Why Trust Needs Tension | Nancy Burger on Repairing Relationships That Matter

In this Oh Snap “Guess What I Saw” episode of Just Press Record, Matt Zeigler brings workplace communication strategist and keynote speaker Nancy Burger back to react to a clip from psychologist Naomi Win on language, repair, and trust. Together, they unpack how the words we use — and the meanings we quietly attach to them — can deepen connection, create misunderstanding, and shape how we lead, work, and show up in our relationships.

They dig into why repair matters more than compatibility, how curiosity can beat blame in hard conversations, and what it really means to co-create every relationship you’re in. Nancy shares stories from her non-linear career, including Wall Street, her new keynote “Who Do You Think You Are?”, and how leaders can use vulnerability, accountability, and self-reflection to build durable trust.

This special Oh Snap format pulls a prior guest back to watch a clip and see what it reveals about their work in the wild. Naomi Win’s riff on language, apples, and misunderstanding becomes a launchpad for talking about fear, internal narratives, and “garden glove” change — the kind where everyone gets their hands a little dirty in service of growth.

In this conversation, they get into:

How language can connect us and still open the door to misunderstanding

Why the meanings we attach to words shape reactions, stories, and relationships

Curiosity vs. responsibility as a frame for hard conversations at work and at home

How assumptions and old narratives distort workplace conflict and team dynamics

Why persuasion and the “perfect story” are not enough to build trust as a leader

How leaders build trust by admitting mistakes and sharing vulnerability in public

Nancy’s journey from finance to fear-focused communication work, and how she reframed it

Internal repair vs. external repair, and why we co-create every relationship we’re part of

How conflict, handled well, becomes “scar tissue” that strengthens trust over time

Why sustainable change in organizations looks more like garden gloves than white gloves

If you like overhearing smart, slightly weird, very human conversations about leadership, relationships, and the stories underneath all of it, hit subscribe and come hang out with us.

Chapters

00:00 Naomi Win on language, apples and misunderstanding

03:03 Introducing Nancy Burger and the Oh Snap Guess What I Saw format

06:06 Nancy’s new keynote on self-limiting thoughts

07:16 Why repairs matter more than compatibility

09:31 How words carry different meanings for different people

11:43 Replacing responsibility with curiosity

13:11 How assumptions and personal stories shape conflict

15:42 Why persuasion alone does not build trust

16:05 How leaders build trust through vulnerability

17:50 Nancy on rewriting the story of her finance career

19:27 How we participate in creating the things we say we do not want

21:10 Curiosity in parenting, marriage, friendship and work

23:37 The difference between internal repair and external repair

24:23 Why every relationship is co-created

26:04 Why trust is always a story with tension

27:20 How conflict creates scar tissue and stronger relationships

29:27 Why workplace relationships require learning the stories behind behavior

30:16 Why Matt wanted Nancy to see the Naomi Win clip

31:28 Garden glove services and sustainable change

32:38 Where to find Nancy Burger