In this episode we explore a Stoic perspective that hope and fear are two sides of the same coin: both are future-focused projections that rob us of the present. Drawing on Hakato of Rhodes and Seneca, the host explains how hope can produce anxiety and why "hope is not a strategy."

The episode also includes a repeated affirmation — "I am worthy of love and respect just as I am" — as a grounding practice to counteract worry and cultivate presence.