The more mentors, the merrier

“Unfortunately, I don't have the bandwidth for a mentorship relationship right now.” “I'm not sure I can help.” “Why are we meeting again?” Those are just a few of the responses I've received in my quest to develop a broad range of mentors. Early in my grad school training, such reactions left me feeling dejected, battling impostor syndrome, and struggling to maintain the confidence to respond or email again. Since then, however, I've learned that they are an inherent part of crafting a mentor network—and that the pain is worth it.