This postgraduate research explores the effectiveness of mentor-mentee relationships (MMR) in higher education by examining the experiences and perceptions of early career female academics (ECFAs) in private universities in Ibadan, South-West, Nigeria. The study employed an interpretive-qualitative design of semi-structured interviews to gather insights from five ECFAs within the studied university, with a reflexive thematic analysis applied to coding exercises from transcripts. Results from the findings generated four broad themes: expectations of ECFAs, the reality of ECFAs, the nurturing effect, and holistic career progression, which establishes that the ECFA are faced with several challenges that may affect their overall effectiveness as academic staff. The results revealed that female early-career academics in particular address negative experiences regarding what they expect from academics as a career, and they revealed the burden they encounter in their mentoring relationship. This study's findings revealed that the mentor-mentee relationship's effectiveness is beneficial to nurture and support the professional development of ECFAs. The study provides practical recommendations to ECFAs on how they can invest in personal and professional development and not rely solely on a mentor to provide all the needed support for their career growth.