Teacher retention challenges have become a nationwide concern, with the retention of novice teachers emerging as a critical issue in the teacher shortage. This phenomenological study examined the lived experiences of novice teachers who participated in formal mentoring programs within their first three to five years in the classroom. Although existing literature supported the benefits of ongoing support for early career teachers during their induction years, there remained a gap in the research on the impact of multi-year mentoring programs. By examining these lived experiences through the layered lens of the novice teacher and their mentor and principal, this study provided insights that can inform school leadership practices and contribute to future research on teacher retention. Grounded in the theoretical framework of Distributed Leadership (Gronn, 2000), this study also investigated how teacher leaders can serve as mentors and influence a novice teacher’s decision to remain in or leave the profession. To gain a deeper understanding of novice teachers lived experiences with formal mentoring programs, a phenomenological research design was utilized and data was collected through semi-structured phenomenological interviews with three novice teachers, three mentors, and two principals. Data analysis followed the Modification of the Stevick-Colaizzi-Keen Method (Moustakas, 1994). As schools nationwide strive to address the teacher shortage, it remains essential to prioritize the preparation and development of novice teachers. This study provided valuable insights into successes and challenges of multi-year mentoring programs, ultimately contributing to efforts to improve novice teacher retention. The key findings revealed that mentoring supported novice teachers’ instructional growth while also serving as an entry point into school culture, belonging, and professional development. Mentoring was experienced as most effective when it balanced formal structures with informal access, remained responsive to individual needs, and was supported by distributed systems that protected time and shared responsibility across mentors, teacher leaders, and administrators.