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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710. Stories That Fill the Hope Gap: Closing the Hope Gap with Story - Afdhel Aziz

We Are For Good Podcast - The Podcast for Nonprofits

710. Stories That Fill the Hope Gap: Closing the Hope Gap with Story - Afdhel Aziz