Listen "Roots of trust"
Episode Synopsis
What if we designed systems not for top-down control – but for human connection?At RSA House, trust expert and artist Rachel Botsman explores how design thinking and visual storytelling can rethink leadership, power, and trust systems. We often learn something new from studying something old.Anchored in her 2025 London Design Biennale installation Roots of Trust, the conversation returns to a long-forgotten artefact: the world’s first organisational chart, drawn in 1855. From this intricate, organic diagram, we trace the enduring imprint of pyramid structures and hierarchy – and ask what new forms trust might take.Expect light and shadow. Beauty and utility. Roots and branches. For anyone curious about how we might design our way toward a more connected, trusted society, this is a conversation not to miss.Speaker:Rachel Botsman, trust expert and artistChair:Abi Freeman, Organisational Psychologist and Co-Founder of BrinkDonate to the RSA: https://thersa.co/3ZyPOEaBecome an RSA Events sponsor: https://utm.guru/ueembFollow RSA on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thersaorg/Like RSA on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theRSAorg/Listen to RSA Events podcasts: https://bit.ly/35EyQYUJoin our Fellowship: https://www.thersa.org/fellowship/join
More episodes of the podcast RSA Events
From skills to growth
13/10/2025
Breaking the cycle
08/10/2025
SDGs and beyond
07/10/2025
The myth of connection
30/09/2025
RSA Spark Showcase
26/09/2025
The East Midlands’ future starts here
18/09/2025
The future of sustainability
15/09/2025
Gender equity and justice
06/08/2025
Listening and disagreeing productively
08/07/2025
ZARZA We are Zarza, the prestigious firm behind major projects in information technology.