MMS 2018 Insight Series: Tribeless Founder

When purchasing tickets - you will find that you will have to choose between with or without a Tribeless Session. For the first time in the Summit, we are bringing forth a different kind of socialising event, from 4pm to 6pm on the first day, which will be designed and brought to you by Tribeless. Here is a message from its Founder, Gwen.

“I spent my whole life achieving. Getting good grades. Winning competitions. Earning awards. I didn’t know what it meant to take a break. I just kept ‘hustling’ (I was into tech startups at that time). I had no identity beyond my career and my achievements.

Then one day, I woke up in San Francisco — the city I had worked my a$$ off to get to — and I was dreadfully unhappy. Depressed, actually. I knew nothing about mental health, but it was a big wake-up call.

I returned home to Malaysia harboring a lot of guilt and shame. I’d gone abroad to make my country proud — but now I’d returned a failure, with nothing but burn-out to show for it.

Mental health is real. It stays with you. It sucks up all your energy. It takes so much to recover from. I was fighting the battle alone until one day, I hosted a dinner party for a friend. It had one rule: No small talk.

10 people showed up. It was totally unplanned, but I opened up about my journey thus far. About all the demons that kept me awake at night. Surprisingly, no one laughed. No one judged. Everyone just listened. And one by one, they opened up about their problems, too.

“After that dinner, it felt like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders. For the first time, I felt hope. It was then that I made it my mission — to bring humanity back to the world through open, authentic conversation.

“These days, we’re always on our phones. We value ‘likes’ more than our relationships. We’ve lost the art of conversation; of sitting around a campfire and telling stories, just like how our ancestors shared wisdom and connection.

“That’s why we started this movement. To be Tribeless is to value the human connection. It is the ability to set aside yourself — your ego, your beliefs, your judgment — and embrace another person as they are, flaws, differences and all. We do this by being open, honest and kind in our communication. We do this by telling stories. We do this by reminding each other of what it truly means to be human.”

- Gwen, founder of Tribeless

We have all been there at one point in our lives struggling to stay connected with people around us. Feeling extremely overwhelmed, desperately needing an emotional outlet which is no where to be found.

Medical practitioners can relate to this. When you have to stay calm dealing with emergencies, juggling meticulous procedures and own emotions at once, finding support to build rapport with yourself is important.

This Malaysian Medical Summit, join Gwen and the Tribeless team as they take us on a journey through our individual and collective stories. We’ll break out into facilitated small-group conversations on the various issues, experiences and dilemmas that are unique to the medical industry. Come with an open heart and mind, and prepare to connect with your fellow practitioners in a way you never thought possible.