Beneath the Scrubs
And How We Begin to Heal It—Personally, Professionally, and Spiritually
Trust is the soil that healthy careers and relationships grow in.
But for many nurses, that soil has been eroded—sometimes long before they even set foot in a hospital.
So what happens when trust is broken—early, often, and without repair?
We adapt. We survive—but at great cost. We build lives on hyper-vigilance instead of inner peace. We become excellent at anticipating everyone else’s needs… while losing sight of our own. We find our worth in doing, not being. And because we’ve learned—explicitly or implicitly—that trust equals vulnerability (and vulnerability equals risk), we stop trusting…
🛑 Our environment.
🛑 Our leaders.
🛑 Our teams.
🛑 …And ultimately, ourselves.
Where the Trust Fractures Begin
These trust wounds don’t begin in the break room or at the bedside. For many nurses, they start much earlier:
In childhood, where unpredictability, trauma, or conditional love taught us to be caretakers instead of children.
In nursing school, where the high-performance culture often masked deep insecurity and fear of failure.
In early job experiences, where promises of support were met with hazing, bullying, or unsafe ratios—without the tools to succeed.
By mid-career, these breaches have compounded into a toxic belief:
“If I don’t look out for myself, no one will.”
So we armor up. We hide behind credentials and clinical detachment. We suppress our needs. We stop speaking up.
And we call it professionalism. But let’s be honest: It’s just survival.
How It Shows Up Day-to-Day
Broken trust rarely screams. Instead, it whispers—daily—through micro-moments that slowly lead to burnout and disconnection:
Saying “yes” when you want to say “no” because boundaries don’t feel safe
Smiling through overwhelm because you don’t trust your leader to respond with empathy
Silently judging newer nurses because no one showed you grace when you were new
Withdrawing from your team because you’ve been burned too many times
Feeling resentment toward leadership… and guilt for feeling it
It even leaks into our patient care.
When trust is fractured, we over-function. We go above and beyond—not because it’s healthy, but because it feels necessary to prove our worth. And when our nervous systems are stuck in fight-or-flight, we become mechanical.
We're present… but not really present. And that disconnection is soul-draining.
The Link Between Broken Trust and Leadership Dysfunction
Here’s the hard truth: Many nurses who move into leadership carry their trust wounds with them.
Now in charge of scheduling, evaluations, and team culture, they unconsciously perpetuate the same cycles:
Micromanaging because they don’t trust others to follow through
Avoiding hard conversations because they don’t trust themselves to regulate their emotions
Silencing dissent because they don’t trust the team with transparency
Performing confidence while hiding deep self-doubt
The result? A team that doesn’t feel safe. And safety is the foundation of trust.
🔧 Part 1: Rebuilding Trust — Personally & Organizationally
🧠 Rebuilding Trust Personally: From Self-Abandonment to Inner Alignment
Trust isn’t just a thing that happens between people. It’s a relationship with your own soul.
If we don’t trust ourselves, we’ll never fully trust others.
1. Reconnect with Your Inner Voice
Too many nurses live with chronic self-doubt. We override our gut. We silence discomfort. We defer to others. Rebuilding self-trust starts with asking:
When did I stop listening to my gut?
What would it look like to honor my “no”?
Can I hold my truth without outside validation?
2. Repair Self-Betrayal
Self-betrayal happens every time you:
Say yes when you mean no
Stay silent when you want to speak
Ignore exhaustion to meet unrealistic expectations
Rebuild trust in the micro-moments:
Leave on time, even if your charting isn’t perfect
Speak up in the meeting—even if your voice shakes
Say, “I need help,” instead of pretending you’re fine
3. Set Boundaries Without Guilt
Boundaries are not walls. They’re bridges to safety.
When you hold clear boundaries, you signal to your nervous system:
“You are safe. I’ve got you.”
That’s where self-trust begins to bloom.
🏥 Rebuilding Trust Organizationally: Culture Change from the Inside Out
Broken trust in organizations isn’t about one bad boss. It’s about systems that reward performance over people, silence over honesty, fear over freedom.
1. Start with Psychological Safety
People can’t grow in unsafe spaces.
Psychological safety means:
Mistakes can be admitted without punishment
Questions can be asked without ridicule
Feedback can be given without retaliation
Leaders must go first: Admit mistakes. Be transparent. Invite feedback—and act on it.
2. Honor the Human Behind the Role
Nurses are more than skill sets. They are souls.
Build trust by:
Checking in consistently—not just when there’s a problem
Acknowledging emotional labor—not just clinical outcomes
Holding real conversations—not just policy rollouts
3. Model Authentic Leadership
You can’t build trust with fake transparency.
Nurses don’t need polished speeches. They need realness.
Trustworthy leaders:
Acknowledge their growth edges
Say, “I don’t know, but I’ll find out”
Stay calm in conflict without shaming or avoiding
The irony? When leaders show their humanity, it gives everyone else permission to do the same.
🕊️ Part 2: When Trust Is Shattered — Faith as a Foundation for Healing
Some betrayals cut too deep for HR policies to fix. When leadership fails… when community abandons… when even your own body turns on you…
The question becomes:
“What can I trust when everything feels broken?”
This is where faith steps in—not as a crutch, but a cornerstone.
✝️ 1. Trusting in a Greater Story
When we can’t trace the hand of God, we trust His heart.
Faith invites us to believe:
That pain has purpose
That wounds can become wisdom
That what the enemy meant for harm, God can use for good
Faith says: “There is more going on than what you can see.”
🙏 2. Surrendering the Illusion of Control
Broken trust makes us obsess: “How do I protect myself now?”
Faith invites surrender—not in defeat, but in divine dependence.
Let go of hyper-vigilance. Let go of needing to control every outcome. Trust that you are held—even when you don’t feel safe.
Surrender doesn’t mean passivity. It means moving through life from a place of peace, not panic.
💔 3. Letting God Rebuild What People Broke
Some wounds require soul repair.
“He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.” — Psalm 147:3
God rebuilds trust from the inside out:
By showing you your value—even when others missed it
By guiding you to healthy relationships grounded in truth
By teaching you how to forgive—not to excuse the pain, but to release its power
Over time, the wounds that once controlled you… Become the testimonies that define your strength.
In Summary…
🧠 Personal trust is rebuilt through self-awareness, boundaries, and daily acts of courage.
🏥 Organizational trust is rebuilt through safety, authenticity, and honoring the human experience.
🕊️ Spiritual trust is rebuilt when we surrender control and believe God still writes redemptive stories—even when the chapter you’re in feels dark.
If you’re a nurse, leader, or healthcare professional feeling the weight of broken trust…
💬 You’re not alone.
✨ Healing is possible.
🛠️ And it starts with rebuilding trust—from the inside out.
If this message resonated with you—if you’ve felt the weight of broken trust, silent resentment, or the constant pressure to prove your worth…
You’re not alone. And you don’t have to stay stuck in survival mode.
These patterns don’t just affect your shifts—they shape your leadership, your business, your relationships, and your life.
Until we address the root causes—fear, mistrust, self-abandonment—we carry them into every environment we enter.
But it doesn’t have to be this way.
✨ There is another path. One of clarity, healing, and courageous transformation.
If you’re ready to explore how these dynamics are showing up for you, and how to create deep, lasting change in your career, business, and life— DM me. Let’s start a conversation that could shift everything.
