Trust is the emotional fabric for every meaningful connection — at home, at work, and in communities. It fuels creativity,accelerates collaboration, and encourages risk taking. And yet, for something so essential, we spend surprisingly little time thinking about it, let alone intentionally building it.

In this episode, we’re unpacking what it really takes to build, sustain, and repair trust—from the inside out.

My guest is Yana Belova — a community vertical lead at Canva, TEDx speaker, coach, and the founder of Why Not Month — a movement that inspires people to take bold, intentional action.

Yana is someone who doesn’t just understand trust—she architects it. From global teams to grassroots movements, Yana brings 15+ years of real-world wisdom and experience to this conversation about how trust is built, sustained and repaired — not by accident, but by design.

Ready to build deeper trust—with yourself, your team, and your community? Press play and learn how!

Key takeaways:

• Trust is energy — when it exists, it frees up emotional energy for creation and innovation.

• Trust doesn’t begin with others—it begins with yourself. Self-trust can be intentionally built through small, safe experiments and curated environments.

• True trust is discerning. Without critical thinking, trustbecomes brittle—vulnerable to manipulation, burnout, and betrayal.

• Trust grows through micro-actions — from the signals you send, to the words you choose, to the way you respond in conflict—every action can reinforce (or erode) trust. Be intentional. Be consistent.

• The fastest way to build trust is to show up as authentic self, demonstrate empathy and signal safety.

Want to learn more?

Learn more about Yana’s work on LinkedIn  

Get inspired and provoked by Yana’s TED Talk

Yana’s top go-to resources on building communities and trust:

1. ‘Belong’ by Rada Agrawal
2. ‘Trust Factor’ podcast by Rob Greenlee
3. ‘The Culture Code: The Secrets of Highly Successful Groups’ by Daniel Coyle
4. ‘Dare to Lead: Brave Work. Tough Conversations. WholeHearts.’ by Brené Brown
5. ‘Together: The Healing Power of Human Connection in aSometimes Lonely World’ by Vivek H. Murthy