What do I need to do?

Commit to finding five people who will become your Connect Five “team”. That’s it.
When trying to think about who to contact, we recommend you spend some time thinking about the people in your life you can always call – even if several years have gone by. These are often friends outside of medicine… a best friend from high school, college, medical school or residency, someone from your place of worship or another group you meet with regularly, a cousin or other family member. Some of your Connect Five team will be colleagues, but probably not the people you work with every day.

What do I tell them?

You are going to propose a relationship that many people don’t have, but we feel confident just about everyone wants.
The words will be yours, but the concepts you might want to use include:

• Explaining the program
• Creating a truly safe space to share hard things and great joys
• Agreeing to listen deeply to each other and not try to “fix” anything as the first impulse
• Setting up a schedule (flexible, so it can be changed) that works for you. We recommend at least every 2-3 months, but feel free to do it more often
• Establishing the expectation that additional calls can and should happen on a prn basis

What if I don’t have five friends I could call?

If you have even one, call that one friend, and then keep your eyes, ears and heart open for other people that might be willing to walk with you through this journey.
If you can’t think of anyone, contact one of the members of the Wellness Committee. If you need help identifying someone, please feel free to email Mary Brandt mlbrandt@tulane.edu or Kurt Heiss heisskurt@gmail.com. We will accept your offer with joy and will be honored by your phone call.