Topic Guide
What Is Trust?
Trust is a subject covered in depth across 3 podcast episodes in our database. Below you'll find key concepts, expert insights, and the top episodes to listen to — all distilled from hours of conversation by leading experts.
Key Concepts in Trust
The definition of a toxic relationship
This concept defines a toxic relationship not by the absence of love, but by the presence of love alongside an explicit absence of trust and/or respect. The episode posits that this specific combination, rather than a lack of affection, is what makes a relationship unhealthy and unsustainable, despite strong emotional attachment.
Relationship hierarchy of trust and respect
This framework establishes that while love is valuable, trust and respect are the non-negotiable, foundational elements of any healthy relationship, ranking them "tied for number one." The episode argues that without trust and respect, even deep love cannot make a relationship work or be considered healthy.
Too muchness
Cynthia Erivo's term for fully embracing and expressing her authentic self, including her distinctive style, her willingness to question "why" in various contexts, and her overall approach to life. The episode presents it as a commitment to revealing one's true self, even the "rough parts," rather than conforming or shrinking [37:49, 38:51].
Authenticity in acting
Erivo defines acting as telling the truth, distinguishing it from method acting, which she considers dangerous, especially for women portraying traumatic roles. Her approach involves "mining the things that I already understand" and channeling them through her body to portray a character, rather than reliving experiences [42:59, 44:02].
What Experts Say About Trust
- 1.A toxic relationship is precisely defined as one where love is present, but respect and/or trust are explicitly absent.
- 2.People often psychologically behave with love in ways similar to addiction, justifying, deluding, and rationalizing irrational decisions.
- 3.The hierarchy for healthy relationships places trust and respect as equally important, declaring them "tied for number one" above love.
- 4.Even profound love cannot make a relationship work if trust is absent, as the host states, "if the trust isn't there, it doesn't work."
- 5.A relationship without respect is inherently unhealthy and cannot be sustained in a positive manner.
- 6.Listeners are advised to "proceed with caution" in relationships, acknowledging love's incredible power while remaining mindful of its limitations without trust and respect.