“People will forget what you said

People will forget what you did

But people will never forget how they felt

after experiencing a genuine connection with you!”

(Adapted from Maya Angelou)


Walking away from a conversation or interaction feeling like something is “off,” is a common experience. After the uncomfortable feelings subside, one is left wondering where the hoped-for connection went awry. Dr. Debra McIndoe joins Dr. Gary Sweeten in a dialogue about the essence of genuine connection. Debra, a nurse educator and aspiring author, has been a student of Dr. Sweeten’s for the past 30 years. Their connection has rippled through the thousands of students Debra has taught in both the homeschool community as well as in her role as a nurse educator at the Baptist Health College of Nursing.


In this webinar you will learn:

- Awareness – What do we bring to the table of connecting?

- Assessment – What kind of connecting is being sought?

- Assumptions – The pitfalls of believing we know the answers for another.

- Attentiveness – The key that unlocks connection

- Assertiveness – Respectful engagement

- Accountability – The paradox that sets one free

- Appropriate boundaries – The foundation of respect


Dr. Debra McIndoe first embraced the concepts of genuinely connecting when she trained under Dr. Sweeten in1989. Since that time, Debra earned a Master’s degree in Nursing from University of Cincinnati and a Doctorate in Nursing Practice from American Sentinel University. Debra developed a psychology course that she taught to high-school junior and seniors. She is also a full-time nurse educator, and she is currently authoring a book, The Tapestry of Connection, which is due to be released in 2022. Debra’s passion is to inspire a ripple effect of genuine connection by sharing practical connection skills and real-life scenarios with others.