We are living in a world that currently feels unsettled, to say the least.

At best, people seem confused. At worst, frozen, or acting out. There is so much anger and uncertainty in the air.

One way I’m coping is by returning to art and story. Because here is what I know: Stories are more than entertainment.

They can be bids for understanding. They can be tests to see if you understand or even agree with another person. And for times like these, they can also be compasses that orient us when the world feels unmoored.

Since January, I’ve noticed myself reaching for historical fiction and speculative fiction as if story itself is a lifeline.

That’s what this first episode of season two is about: How story can hold us and help us make sense when the world we live in feels fractured.

I’ll share a few of the narratives that are nourishing me right now, and give you an exercise I use with clients when they’re ready to write a new story for their own lives.

This is also an introduction to our theme for season two: imagination. Over the coming weeks, you’ll hear from living sages, authors, educators, artists, and activists—people imagining new ways of being, and offering us tools to step into our own power.

Listen to the full episode to hear:

Three narratives of agency, creativity, and community that offer fierce hope in the face of oppression and adversity
A six-sentence exercise to write your own story of muscular hope
How Emma Cote’s Pixar Story Spine can help us practice, and then live, with hope

Download the Story Spine Worksheet

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