Tell us what feels like you
Answer a short set of questions alone, with a parent, or as a family exploring together.
The lived-experience mentor marketplace
Find somebody who understands from the inside.
Tell us what matters to you—your experiences, interests, conversation style, and the kind of person you may feel comfortable with. We’ll suggest mentors whose stories may fit.
1:1virtual mentorshipMentor-set rates
One conversation. Real overlap.
A marketplace built around recognition
Choose the lived experience that matters to you.
Questions about identity, family, race, belonging, birth parents, foster care, or growing up do not always need an expert answer. Sometimes they need an honest conversation with someone who has carried similar questions.
How it works
Simple on purpose.
We look for meaningful overlap, not identical lives.
See your strongest matches
We compare lived experience, topics, interests, age range, and conversation style.
Choose who you want to meet
Read the full profile before deciding. Matching narrows the room; the final choice stays yours.
We suggest. You choose. A match is a starting point—not an assignment.
Bring what’s real
What can we talk about?
Identity
Who am I apart from everybody else’s version of my story?
Belonging
Feeling different—even inside a family you love.
Race & culture
Naming what others in your family may not live.
Family relationships
Finding words for hard, honest conversations.
Birth family & reunion
Questions, contact, searching, and what comes after.
Foster care transitions
Moving between homes, people, and systems.
Mixed emotions
Gratitude, anger, guilt, love, and more than one truth.
Growing into adulthood
Making choices and meaning on your own terms.
Founding marketplace profile
Every mentor brings a real story—not a generic résumé.
Pete Drake is a Black adoptee raised in a white adoptive family. His lived experience includes race, identity, belonging, gratitude, loss, family love, and becoming your own person.
Pete is the only public profile right now. The marketplace will grow through real mentors who complete The Somebody Standard methodology and earn verification before becoming bookable.
See who matches youDifferent people need different conversations
Mentor-set time. Mentor-set rates.
Verified mentors create their own session offerings within marketplace standards. Families and participants see the full price, length, focus, and availability before booking.
Transparent pricingShareable profilesNo forced match
Every profile is different
Their time.
Their rate.
Their rate.
- Choose their session length
- Set their own published price
- Control their availability
- Share their direct profile link
For the parent who wants to help—without having to be the only person who can.
For parents & caregivers
You can love your child deeply and still not have lived what they are living.
Mentorship does not replace your role. It gives your child another trusted person who may understand parts of adoption, foster care, race, loss, or belonging from the inside.
What parents should knowClear boundaries
What mentorship is—and isn’t.
It is
+Shared experience
+Listening
+Reflection
+Connection
+Practical support
It is not
–Therapy or diagnosis
–Medical or legal care
–Crisis response
–A replacement for family
What is Somebody Like Me?+
Somebody Like Me is a marketplace where adoptees, current or former foster youth, and people raised under guardianship can discover trained mentors with relevant lived experience and book time directly from their profiles.
Who is mentorship for?+
Adoptees ages 13 and older, current or former foster youth, people raised under guardianship, and adults navigating those experiences.
How old does a participant need to be?+
Participants must be at least 13. Guardian consent is required before a minor’s first session.
Do I choose my mentor?+
Yes. Browse public profiles, compare lived-experience areas, topics, session lengths, rates, and availability, then choose the person who feels right. A matching request may also be available when you want help narrowing the options.
How does discovery work?+
Profiles can be filtered by relevant lived experience and conversation topics. The goal is meaningful overlap—not identical lives or a promise that one mentor can understand everything.
Start with one conversation