Please keep doing the things that give hope

March 13, 2025

Hi there - Whatever you personally do that's giving people hope,* please do that thing now as much as you can.

I'm hearing from a lot of my clients that people around the world are responding in remarkable ways when they give them hope.

This in itself is not surprising, given how destabilized (and perhaps even hopeless) so many of us feel right now.

Most of us, though, can't clearly articulate the things we do that give others hope. Why not? Well, it’s not a skill that’s been encouraged in us.

In my case, I happen to know that it gives people hope when I show up consistently in full alignment with my values. As I just said to a client, "I will compromise on lots of things because that's something I can happily do in healthy, loving relationships. When I can give a little or a lot, I do, and it's good. But what I will not compromise on is my values, and the people in my life - friends, relatives and clients - rely on me for this. It gives them hope."

So, whatever it is that you do that comes naturally and gives hope to the world, please keep doing that thing. We need more of it. We need more of you.

If you can't quite find the words to describe what your hope-filled gifts are, I'd be honored to work with you on it.

As always, please keep recommending me to friends and colleagues who might need a business coach. I have an equity pricing structure that means I can help most folks who need a business coach, and I have extensive experience, especially coaching leaders in social justice.

*I don't mean toxic positivity or forced positivity. Many readers of this newsletter know me personally and so you'll be able to confirm from your experience that I don’t use positivity as an artificial prop and I'm not an optimist either; I'm a realist but I always believe in taking a step in the right direction, one foot at a time. As my colleague Hanna Reichelt over on The Bloom put it, what we need in the world are, ”Good, promising, brave and hopeful things.” That’s most decidedly not the same thing as forced positivity. (If you aren’t on The Bloom yet, it’s a professional networking site focused on social impact. I’m finding it to be a great alternative to LinkedIn and I hope you’ll consider joining me there.)

Have a meaningful day and go spread some hope,

Kay Coughlin, CEO and Business Coach, Facilitator on Fire