Part II · Square 7 of 15
Trust my team
Heart / Moving. You're letting people in and relying on them.
Section 1
Square identification
From the Mission Map- Name: Trust my team
- Row: Heart (Feelings)
- Column: Moving
- Side: Faith-based
Purpose: You're letting people in and relying on them.
Section 2
Mission briefing
From the Mission MapYou're letting people in. Trust is faith in people: believing they'll show up. This is the square where connection rebuilds after service. It only gets risky if you trust without looking at whether people have earned it.
The voice on this square
My team has my back.
Section 3
Psychological foundation
From the Mission MapMoving: Faith in action. You're trusting, adapting, and moving forward. This is the healthiest side of the open half: open, but still connected to reality.
Faith-based feeling lets people in: it believes, trusts, and cares, including for yourself.
Core beliefs that often drive this square:
- "I can't trust anyone." Formed after betrayal: by leadership, the system, family, or someone who was supposed to have your six.
The science: Why beliefs run the whole map
Your brain is a prediction machine. Core beliefs are its deepest predictions, and they shape what you see, feel and do before you choose anything. Change the prediction and every square downstream changes too.
Section 4
Neuroscience
Cited researchLimbic system and the vagus nerve: your comms network. Emotion is built in the amygdala, insula and cingulate cortex, and it's wired to your actual heart through the vagus nerve. Heart rate variability tracks how well your thinking brain can steady your emotions. Simply putting a feeling into words measurably quiets the amygdala.
Flexibility: moving. Your thinking brain is shifting angles. Treating pressure as fuel, a challenge rather than a threat, improves both heart response and performance under stress.
Sources: Lieberman, M; Thayer, J; Jamieson, J
Section 5
Pattern recognition
From the Mission MapHow it tends to show up:
- Asking for help without shame
- Letting someone else lead
- Easy, real conversation
In your body
Relaxed shoulders, easy laugh.
Section 6
Military-to-civilian translation
From the Mission MapA thought that lives here
I can ask for help and still be strong. Strength and connection held together. That's trust.
Section 7
Operational awareness
From the Mission MapNo right answers. These are for noticing, not judging. Skip any that don't fit.
- Who's on your team right now? Name them. What does trusting them actually look like this week?
- Who earned your trust after you got out, and how did they do it?
- What would it take for you to trust one more person?
Section 8
Rewiring exercises
From the Mission MapMove toward center
- Tell one person something real about how you're doing.
Back it with action
- Name the person or cause you feel strongly about.
- Pick one concrete thing you can do for them today.
- Do it before you talk about it.
Reality check-in
- Ask someone you trust: 'What am I missing?'
- Listen without defending.
- Say thank you.
Section 9
Connections
From the Mission Map- New route · HeadSame column. When your heart is here, your head often lands here too.
- In the zone · GutSame column. When your heart is here, your gut often lands here too.
- I believe · HeartOne step further from center in this row.
- Got your six · HeartNext square toward the centerline in this row.
- No-go · HeadShares a core belief: "I can't trust anyone."
- Exposed · HeartShares a core belief: "I can't trust anyone."
- Bracing · GutShares a core belief: "I can't trust anyone."
Section 10
Integration
Cited researchWrite it as a When/Then plan: "When I notice asking for help without shame, then I will tell one person something real about how you're doing."
"When X happens, I will do Y" plans hand the decision to your environment, so you don't need willpower in the moment. Across many studies they make follow-through far more likely than good intentions alone.
Sources: Gollwitzer, P
Section 11
Mission debrief
From the Mission Map- You're letting people in and relying on them.
- What it sounds like: "My team has my back."
- Your move: Tell one person something real about how you're doing.
Optional reflection
What would it take for you to trust one more person?