Growing Hope with Dr. Robyne Hanley-Dafoe

Hope isn't a feeling you wait for. It's a practice you build.

My guest today, Dr. Robyne Hanley-Dafoe explores the neuroscience, psychology, and resilience research behind hope — and why it may be the most underestimated skill we have. Dr. Robyne draws from her own story of childhood institutionalization and a near-death experience to show how hope can be held even in the hardest places. Her latest book, I Hope So, is born from her lived experience.

We explore the relationship between hope and trust, and what it really means to grow more resilient — not by returning to who you were, but by becoming someone who can carry more. Grief changes us. It's not something we get over; it's something we learn to carry. And hope is how we learn to carry it.

Dr. Robyne Hanley-Dafoe is an award-winning psychologist, education behaviorist, and two-time TEDx speaker with over 18 years of university teaching and research experience. She is known for making complex science feel personal and usable — delivering insight with both rigor and heart.

What gives you life right now? What are you allowing yourself to hope for?