Your Daily Dose of Hope

Latest Episodes:

Hope Filled Mind Control EP 331 May 04, 2026

Show notes

We’ve all heard that our thoughts matter. There are lots of idioms like “what you think about you bring about”, “thoughts become things” and a quote from Buddha that goes like this: "What you think, you become. What you feel, you attract. What you imagine, you create." — Buddha

So you likely know that your thoughts are part of what determines what you life will be like. This was a hard concept for me to understand the first time I heard it. What do you mean, I can just think different thoughts and change my life?

It didn’t just seem far-fetched, it felt impossible. I didn’t feel like I had much control over my life. I had a job with a boss who was okay, but it was clear what I needed to do each day. I had bills to pay and I didn’t have a lot of free time or cash so dreaming about options honestly felt out of reach.

A mentor at work suggested I just change the narrative I had around a difficult co-worker. Instead of telling myself she was manipulative and unkind (see really was!) he said to change that to something like “Her actions have nothing to do with me, and I don’t have to respond to her comments.

Now, this didn’t feel like a complete lie like saying something like we’re best friends would have, but it did change my perspective. Most importantly, I was no longer blaming her actions for my feelings. I got to decide.

That’s when I realized that changing the way I thought didn’t change her, but it changed the dynamic and energy around it for ME. That was enough.

When it comes to being hopeful, we get to choose what we think about in the moment. This isn’t about painting a happy face when things aren’t going as we’d like. It’s about seeing things honestly and THEN asking “what is the next best step for me in this moment”? What thoughts would best support me?

Sometimes it’s as easy and thinking, things aren’t going as planned, but I know I’ll be able to manage OR I’m hopeful things will improve and I’m going to look for one tiny thing to help move that along.

It’s a practice and some days I get lost in a spiral of doom and then, I’ll stop and decide to think a new thought. My go to transition thought is I can decide to see this in a new way.

That takes pressure off having it all figured out and tells my subconscious I’m open to seeing things differently. It’s not a magic 8 ball kind of thing, but it does help me feel better in the moment, and often that, for me, makes the biggest impact.

Thoughts become things, choose good ones. – Mike Dooley

Permission to Feel Joy EP 330 May 01, 2026

Show notes

Hello, beautiful human. I want to give you permission for something today.

Permission to feel joy.

I know that sounds almost too simple. But I've noticed that so many of us have this quiet, guilty feeling when things are going well. Like we should hold back, not celebrate too much, not let ourselves get too happy because surely something will go wrong.

That's called "foreboding joy," and researcher Brené Brown writes about it beautifully. The first time I heard her talk about it, I recognized it right away. It’s downplaying a big accomplishment because we don’t want to worry what might happen next or if we can follow up with something as impressive.

It’s not celebrating and instead, deal-making with ourselves instead. If I don’t share my good news or get too excited, then I’m somehow keeping something bad from coming. It’s not rational, but it’s how we’ve often learned to cope.

We preemptively dim our own light to protect ourselves from potential disappointment. And in doing so, we rob ourselves of the very moments we've been working toward.

Here's how I’m learning to push back to that habit: joy is not naive. Feeling joyful isn’t selfish, it’s courageous. Letting yourself feel genuinely delighted, by a sunny morning, a good song, a laugh that catches you off guard, is an act of bravery, not foolishness.

You don't have to earn joy. You don't have to wait until everything is resolved. Joy doesn't require perfect circumstances. It shows up in the smallest places, and it's real, and it's yours.

So today, when something makes you smile, let it. Really let it. Don't hold back. Laugh fully. Appreciate what's good without rushing past it.

The world is allowed to be beautiful and hard at the same time. It’s okay to be aware of the hard things that are happening, the tragic loss, or the natural disaster, or the cruelty we see on the news. You and I are still allowed to notice the beautiful parts too. We can acknowledge that everything isn’t as we’d like and still experience joy in the moment.

I hope you find something that brings you joy today. And when you find it stay there for a second. You deserve it.

Hope is a Practice EP 329 Apr 30, 2026

Show notes

Good morning or good afternoon, or good whatever-time-it-is-when-you-need-a-little-lift. Hope, real hope, not the passive, fingers crossed kind, but the kind that keeps us moving forward is a practice.

Here's what I've come to understand: hope is not a feeling that shows up when things are good. Hope is a choice you make, especially when things are hard. It's a muscle. And like any muscle, it gets stronger the more you use it.

Psychologist Charles Snyder, who spent decades studying hope, found that hopeful people share two things: they believe better things are possible, and they actively think about how to get there. It's not wishful thinking, it's directional thinking. It's saying, "I don't know exactly how, but I believe there's a way."

That distinction matters. Hope isn't waiting for good news. Hope is deciding to keep looking for the path, even when you can't see the whole trail yet. It’s taking the next step knowing that in the action, the doing, is how hope works and how we change what our tomorrow will be.

So here's a tiny practice I love. At the end of the day, or right now, if you want, think of one thing you're looking forward to. It doesn't have to be big. A conversation you want to have, a meal you're excited about, a moment of quiet. Just one thing. My one thing is sitting outside. It’s finally spring where I live and it feels so good to be able to spend time outside. That’s what I’m looking forward to.

That little flicker of forward-looking? That's hope. And the more you notice it, the more it grows. The world needs people who choose hope. Not because everything is fine, but because hope is what helps us make things better.

I like the idea that being hopeful, looking forward to a better tomorrow, whatever that means for each of us, means we’ll all have the chance to make the world around us a little better and a little more hopeful.

You Are Already Enough EP 328 Apr 29, 2026

Show notes

This is for the today version of you and me too.

Not future you or future me. Not the version of you that has it all figured out, hits every goal, and never forgets to reply to emails. This is for right now you. Exactly as you are, in whatever state you've arrived in today.

Let’s chat about self-compassion, which, fair warning, is the thing that sounds like a luxury but is actually a survival skill. Somewhere along the way, self-compassion, self-love somehow has come to mean a spa day which I like as much as anyone. The more I learn about these 2 concepts, the more I realize that a spa day is self-care, which is also important but not the same thing. At all.

Research by psychologist Dr. Kristin Neff shows that people who practice self-compassion are more resilient, less anxious, and this might surprise you, more motivated. Not less. More. Because when you're not spending all your energy beating yourself up, you actually have energy left over to try again.

But here's the thing most of us were never taught: self-compassion isn't letting yourself off the hook. It's treating yourself the way you'd treat a friend who was struggling. With patience. With honesty, yes, but also with warmth.

So let me ask you something. If your best friend came to you and said, "I'm exhausted, I feel like I'm falling short everywhere, I don't think I'm doing enough" what would you say to them?

Whatever you just thought of? That's what I want you to say to yourself today.

You are not a machine. You are a person full of contradictions and trying your best and that is genuinely, truly enough.

Give yourself a little grace today. Not because you've earned it. Because you need it. And because you are worth it.

I believe that about you, even on the days you don't.

Self-compassion is recognizing that imperfection doesn’t mean failure, it means you’re human and you’re trying and that’s all any of us can do.

The Radical Act of Being Kind EP 327 Apr 28, 2026

Show notes

Today I want to make a case for something that might seem small but I think is actually one of the most powerful things we can do. And it’s something we get to choose and decide, and it’s we can do anytime anywhere.

Acts of Kindness.

I know we’ve all been told, since we were toddlers playing with our siblings or friends, to be kind. It's on coffee mugs and bumper stickers and the walls of elementary school hallways. But stick with me for a second, because what can feel like good manners or being a genuinely good human, which is a good thing of course, isn’t the only thing that’s going on.

Acts of kindness, even tiny ones, have measurable effects on both the giver and the receiver. When you do something kind, your brain releases serotonin and oxytocin. Feel good chemicals. You feel better. And here's the wild part: so does the recipient of your kindness and get this, anyone who witnesses it gets the same impact as well!

Just seeing an act of kindness makes us feel better. Now I know why all those videos of animals helping other animals or people helping a stranger are so popular.

Kindness is literally contagious.

But beyond science, here's what I love about kindness: it's always available to you. No matter what's happening. No matter how much money you have, how tired you feel, or how hard your week has been you can always choose to practice kindness, wherever you are. You can hold the door or let someone get in front of you in heavy traffic, or let someone know you’re thinking about them in a text.

These things matter more than we know. We don't always get to see the ripple effects. But they're real. So today, just once, intentionally, I’m going to do something kind for someone. Will you join me? It doesn't have to be grand. It just has to be genuine.

Go out there and make someone's day. Starting with your own.

The Comeback is Always Bigger EP 326 Apr 27, 2026

Show notes

A reminder that resilience doesn’t look like a highlight reel—it looks like showing up anyway. This episode reframes setbacks as part of your comeback story and invites you to see yourself as in progress, not behind.

Look for Evidence of Progress EP 325 Apr 24, 2026

Show notes

Hope isn’t just a feeling—it’s built on proof. This episode invites you to notice what’s already working and recognize the progress you might be overlooking.

Pattern Interrupted and Hope Restored EP 324 Apr 23, 2026

Show notes

When your thoughts spiral into “what if,” pause. This episode shares how interrupting unhelpful thought patterns can bring you back to the present—where hope actually lives.

Take My Hope and Pay it Forward EP 323 Apr 22, 2026

Show notes

You don’t have to create hope on your own. Sometimes we borrow it—and sometimes we give it. This episode highlights the power of community and connection.

Choose What You Let In so There is Room for Hope EP 322 Apr 21, 2026

Show notes

What you consume shapes how you feel. This episode is a reminder that protecting your peace—and your inputs—is a powerful way to protect your hope.

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