Uploaded July 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
New relationships are hard for a reason – no trust. You’re starting from scratch with no common understanding, no established shared goals, or history of goodwill. Everyone’s feeling vulnerable. But also suspicious. It feels hard to take risks or even just relax and be yourself.
So, how do we get past the awkwardness and start building trust? Or rebuild it after it’s been lost?
This episode, we’re joined by Dr. Karen Mellum. She holds a Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology and is a Human Resources Administrator and Executive leadership coach at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN. And she’s here to help us stop waiting for others to prove themselves and start being the first mover.
The three big questions we discuss with Dr. Mellum are:
1. What is trust? And why is it crucial for high performance teams?
2. Why is trust so hard to build and maintain?
3. How do we move from being "suspicious by default" to "trusting by design" while still maintaining healthy boundaries?
Learn more about On Human Optimization and access Pod-Club questions at
https://ce.mayo.edu/content/mayo-clinic-human-optimization
Instagram: @MayoHumanOptimization
YouTube: On Human Optimization - YouTube
Email: optimize@mayo.edu
Sign up to receive Mayo Clinic Press emails.
Find us online at Mayo Clinic Press for more health and wellness articles, podcasts and books.
Do you have feedback, questions or topic suggestions? Email us at mcppodcasts@mayo.edu.
00:00 Introduction
01:58 What is trust?
03:24 The four elements of trust
08:08 Why trust matters
11:58 What happens when trust is low?
14:14 Getting along vs. trusting each other
17:01 How trust affects the brain
20:42 Why trust is hard to build
24:31 Building trust during stressful times
27:50 Why trust is easy to lose
30:30 Red flags that break trust
34:00 How to build trust intentionally
36:41 Rebuilding trust after it's broken
39:13 How anyone can improve team trust
40:39 Healthy boundaries and trust
42:23 Key takeaways
46:00 Final thoughts and trust challenge
47:16 Outro
New relationships are hard for a reason – no trust. You’re starting from scratch with no common understanding, no established shared goals, or history of goodwill. Everyone’s feeling vulnerable. But also suspicious. It feels hard to take risks or even just relax and be yourself.
So, how do we get past the awkwardness and start building trust? Or rebuild it after it’s been lost?
This episode, we’re joined by Dr. Karen Mellum. She holds a Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology and is a Human Resources Administrator and Executive leadership coach at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN. And she’s here to help us stop waiting for others to prove themselves and start being the first mover.
The three big questions we discuss with Dr. Mellum are:
1. What is trust? And why is it crucial for high performance teams?
2. Why is trust so hard to build and maintain?
3. How do we move from being "suspicious by default" to "trusting by design" while still maintaining healthy boundaries?
Learn more about On Human Optimization and access Pod-Club questions at
https://ce.mayo.edu/content/mayo-clinic-human-optimization
Instagram: @MayoHumanOptimization
YouTube: On Human Optimization - YouTube
Email: optimize@mayo.edu
Sign up to receive Mayo Clinic Press emails.
Find us online at Mayo Clinic Press for more health and wellness articles, podcasts and books.
Do you have feedback, questions or topic suggestions? Email us at mcppodcasts@mayo.edu.
00:00 Introduction
01:58 What is trust?
03:24 The four elements of trust
08:08 Why trust matters
11:58 What happens when trust is low?
14:14 Getting along vs. trusting each other
17:01 How trust affects the brain
20:42 Why trust is hard to build
24:31 Building trust during stressful times
27:50 Why trust is easy to lose
30:30 Red flags that break trust
34:00 How to build trust intentionally
36:41 Rebuilding trust after it's broken
39:13 How anyone can improve team trust
40:39 Healthy boundaries and trust
42:23 Key takeaways
46:00 Final thoughts and trust challenge
47:16 Outro
