Your Daily Dose of Hope

Latest Episodes:

Believers Hymn for the Republic EP 120 Jul 04, 2025

Show notes

"The Believer’s Hymn of the Republic" is a poem written by Amanda Gorman for the July 4th celebration at the U.S. Capitol in 2023.

It was inspired by Julia Ward Howe’s “The Battle Hymn of the Republic,”

The Day Before Vacation Slow Down EP 119 Jul 03, 2025

Show notes

Years ago I heard Zig Ziglar talk about the day before vacation. That’s what today feels like if you’re here in the US. It’s the day before Independence day, July 4 and since it falls on a Friday this year, it’s a long weekend opportunity.

So, today feels like the day before vacation. The day I want to get all the things done before the holiday arrives.

What if, instead of treating the day before vacation like a productivity sprint, we treated it like the beginning of our break? What if we intentionally slowed down rather than speeding up?

A Season of Becoming: Bring Intention To Your Day EP 118 Jul 02, 2025

Show notes

A Season of Becoming

As we step into this second half, remember that you're not starting from zero. You're building on a lifetime of experience, growth, and resilience. You're exactly where you need to be, with everything you need to take the next step.

Your story is still being written, and today begins a new chapter filled with possibility. Regardless of what has come before, today is yours to shape with intention, hope, and the quiet confidence that comes from knowing you've made it this far.

Here's to the next 184 days of becoming who you're meant to be, one ordinary, extraordinary day at a time

I Stopped Resisting Change and Do This Instead EP 116 Jun 30, 2025

Show notes

You know that feeling? The sudden dread when you’re waiting for test results or when your boss calls an unexpected meeting or maybe when a treasured relationship starts to shift. That knot in your stomach or tightness in your chest? Anxiety shows up when we worry things are going to change.

We think if we could just keep everything the same, we’d be safe. The real danger isn’t the change itself; it is the energy we waste worrying about what might or might not happen. The true enemy is our own resistance.

When we give in to the fear of the unknown, we trade the opportunity for growth for the false comfort of what I already knew. It’s a recipe for staying stuck. Wishing for what was instead of being curious about what is and what could be.

There’s a lot going on in the world today. Changes are happening fast, and it all feels overwhelming. But I’m tired of being scared and worried about what might happen. What IS happening is hard enough to comprehend.

In search of answers, I started reading Mindset by Carol Dweck and I found what she calls a "growth mindset."

Begin With Intention: The 2nd Half of 2025 EP 117 Jun 30, 2025

Show notes

It’s July 1, the first day of the 2nd half of 2025. There's something quietly powerful about this moment, like turning the page to a fresh chapter while still holding the story of everything that came before.

The Gift of Looking Back

The past six months have been a teacher, whether we realized it or not. Take a moment to sit with what you've experienced. What moments made you laugh? What challenges pushed you to discover strength you didn't know you had? Which relationships deepened, and which dreams began to take shape?

This isn't about judging your progress or measuring yourself against an arbitray or impossible standard. It's about recognizing that you've been living, growing, and becoming every single day.

The tiny wins count just as much as the loud ones. Maybe you learned to say no with kindness, finally tried that recipe you bookmarked months ago, or simply showed up for yourself when it felt hard to get out of bed.

Every experience has created the person you are today. That's worth acknowledging.

Hope is a Feedback Loop (and Here’s How It Works) Jun 27, 2025

Show notes

Hope isn't just a feeling—it's a force that can multiply itself through the choices we make and the actions we take. When we understand how hope creates positive feedback loops, we can intentionally cultivate environments where hope grows stronger with each cycle.

What Is a Hope Feedback Loop?

A positive feedback loop of hope works like this: hopeful action creates positive outcomes, which reinforce our belief that good things are possible, which motivates more hopeful action. Each cycle builds on the last, creating momentum that becomes easier to continue and harder to break.

Starting the Loop: Small Actions, Big Ripples

The beauty of hope feedback loops is that they can start small. You don't need to solve major problems or make grand gestures. Sometimes the most powerful loops begin with simple acts:

The Thank You Note Loop: Writing genuine appreciation to someone creates connection and acknowledgment. They feel seen and valued, which often inspires them to recognize others. Soon, gratitude becomes a shared practice that lifts everyone involved.

The Listening Loop: Really hearing someone's story or struggles without rushing to fix or judge creates profound connection. People who feel truly heard often become better listeners themselves, spreading this rare gift through their relationships.

Create Success Stories: Document and share examples of positive change. When people see that transformation is possible—especially in circumstances similar to their own—it becomes easier to believe in their own capacity for change.

Every person has the capacity to generate positive feedback loops of hope. The question isn't whether you have enough power or resources—it's whether you're willing to take the first hopeful action, however small, and trust that it can create something larger than itself.

What hopeful action could you take today that might inspire someone else to take their own hopeful action tomorrow? What small experiment in possibility are you willing to try? Each step forward creates momentum for more.

It's Okay to Have Hope EP 113 Jun 25, 2025

Show notes

When things are uncertain, and the world feels crazy and surreal it’s okay to be happy and joyful and want nice things.

Novelist and poet MaryAnne Evans put it this way:

We can never give up longing and wishing while we are thoroughly alive. There are certain things we feel to be beautiful and good, and we must hunger after them.

We can’t give up.

I feel lucky that I have days that are full of nice moments when I can feel at ease in the world. It reminds me to be grateful for what I have and to also remember, it’s okay to seek out those moments.

We don’t end the suffering of others by imposing suffering on ourselves or denying our own needs.

I’m imperfectly working towards staying positive and hopeful and ever mindful that many people in the world don’t have the options I have.

It’s why hope matters.

It’s why joy and love and kindness are key to ending suffering. Sharing that with others is a tiny step to easing the sadness and suffering not by ignoring it, but buy refusing to give in to it.

It is okay to be happy.

It’s okay to have hope, to nurture hope.

It’s okay to want the best for yourself and the people you love.

It’s okay to tune out the news, and the horrible things happening in the world for a few hours or even a few days.

It’s okay to be joyful, to laugh out loud, to genuinely enjoy yourself.

That’s how we change things. That’s how we turn the tide.

Here’s to a happy, hopeful day ahead.

Curating Hope: A Practice for Uncertain Times EP 114 Jun 25, 2025

Show notes

Hope isn't something that simply happens to us—it's something we can actively cultivate and curate.

What Does It Mean to Curate Hope?

In the same way a museum curator carefully selects, arranges, and preserves pieces that tell a meaningful story, curating hope is the intentional gathering of moments, stories, experiences. It’s the evidence that remind us that positive change is possible, that humans are capable of remarkable things, and that tomorrow might be better than today.

Here are a few ideas to get you started:

Evidence collection

Story seeking

Build a Hope Archive

Full notes

What if Kindness Went Viral? EP 112 Jun 24, 2025

Show notes

What if kindness went viral?

I know sounds naïve but imagine what would happen if all of us were focused on doing something kind for someone else every day. Tony D. Sampson author and academic who studies culture and media defines viral phenomena as spreadable accumulations of events, objects, and affects that are overall content built up by popular discourses surrounding network culture.

In Adam Grant's book "Give and Take," he exemplifies how strategic generosity can build networks, create goodwill, and ultimately benefit both the giver and receiver when he highlighted Adam Rifkin, the Silicon Valley entrepreneur. Adam popularized the concept of the “five minute” favor” as a powerful network and relationship-building philosophy.

The principle is simple: "You should be willing to do something that will take 5 minutes or less for anybody."

Grant demonstrates that giving isn't just the nice thing to do, it's often the most effective long-term strategy for building influence, creating innovation, and achieving sustainable success. The book challenges the assumption that nice guys finish last, showing instead that the most generous people often finish first, while also revealing how to give without being taken advantage of.

So what if we gave a bit of kindness every day? An introduction, a compliment, a helping had, not because we want something for ourselves but because we want to be part of making the world a better place?

Naïve? Maybe.

But it might be worth the risk.

How to Bring Hope to Others EP 111 Jun 23, 2025

Show notes

In a world that often feels heavy, I believe we each have the power to be someone's light. Hope isn't always a grand gesture—it often shows up in quiet, meaningful ways. Today, I want to share three ways I've learned we can bring hope to others, starting right now.

First, be present and really listen.

Second, speak encouragement out loud.

Third, share your light, even when it feels small.

Here's what I've come to understand: bringing hope doesn't require perfection or profound wisdom—it just takes heart. And here's the beautiful thing I've experienced again and again: when I give hope to others, I often receive a little back, too.

So I encourage you—look for those moments today. Be someone's light. The world needs more hope, and you have the power to create it.

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