Ever since I got on my soapbox about hope, people have been sending me wonderful resources related to the topic.
My sweet friend Tammy Ulrich recently sent me a video featuring Jane Fonda talking about hope. I’m taking the liberty of sharing my take on what I heard.
Jane is a pretty fitting ambassador for hope. Long before she became the queen of fitness in the 1980s, leg warmers, workout tapes and all, Jane Fonda was an activist willing to put her voice and her body on the line for causes she believed in, including speaking out loudly against the Vietnam War.
So when she talks about hope, she is not talking about wishful thinking.
She uses some pretty salty language in the video, but the core of her message is simple:
Hope is a muscle. If you don’t use it, it weakens. It atrophies.
That rings true for me on many levels. Optimism assumes everything will probably turn out fine, but it is HOPE that carries the weight of the real world on its shoulders.
Carrying that kind of weight requires some serious strength training!
We build hope muscles through small daily repetitions like choosing courage when we feel shaky, speaking up when silence would be easier, encouraging someone who is doubting themselves, and taking the next step even when the outcome is uncertain.
Just like time spent at the gym, we may not see the results immediately, but over time those small efforts build strength.
Like any muscle, hope develops through use. Right now our world could use a lot more strong hope!
Truth be told, Jane’s message was a good reminder for me too. I may not be doing quite enough of those hope load-bearing exercises myself lately – not to mention that other kind of weight Jane is still committed to in her 80’s!
(If you would like to hear Jane explain the idea in her own colorful way, look up that video. I can’t seem to get the link connected for you here.)
“Use it or lose it,” as they say!
Patti Ann Talbot, Ed.D., is the Executive Director of ChangemakerYOU, a nonprofit dedicated to cultivating a movement of women who become skillful encouragers of the next generation of changemakers. She is the creator of Piecework™, a model of human thriving and a teachable theory of encouragement that helps people develop self-trust, courage, and voice.
With more than 35 years in public education spanning PreK through graduate school, Patti Ann has served as a classroom teacher, school counselor, principal, director of instruction, and college professor. These experiences shaped her belief that encouragement is a powerful but often misunderstood practice that can transform how people see themselves and what they believe is possible.
She is also a certified women’s empowerment coach and trainer through One of Many™. In her current writing, including her Hope Notes series, and her teaching, Patti Ann offers grounded, accessible ways into meaningful conversations that help people trust and express the wisdom of their own voices.
Her work through ChangemakerYOU brings the Piecework model to life through writing, teaching, and community-based experiences designed to strengthen courage, connection, and contribution.
