Creating Conversations That People Can Trust
- Jun 7
- 3 min read
By Brandon Chadwick
After more than seven years of hosting Narcissist Apocalypse: Patterns of Abuse, I have always believed that trust was my most important asset. My podcast is built around survivor stories. People come on the show to talk about emotional abuse, coercive control, domestic violence, family abuse, and post-separation abuse. These are not easy conversations to have with a stranger, and for those listening, they want a voice that doesn’t blame, that doesn’t push their opinions, and is there to help facilitate the story, not be the story.
For me, creating conversations that resonate deeply starts with listening for the person, not just the plot. A good story matters, and I always say, a story is a story is a story, but if it’s just surface level, it’s just a story. I help the storyteller dig a little deeper, help frame things, not just how they were manipulated or what they survived, but what they felt, and what their thought process might have been.
Instead of pushing for the most dramatic moment, you start asking about meaning. What did that do to you? What did you think was happening? What made it hard to leave? What did you start believing about yourself? Those questions give people room to explain the inner experience, not just the events.
That inner experience is what makes listeners stay.
Long-term engagement does not come from tricks. It comes from recognition. People keep listening when they hear something they have never been able to explain, something that validates their own experience, or when a guest gives them language that they never had.
The one thing I never do is put pressure on anyone. I respect every storytellers wishes. When someone is telling a story about manipulation, fear, shame, or survival, the conversation should not pressure them to sound perfectly clear or discuss things that are too painful. Many survivors spent years being told they were confused, dramatic, unstable, or too sensitive. The last thing they need is a host who recreates that pressure in a different form.
Trust is built before the microphone is even on. We have as many pre-calls as it takes to shape the story together, and if they want to stop at any time, I’m okay with that. I always want guests to know that their story still belongs to them. The storyteller is a person, they are not content. Treat them like a person.
Trust with the audience works the same way. Listeners can feel when a host is using pain as a hook. They can also feel when a host is trying to hold the story with care. You build trust by being consistent, by being honest about what you know and do not know, and by not pretending every story has a tidy ending.
The audience also needs to be heard.
I take their suggestions seriously and adjust when I believe there is merit to their suggestions. The audience also needs to be respected as well when it comes to advertising and this is a huge trust factor. You can’t read promos for companies that don’t have a good reputation, aren’t useful for your audience, or for a product from a competing company that you promoted three weeks ago. Your audience will resent you, lose trust, and eventually leave.
All you have is the trust of your audience. It comes with great responsibility. If you take it for granted, you’ll lose them. But if you treat them with the respect they deserve, you’ll have listeners for life.
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