At OneUpOneDown, our mission is rooted in women-to-women mentorship. We believe deeply in the power of connection between women, especially as we navigate the complexities of leadership, personal development, and life’s many transitions. For generations, key roles in society—those tied to power, authority, and visibility—have been largely occupied by men. As a result, many of the leadership archetypes we’ve absorbed are masculine by default.
But times are changing. More and more women are stepping into leadership roles, founding businesses, becoming changemakers, and influencing their communities. And as we rise, we look for other women who can show us how to lead not by mimicking dominant masculine behaviours, but by discovering and embodying our own version of leadership—rooted in authenticity, emotional intelligence, creativity, and a deep understanding of life’s cycles.
This is where mentorship plays a vital role. Women mentors offer guidance and reflection from someone who has walked a similar path. But there’s another source of wisdom that can help us navigate life’s key transitions: the feminine archetypes.
In this blog, we’re exploring the Maiden–Mother–Queen–Crone model—a powerful framework that provides insight into the natural phases of a woman’s life. Understanding these archetypes can help us honour where we are in our journey and prepare us to transition with greater awareness, intention, and grace.
The Maiden: Curiosity, Growth, and Becoming
The Maiden archetype represents youth, possibility, and becoming. This is the phase of life typically associated with adolescence and early adulthood. It’s when we are forming our identity, experimenting with who we are, and dreaming about what we might become. The Maiden is connected to exploration, independence, sensuality, and creativity.
This phase can be exciting, but also confusing. We are learning to set boundaries, take risks, and trust ourselves. A mentor during this stage can help reflect back the values we hold, guide us in navigating new opportunities, and remind us that mistakes are part of the process.
Transition: Maiden to Mother often occurs when we take on greater responsibility—whether through motherhood, creative leadership, or deepening our commitment to a cause or career.
The Mother: Creation, Nurturing, and Responsibility
The Mother archetype is not limited to biological motherhood. It represents the energy of creation, care, and expansion. This is the phase where we pour energy into others—children, teams, businesses, communities, or creative work. The Mother nurtures life and holds space for others to grow.
However, it’s also a phase where women can become overextended or disconnected from their own needs. Honouring the Mother phase means valuing the immense labour involved in nurturing, and finding ways to stay connected to ourselves while showing up for others.
Mentorship here is about sharing wisdom, offering support, and holding space for other women who are navigating the balance of giving and receiving. It’s also about being witnessed in the complexity of this stage—its joy, exhaustion, and power.
Transition: The movement from Mother to Queen often arises when responsibilities shift, and we begin to reclaim our autonomy and purpose.
The Queen: Sovereignty, Purpose, and Embodied Power
While the Maiden–Mother–Crone framework offers a powerful map of the feminine journey, many women find resonance with a fourth archetype: the Queen (also known as the Keeper or Sovereign). The Queen arises in midlife, often after the intense responsibilities of the Mother phase have shifted. She is confident, purposeful, and clear on what she stands for.
The Queen leads not from a need to prove herself, but from an embodied sense of worth. This stage is about reclaiming autonomy, focusing on meaningful work, and setting powerful boundaries. She is a builder of legacy, often at the peak of her career or influence, using her voice to shape the world around her with clarity and conviction.
Including the Queen in our understanding of feminine archetypes helps us honour the rich and powerful middle years of life, where so many women are stepping into roles of visible leadership, creative fulfilment, and deep personal alignment.
Transition: The Queen to Crone transition often marks a turning inward—a shift from outer influence to inner wisdom, legacy to reflection.
The Crone: Wisdom, Power, and Integration
The Crone archetype is often the most misunderstood. In a culture obsessed with youth, we have lost touch with the reverence that traditionally surrounded older women. But the Crone is the wise woman, the truth-teller, the one who has seen the cycles of life and come to know what truly matters.
This phase is about reclaiming our time, energy, and wisdom. It’s a time to turn inward, to lead from a place of intuition and clarity, and to share from the deep well of lived experience.
Crones make powerful mentors. They are often the ones who can offer a perspective that cuts through the noise, who can see the long game, and who remind us of what it means to be fully ourselves.
Honouring the Crone means reimagining aging not as a decline, but as a ripening—a powerful stage of influence and inner authority.
Reclaiming Our Cycles Through Mentorship
Understanding and honouring these archetypes allows us to step into each life stage with intention. We can stop resisting transitions and instead embrace them as opportunities to evolve. Through mentorship, we create space for these transitions to be seen, supported, and celebrated.
At OneUpOneDown, we are committed to helping women connect across life stages—to support each other in becoming who we truly are. Whether you’re stepping into leadership for the first time, navigating the chaos of caregiving, reclaiming your voice in midlife, or embracing your role as a wise elder, there is power in being witnessed and supported by another woman who sees your journey and honours your growth.
Let us honour the Maiden, the Mother, the Queen, and the Crone in each of us—and in each other.
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