The Mentoring Physical Oceanography Women+ to Increase Retention (MPOWIR) program was initiated in 2005 to address a systematic deficit in retention of women physical oceanographers at higher career levels compared to their representation at the PhD level. The program has focused on community and discipline-based mentoring. The principal elements of the program include monthly confidential virtual mentoring groups, a biannual in person conference alternating with a virtual conference, speaker series, webinars, and town-hall meetings. Through program assessments, MPOWIR women indicate the program has had a large impact on their lives, with the greatest impact on expansion of professional networks and exposure to professional development skills. Collected data about participants also indicate that a large majority of MPOWIR participants who received PhDs prior to 2012 are in faculty or university/government/non-profit research positions. By involving the physical oceanography community in the mentoring program, MPOWIR has also developed a supportive network of senior scientists able to effect change at their home institutions. By sharing the successful path MPOWIR has taken to increase retention and visibility of women+ in physical oceanography, we will outline programs modeled on MPOWIR and practical adaptations to expand retention in other disciplines and for other historically under-represented groups.