In this episode, I sit down with Kim Bohr, President and Chief Operating Officer of SparkEffect, for a very real conversation about trust and why leaders can’t afford to treat it as a “soft” topic anymore.

Kim and I talk about SparkEffect’s newly released 2025 Trust in Organizations Report, and what immediately stood out to me is this: trust is measurable, it affects the bottom line, and it breaks down faster than most leaders realize. We explore why trust rises and falls most dramatically at the direct-leader level, how small missteps can undo years of credibility, and the real cost of what Kim calls vague leadership.

We work through practical scenarios healthcare leaders face every day—new nurse leaders managing experienced staff, teams navigating disruption and AI uncertainty, employees quietly cutting corners, and organizations handling layoffs without realizing the damage they’re creating. Kim introduces ideas like trust elasticity, trust as influence rather than title, and how leaders can actually increase trust during disruption instead of losing it.

This conversation is about what leaders can do today. Not theory. Not slogans. We talk about clarity, consistency, curiosity, and transparency and how those show up in real conversations, real decisions, and real moments that either build trust or break it.

If you lead people in healthcare and feel the pressure of constant change, this episode will give you practical ways to think differently about trust and lead with more intention when it matters most.

• Listener landing page: sparkeffect.com/healthcare
• Kim's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kimbohr/
• Kim's Company Website: https://sparkeffect.com/
• Courage to Advance Podcast: https://sparkeffect.com/sparkeffect-podcast-courage-to-advance/ 

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