Episode Details

There is a growing gap in our world between hope and despair. 

And storytelling might be the most powerful tool we have to fill it.

Welcome to Stories That Fill the Hope Gap, a 10-part limited series created in partnership with Good is the New Cool and We Are For Good. Every Wednesday for the next 10 weeks, we are bringing you a changemaker who is using story to cut through noise, build connection, shift culture, and move people to action.

We open with the conversation that started it all: the keynote Afdhel Aziz delivered live at ImpactUp: Story, framing the big idea that runs through every episode that follows.

In this episode, you'll hear:

• What the Hope Gap is, where it came from, and why it matters for every changemaker telling stories right now
• Why pop culture, social media, and news are all feeding despair, and what that means for how we communicate
• Gallup's 2026 finding that hope is the number one thing people want from their leaders, outpacing trust, compassion, and stability combined
• Afdhel's 3-step storytelling playbook: start with hope, spark wonder, inspire courageous action

We need your stories to help fill the hope gap. Share yours at weareforgood.com/hopegap. 🩵

Episode Highlights:

• Welcome to the series: what Stories That Fill the Hope Gap is (0:03)
• Grief, fear, and this moment we are in (5:19)
• Storytelling: the single greatest tool to change civilization (8:00)
• The current crisis of storytelling (9:00)
• Despair is paralyzing. Hope is galvanizing. (12:00)
• Gallup 2026: hope outpaces trust, compassion, and stability combined (12:30)
• Meet The Solutionaries (13:30)
• The 3-step playbook: start with hope, spark wonder, inspire courageous action (17:30)
• Share your story at weareforgood.com/hopegap (19:58)

Episode Show Notes: https://www.weareforgood.com/episode/710

Series Hub: https://www.weareforgood.com/hopegap

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