I met José Cabranes, I could not have imagined him … When a young person, even a gifted one, grows up without proximate living examples of what she may aspire to become — whether lawyer, scientist, artist, or leader in any realm — her goal remains abstract. Such models as appear in books or on the news, however inspiring or revered, are ultimately too remote to be real, let alone influential. But a role model in the flesh provides more than an inspiration; his or her very existence is confirmation of possibilities one may have every reason to doubt, saying, ‘Yes, someone like me can do this.’

When AllBright co-founder Debbie Wosskow talked about entrepreneurship at The Evening Standard SME XPO last month, we learned that seeing is believing. Justice Sonia Sotomayor’s inspirational words prove this is true of all careers, at all ages and stages.

We want all women to have the opportunity to find their perfect mentor match, whose very existence makes them believe ‘yes, someone like me can do this.’ That’s why our algorithm-based Mentor Matching tool suggests profiles that could be a good match for you but leaves the final decision in your hands.

6. Tina Turner

“My role model was always Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis … My taste was high. So, when it came to role models, I looked at presidents’ wives. Of course, you’re talking about a farm girl who stood in the fields, dreaming, years ago, wishing she was that kind of person.”

Take a leaf out of Tina’s book – aim high. Women have a habit of underselling themselves and undervaluing their worth. We could go into why (hint: The Patriarchy has something to do with it) but instead we’ll remind you that you’re worthy of being mentored by the best in the biz.

From an award-winning entrepreneur who has worked with Google to a Head of Finance taking the C-suite by storm, these are just some of the real women signed up to be mentors in our Mentor Matching movement.

Remember Margaret Cho’s words about mentees becoming their mentors? Aim high and that could be you one day.

Well, that’s a wrap, as they say in show business.

That is, unless you haven’t fulfilled your fix of famous female faces yet. In which case, here are five famous female mentor-mentee relationships you should know about, too.

If mentorship is good enough for the stars, it’s good enough for us. Register your interest in becoming a mentor or mentee in our Mentor Matching movement here.