295. SOUND BITE – Hope, Trust, and the Leaders Who Are Coming

[00:00:06] Welcome to Girl, Take the Lead!, Sound BITE, which is a shorter episode and reflects an inspiration taken from a recent conversation. And I'm your host, Yolanda Canny. Sometimes after an interview ends, a thought sticks with me, a question, an insight, or perhaps a connection I didn't fully appreciate until I had time to sit with it.

[00:00:32] Today's reflection was inspired by my conversation with Cheryl Robinson, author of the Hearts of Gold book series and host of Hearts of Gold podcast. Our conversation centered on the Girl Scout Gold Award and the remarkable young women who are learning how to lead through service, problem solving, and community impact. But what stayed with me was something a little different. It was hope.

[00:01:01] Let's explore that together. After my conversation with Cheryl, I found myself sitting with the unexpected feeling of hope. Not because she told me everything is going to be okay. Not because the challenges facing our community suddenly disappear. And not because that roughly 3,000 girls earn the gold award annually. There was something else that made me feel helpful, that made me curious.

[00:01:31] So what exactly is hope? And is it the same thing as trust? And do you have to have both? One of my favorite researchers, and I'm sure is yours too, is Brene Brown. In Atlas of the Heart, she draws on the work of psychologist C.R. Snyder, who studied hope for decades. What surprised me is that hope isn't considered an emotion. It's a way of thinking.

[00:01:59] Snyder's research suggests that hope involves three things. First, a goal. Something we want to move forward. Second, pathways. The ability to see a route forward, even when obstacles appear. And third, agency. The belief that we can take action. As Brene says, hope is not something we're born with or without. It's something we learn.

[00:02:27] And perhaps that's why Cheryl's story stayed with me. The young women she works with aren't simply dreaming about a better future. They're identifying a problem. They're asking questions. They're building teams. They're creating solutions. They're learning agency. In a way, they're practicing hope. But I also found myself wondering about trust.

[00:02:53] Because while hope and trust aren't the same thing, I think they may be connected. Trust isn't believing everything will work out. Trust isn't certainty. Trust is deciding that something is worthy of our confidence. Maybe that's ourselves. Maybe it's another person. Maybe it's a community. Or maybe it's the generation coming behind us.

[00:03:21] As I've gotten older, I've noticed it's easy to focus on what's declining. Institutions struggling. Organizations shrinking. Technology changing faster than we can keep up. The divisions we see all around us. Those things are real. But after talking with Cheryl, I found myself asking different questions. What's still growing? What's emerging?

[00:03:50] Who's preparing themselves to meet the future? And that's when I realized why this conversation moved me. Not because I suddenly believed everything was going to be okay. But because I saw evidence. Evidence that young women are still learning how to care. How to serve. How to solve problems. How to lead. Every year, thousands of young women take on projects that require courage.

[00:04:19] Persistence. Teamwork. Communication. And vision. Most of us will never know their names. They won't all become senators, CEOs, or public figures. But many will become teachers, nurses, engineers, entrepreneurs, volunteers, mentors, and community leaders. And perhaps that's where hope lives. Not in grand promises. Not in certainty.

[00:04:49] But in the evidence that people are still becoming who they are meant to be. As Cheryl and I talked, I found myself thinking, the leaders are coming. And they're going to be amazing. Maybe hope isn't confidence that the future will be perfect. Maybe hope is trust. That there will be people there to meet it. People who care. People who lead.

[00:05:19] People who will do things differently than we did. And perhaps, in some cases, even better. I think that's what Cheryl gave me. Not certainty. Not optimism. Just a little more trust in the future. And today, that feels like hope. Thank you for joining me for this soundbite. And I hope that the reflection resonated with you.

[00:05:47] You can find links from the conversation with Cheryl and her Hearts of Gold book series and all the resources we discussed in the show notes. Next week, we'll have a full-length conversation as I welcome Teresa Gregory, executive leadership, strategist, keynote speaker, and executive coach. Teresa helps high-performing leaders uncover the hidden thinking patterns that influence how they communicate.

[00:06:15] And we'll have great things to say about assumptions, labels, beliefs that quietly shape our leadership every day. Until next time, remember, leadership isn't always found in the big moments. Sometimes, sometimes it begins with a question, a reflection, being a little bit courageous, and a willingness to see things differently.

[00:06:40] And, as always, be willing to take the lead in your own life. Bye.