Your Daily Dose of Hope

Hope isn't something we have to manufacture every day. Sometimes we lend it, and sometimes we borrow it. Today's episode explores why hope is one of the most renewable resources we have.

Summer has arrived, bringing longer days and a fresh perspective. Today's episode explores the wisdom of seasons and why it's okay to embrace change.

Could doing less actually help you create more? Today's episode explores why rest, boredom, and unstructured time may be the secret ingredients to creativity.

We can't control other people's actions, but we can always choose our own. Today's episode is a reminder to lead with kindness, patience, and character.

Stop renegotiating with yourself every day. Today's episode explores how making a decision once, and then consistently following through can reduce stress and build confidence.

Tiffany shares tips to help us be better listeners. There are really helpful, practical suggestions and examples. She reminds us of the power of truly listening and seeing the person who is talking with us.  It’s more than a conversation, it’s one of the best ways to let someone else know they have worth, they are valued and that you care.

What if one of the most powerful mindset shifts is also one of the simplest? In this episode, Phyllis explores limiting beliefs, the stories we tell ourselves, and a surprisingly effective technique for challenging thoughts that may not be true. Sometimes hope begins with questioning the assumptions we've been carrying for years.

A strange dream about blizzards and cooking for a big event sparked an interesting question: how much do our thoughts shape our emotions? In this episode, Phyllis reflects on the power of dreams, the stories we tell ourselves, and why learning to manage our thoughts can have a profound impact on how we experience each day.

When we think about pivots, we often imagine major life changes, a move, a new career, or a dramatic turning point. But what if meaningful pivots begin quietly? In this episode, Phyllis reflects on the subtle shifts happening in her own work and why curiosity may be the first sign that something new is taking shape.

Sometimes the most hopeful thing you can do is hit pause. In this episode, Phyllis shares why she chose not to publish episodes she had already recorded and explores the difference between consistency and obligation. A reminder that pauses aren't failures, they can be the very thing that helps us move forward with greater clarity and purpose.

Encouragement matters most while people are here to receive it. Today’s episode explores the power of celebrating and appreciating others in real time.

Today’s Daily Dose of Hope is a reminder that fun, play, and lightness aren’t distractions from life, they’re part of what helps us live it well.

Joy isn’t something we earn once life is perfect. This episode is a reminder that hope often grows through small moments of delight in ordinary days.

The questions we ask ourselves shape what we notice, believe, and pursue. Today’s episode explores how better questions can create more hope and possibility.

Hope grows when we stop waiting for huge milestones and start celebrating the small moments that matter every day

What do you think when you hear the term mindfulness? I know for a long time, I connected it to meditation that had to take an hour and be done in just the right way. That also meant I couldn’t ever get to it. It was something I aspired to, but never seemed to get around to.  I can’t be the only one, right?  What if mindfulness is meant to be part of our day to day? Not something else on the to-do list but something we do like washing our hands or brushing our teeth? Part of daily life. I’ve been working on this and wanted to share a few things that work for me.  1. Attach it to something you already do. Pick one daily habit like brushing your teeth, waiting for your smoothie to blend, and treat it as a moment of presence. No phone, no mental to-do list. Just the sensation of being exactly where you are. James Clear of Atomic Habits calls this habit-stacking. It works because instead of adding something new to try and remember, we’re just changing how you show in the moment for things that are already part of our day to day. This works for me pretty well, and I like that it’s okay if it’s just a few minutes. It doesn’t have to be 30 minutes on a cushion to count.  2. Use discomfort as a cue. Stress, irritation, restlessness, anxiety. When these show up instead of reacting or suppressing, try pausing for one breath and naming what you feel. Not fixing it. Just noticing. I'm anxious. I'm frustrated. I'm overwhelmed. That single act of labeling activates the prefrontal cortex and creates a tiny but real gap between stimulus and response. That gap is where mindfulness lives. This helps me a lot when I remember to do it. If I’m anxious or upset, it can be hard to hit pause, but worth it when I can do it.  3. End the day with one honest question. Before sleep, ask yourself: Where was I actually present today? It retrains your brain to notice presence in real time, because you know you'll be looking for it later. That’s what mindfulness is. Being in the present, without agenda, without worrying about tomorrow or obsessing over something that happened yesterday.  The best part is that none of this requires a ton of time or a special app, just your willingness to notice and be present.

Our minds have a default playlist. The same worries, the same doubts, the same mental reruns and thoughts are looping in the background whether we realize it or not. Neuroscientists call this the default mode network: the brain's idle state, which often defaults to rumination, worst-case scenarios, and unresolved emotional business. Hope is what interrupts the loop. When you feel genuine hope, your brain isn't being naive. It's doing something cognitively important. It's simulating futures that don't exist yet. The prefrontal cortex lights up, pulling attention forward, away from the grooved track of habitual thought. Hope is, in a very literal sense, your brain's ability to think outside its own patterns. Dr. Paul Baker writes about this in detail in his book, The Hopeful Brain if you’d like to learn more about how our brain functions. It’s fascinating.  Today I want to remind you that hopeful people aren't just "happier." They're more flexible mentally. That means we can hold the present moment and a different version of it at the same time, something our brain can do, but it’s all that common unless we focus on it, unless we practice.  We all know the loop is loud. It's familiar and feels like truth because we’ve thought these thoughts thousands of times. Every day for years!  Hope doesn't silence it. It just reminds you that the loop is not the whole story, and that our brain is bigger than its habits. Mindfulness is how hope breaks our brain’s algorithm!

Have you ever been driving home or walk into the kitchen and glance at the clock, and it says 11:11. You grab your coffee, the receipt says $3.33. Your parking spot? 444. This is episode 333 which is what got me thinking about this. When I see these sequences it feels like the universe is winking at me. I watched a few videos about this and what I learned is kind of interesting.  Essentially our brain is doing exactly what it has evolved to do. Our brain is always looking for patterns. It’s how our ancestors spotted predators in the grass and understood which berry was safe to eat. That same wiring means we unconsciously filter out the random sequences we see and zero in on the repeating sequences. It's called the Baader-Meinhof phenomenon (or frequency illusion). You notice 111 three times today because your brain is looking for it. It’s why we see red cars when we buy a red car. It’s referred to as selective intention and cognitive bias. Our brain is helping us see what it thinks we need or want to see.  One of the videos I watched called this phenomenon angel numbers and said that the number sequences are how they message us. I don’t know if that’s true but I do know that seeing sequences over and over reminds me that everyday patterns exist all around us.   When someone sees 444 and feels calmed or sees 1111 and feels like they're on the right path, that feeling is real. The number is like a permission slip to trust yourself.  That’s a good thing. If a repeated number makes you pause, breathe, and check in with yourself for 10 seconds, that's a mindfulness practice that feels like a bit of serendipity, divinely inspired or not. You don’t need to read any other message into seeing sequences other than, my brain (my inner knowing, my intuition) is reminding me to pause, be in the moment. That’s a good thing however it happens because in the moment is also where hope lives.  Here’s to recognizing patterns that help you be your best, most hopeful self.

Today I want to share a story about listening to your intuition. We all have it, but most of us have been told not to pay attention to it. Except sometimes we do. I’m sure you’ve had an experience where you made a decision to do something, or not do something and it ended up serving you well, but you really don’t have a logical reason for the “knowing”.  A friend of mine who has children says she has what she calls her “spidy” sense and when one of her kids needs her, she just knows. Now they are adults, but it still happens. She doesn’t have to run to the rescue, but she’ll text and check in because she’s learned to trust those messages.  About 2 years ago, I had a crazy example of this in my life. I was driving to an event to see an author who was doing a book tour to promote her new book. It had been on my calendar for a couple months, and I was looking forward to it.  The closest event was in another city about 2 hours away by car and I thought it was worth the drive so I blocked off the time and looked forward to it. The day of the event arrived and I hopped in the car ready to go.  I was only about 30 minutes into the 2ish hour drive when I got the strongest sense that I should turn around and go back home. I was passing an exit on the highway just then, but I didn’t pull off because it seemed so weird. I couldn’t figure out why or where this was coming from. It just didn’t make any sense.  The next exit was about 10 miles way and as it neared, I knew I was going to have to take it. I couldn’t explain it but there’s no way I could drive for another hour and a half feeling like this.  So I turned around. I called my husband to let him know I was on my way home and I wasn’t sure why but it felt like the right thing to do. About 30 minutes after I got home, I received an email from the author’s team.  The event was being postponed because her flight was cancelled and she couldn’t make it. They even said they waited until the last possible minute to make the call.  When I left, the event was still on, but as I was driving, it was cancelled.  I know this sounds crazy, but I also know that was my intuition, the universe, spirit, whatever term you use, looking out for me.  I’m trying to pay attention, and I hope you will too. Your intuition wants the best for us, and I find that the most hopeful thing of all.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

When everything feels overwhelming, taking one small step can shift everything. This episode explores how simple actions create momentum—and how momentum opens the door for hope.

Inspired by Theo of Golden, this episode explores the quiet but powerful impact of meaningful conversations. In a world full of noise, it’s a reminder that slowing down, listening deeply, and truly connecting with others can create change in ways we often underestimate.

Sometimes nothing needs to change… except how we’re looking at it. When everything feels heavy, overwhelming, or stuck, it’s often because we’re zoomed in too close. We’re looking at the problem from one angle. One story. One moment. But what happens if you zoom out? What if this isn’t the end of the story… just a chapter? What if the thing that feels like a setback is actually creating space for something else? A shift in perspective doesn’t deny reality.It expands it.

Not all progress is loud or visible. In this episode, we explore the quiet, often unseen growth happening beneath the surface—both in the world and in our own lives. Inspired by the long journey behind milestones like Artemis II, it’s a reminder that your steady effort, intention, and resilience are shaping your future in meaningful ways, even if you can’t fully see it yet.

Inspired by the Artemis II mission, this episode is a reminder that progress is still happening—even when we can’t always see it. From historic space exploration to quiet, meaningful contributions here on Earth, hope lives in the people who keep building, creating, and moving forward. When we look up, we’re reminded that if humanity can reach the moon again, we can find our way forward too.

Feeling overwhelmed by the state of the world? This episode offers a powerful shift in perspective reminding us that even in the midst of negativity, there is far more good happening than we often see. Through simple, intentional awareness, you can reconnect with hope, humanity, and the quiet acts of kindness shaping our world every day. From The 5% Coaching Substack, Writer: Claire O'Connor

Letting go of meaningful items can feel like losing something all over again—but what if their purpose has already been fulfilled? This episode reflects on memory, meaning, and the quiet hope found in release.

Self-love is more than a moment—it’s a relationship you build with yourself over time. This episode explores what it really looks like in everyday life and why it matters more than we think.

What if the slow start to your year wasn’t a problem—but a season of rest? Today’s episode explores the natural rhythm of growth and why spring might be the perfect time to gently begin again.

Loss doesn’t come with a timeline, and “moving on” isn’t always the goal. This episode explores how honoring what was can gently create space for moving forward—when and how it feels right.

What if the constant push for “next level” is keeping you from fully experiencing what’s already good? Today’s Daily Dose of Hope invites you to pause, appreciate where you are, and find hope in the present, not just the future.

Today I want to do something a bit different. Each day I want to share something that will help you find hope or remain hopeful or possible share hope with someone else. It’s a renewable resource after all and we know it grows the more we share it with others. Today I want to suggest creating your personal hope list. Use your phone or something easy – don’t make this a big project. It’s best if you go with what comes to you right away. Who and what in your life keeps you hopeful or gives you hope? Put it on the list. Be generous, no one else will see this – this is just for you.   I’m going to share 3 things from my list, just for inspiration to help you get started.

I recently read a book about a midwife from the 18th century who kept a journal and the entries were often 2 or 3 sentences at the end of each day it a shorthand summary style. Example: Cold today. Checked that Dolly’s fever is gone. I was home. And that made me think of modern day bullet journaling. I’ve tried it but it didn’t work for me but now I have a new idea and it could be a great recording of hope. We know it’s a renewable resource – so what if writing once sentence at the end of each day make it easier to be filled with hope? Daily Gratitude’s Growth Moments - Track instances where you stepped outside your comfort zone or overcame a challenge. Future Dreams – Dreaming on a daily basis is a great way to keep looking at what’s possible a key element of hope. Acts of Kindness – You could log those you do for others – imagine what a world it would be if we were all making sure we did one act of kindness every day so our journal wouldn’t be empty. Small Victories – A game-changer if you have to acknowledge one thing each day that you did well. Something Beautiful – just thinking about doing this made me smile. Will I have multiple entries about my cats or the hummingbirds – probably! Summoning Courage – this one I want to think about because my first instinct was to say – I can be courageous everyday – can I? Can you? A Hopeful Moment – this is what these recordings do for me right now – it makes me think about hope, and why and how it keeps showing up. What if you did the same? Even a few minutes each day spent reflecting on the positive can significantly shift your perspective over time. I hope you’ll pick one and start – maybe challenge yourself to try this for 10 days and then see how you feel? Hope, kindness, gratitude, courage – all renewable and never-ending resources for us to use.

Some days we just need a quick way to quite the chatter in our heads, or at least change the subject. Today I’m sharing four mantras that can offer gentle hope during difficult times - feel free to use these or create your own. Having some go-to thoughts that support you will always be better than the endless loop we often get stuck listening to. My own mental chatter isn’t usually too terrible, but it’s often boring things like “I need to make a list of ….. or what ever task that I’ve been avoiding. Swapping out those thoughts for one of these always helps me go from distraction and procrastination to focus and action, even if it’s taking a break to clear my head and get some fresh air. A shift of perspective always does me good and I hope it helps you too.

There’s a kind of freedom in saying those four words out loud: This might not work. Honest plans begin with honest uncertainty – Seth Godin Admitting that something might not work isn’t pessimism, it’s planning and preparing for multiple possible outcomes. How many things in life would you have accomplished if you only tried what you knew for certain would work out? How many things ended up differently, but ultimately for the best? We can’t always know where we’ll end up, but isn’t it worth the trip?

Hey friend, it’s time for your Daily Dose of Hope. And this one’s for the part of you that feels like you’re somehow falling behind. You’re not. You’re right on time. I know it’s easy to look around and feel like everyone else has it figured out. You scroll, and you see someone launching something new, someone getting promoted, someone crossing the finish line you didn’t even know you were racing toward. And that quiet voice in your head says, “Why not me?” “When will it be my turn?” Here’s the truth —you’re not late. You’re building something that takes time. Some seasons are about sprinting. Others are about planting. You might be in your planting season right now — and that’s okay. Roots have to grow before anything blooms. The world moves fast, but your soul doesn’t. Your pace is not a problem; it’s your power. Every pause, every delay, every detour —it’s shaping you in ways the fast lane never could. So instead of asking “Why am I not there yet?” try asking, “What am I learning right now that I couldn’t have learned any other way?” Because one day soon, you’ll look back and realize — you weren’t behind. You were being prepared. You were becoming the person who could handle what’s next. You’re not late to your life. You’re right on time. And hope —hope is always waiting exactly where you are.

Hope becomes stronger when we practice it regularly. This episode shares simple habits that help make hope part of everyday life.

Hope isn’t just something we feel—it’s something we can choose. This episode explores how choosing hope can shift how we approach difficult moments.

Your life already contains proof that hope works. Today’s episode invites you to notice the evidence and strengthen your belief in what’s possible.

Hope grows when we share it. This episode explores small ways you can pass hope forward and lift someone else today.

If you’re searching for hope today, start small. This episode shares a few simple ways to reconnect with hope when life feels uncertain.