Dear Reader,

Yesterday I moved back into my treehouse office, one year after tearing it down.

We kept the 100-year-old redwood planks and used it to line the back wall. I’m convinced it holds something of the clients who have sat here. Their stories hold the ups and downs and ups again of life. Divorces, getting fired, having babies, getting cancer--it's not life's cycling that gives me hope.

It's the "indomitable human spirit," as this week's podcast guest and author of The Book of Hope, Doug Abrams, said it.

Hope has always been a tricky word for me. Used inflexibly, we can grab onto it as an experiential avoidance strategy. There are some things we should give up hope around.

Give up hope that:

You can control the uncontrollable.
Uncertainty will ever feel comfortable.
You can avoid pain.
You will get out of this alive.

Pema Chödrön says it boldly:

“We need to give up hope that we will finally get it together…and abandon the hope that at some point, some day, we will find lasting security.”

So where can we find hope?

In addition to the indomitable human spirit, Doug Abrams and Jane Goodall say we find hope in human intellect, young people, and nature’s resilience

Sitting in my new office, I can't help but see hope in the oak tree that wraps its branch around itself to make space for its neighbor, the clients who walk up my path looking for direction, and my son practicing his frisbee throwing down our lane.

I believe hope is built. You grow it when you remember:

You always have agency.
There are multiple paths through this.
You can get better at feeling.
When you listen to it, pain is your teacher.
There is always something to celebrate.

With a hopeful heart, celebrating my return to the oak grove,

Diana

Dr. Diana Hill Your Wise Effort Guide

If you want a major infusion of hope, listen to this week’s episode with Doug Abrams I recorded this live conversation with Doug during my recent Wise Effort retreat at Blue Spirit. A live, in-person bonus event for the 30 retreat attendees that gave us collective hope. Listen now

Join the next Wise Effort Business of Therapy program cohort Diana's 3rd cohort is starting in May 11, 2026. Join Diana to learn how to grow your therapy or coaching business, reach more people, and make a bigger impact. Limited seats are available to get the group focused and effective. Apply for WEBOT Today

Need to bring more ACT into your practice and reconnect with what matters most in your work as a clinician? I hope you’ll join us in NYC for ACT Bootcamp, May 4-7. I'm excited to be teaching again with Steven C Hayes, Robyn Walser, and Miranda Morris. We’ll explore the practices of psychological flexibility through experiential exercises, discussion, and application to real clinical work. Sign up now

Want to feel renewed and energized to utilize ACT confidently with your clients? Join me for an ACT experiential retreat for therapists at my favorite retreat center, Blue Spirit Costa Rica, June 27-July 4, 2026. I am leading an all-inclusive, 7-night experiential retreat for therapists. You'll have an immersive Acceptance and Commitment Therapy experiential getaway while earning up to 19 CEUs available through PESI. Reserve your spot

Are you a woman in midlife, ready to reconnect with yourself and move forward with greater clarity? Join my colleague, Seoka Salstrom, Ph.D. for a ACT-based retreat for Women in Midlife in Southern France this October. Enjoy spacious days of guided sessions, gentle movement, nature, and meaningful conversation in a beautifully restored medieval chateau. Learn more about Seoka's retreat

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