The Cult of The Credo: How a Beloved Brand Betrayed Your Trust 7 | 36

When a company’s values don’t match its actions, the impact can be devastating. Kim and Amy speak with investigative journalist Gardiner Harris about his book, No More Tears: The Dark Secrets of Johnson & Johnson. Harris uncovers how a company once seen as the gold standard of integrity used its famous “Credo” to build emotional trust while covering up harmful practices—from baby powder linked to cancer to its role in the opioid crisis. The conversation goes beyond one company, raising bigger questions about accountability, transparency, and the systems meant to keep us safe. It’s a candid look at how misplaced trust can cause lasting damage—and what it really takes to create a culture where honesty and responsibility come first.

Get all of the show notes at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠RadicalCandor.com/podcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Episode Links:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Gardiner Harris

No More Tears: The Dark Secrets of Johnson & Johnson

The Weekly | A Secret Opioid Memo That Could Have Slowed an Epidemic | The New York Times

A Devastating New Exposé of Johnson & Johnson Indicts an Entire System | The New Republic

The Johnson & Johnson Cancer Drug Scandal That Encapsulates Corruption In Health Care | STAT News

J&J Is Back On The Legal Warpath After Striking Out In Baby Powder Bankruptcy | Reuters

Antipsychotic Drugs and Nursing Home Residents: What Do the Different Numbers Mean? | Center for Medicare Advocacy

Empire of Pain: The Secret History of the Sackler Dynasty

The Least of Us: True Tales of America and Hope in the Time of Fentanyl and Meth

Physician Payments Sunshine Act (also known as the Open Payments program)

Watch Cold Case: The Tylenol Murders | Netflix

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Chapters:

(00:00:00) Introduction

Kim and Amy introduce Gardiner Harris, investigative journalist and author.

(00:01:01) No More Tears

Why Gardiner’s book hasn't been widely covered by the media.

(00:07:35) Hidden Dangers of Products

Overview of Johnson & Johnson’s vast range of dangerous products.

(00:15:13) Antipsychotics in Nursing Homes

How antipsychotics were pushed to sedate elderly patients.

(00:16:58) Opioids & Corporate Responsibility

The role Johnson & Johnson played in the opioid epidemic.

(00:24:04) The Power of Branding & Emotional Trust

The exploitation of emotional branding to avoid accountability.

(00:27:28) Incentives, Conflicts, & Complicity

How financial incentives corrupted doctors, researchers, and hospitals

(00:39:12) Breaking Points & Speaking Up

Stories about the individuals affected by Johnson & Johnson.

(00:47:27) The Cult of the Credo

How J&J weaponized its corporate credo to silence whistleblowers.

(00:52:19) How J&J Got Away With It

The ways J&J avoided accountability and hid decades of misconduct.

(00:57:36) Tylenol, Safety, & the Illusion of Trust

The FDA’s inability—or unwillingness—to enforce safety despite evidence.

(01:03:29) Hope, Oversight & Individual Action

How individual action and awareness can drive systemic change.

(01:08:10) Conclusion Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices