The Trust Deficit: Can We Rebuild What We’ve Lost

Published July 21, 2026 at 6:00 PM MDT

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In this episode of The Forum, hosts Jim Falk and Peter Smith explore the growing erosion of trust and its impact on personal relationships, communities, and some of America’s most important institutions, including the judiciary and the presidency. Their guests, Dennis Shaw and Yoram Solomon, both military veterans and authors who have written extensively about trust, explain why trust is indispensable in high-stakes environments where confidence in one another can mean the difference between life and death

The conversation examines the forces contributing to today’s decline in trust, from increasing polarization to the sense of alienation that fuels populist movements in the United States and around the world. Shaw and Solomon emphasize that populism is not confined to either the political left or right but often emerges when people feel that traditional institutions no longer represent or serve them. Drawing on the insights from their respective books, both guests offer practical guidance for rebuilding trust, stressing the importance of reliability, character, empathy, and the willingness to truly listen to one another.

Host: Jim Falk

Co-host: Peter Smith

Guests: Dennis Shaw, author, Slow Work of Trust
Yoram Solomon, author, The Complete Book of Trust