8.7 Amanda Nunes: Hope

"I’m happy to give people hope. To show that you can be whoever you want and still be a champion." - Amanda Nunes

When you feel down and out, how do you find hope?

Hope is the expectation that something good is going to happen to you and through you. It is the belief that your future can be better than your past or present, and that you have a role in making it so.

When I am feeling low, I search for hope. I like to think, “What if …” For example, “If everything worked out for good, what would that look like and what would I need to do to make it happen?”

Hope can also come from looking at others for inspiration.

Amanda Nunes is a retired Brazilian mixed martial artist who is widely considered one of the greatest female fighters in the history of MMA (Mixed Martial Arts).

She once said, “I’m happy to give people hope. To show that you can be whoever you want and still be a champion.”

Nunes was an openly gay woman who found success in a male-dominated, often hyper-masculine sport. She knows her success gives visibility and encouragement to others who might feel like they don’t belong or won’t be accepted.

Her message is that you can embrace your identity and still reach the top. You don’t have to fit someone else’s mold of what a “champion” looks like.

Her journey offers others hope—not just to dream, but to believe in their power to achieve, as they are.

Hope is everywhere, but sometimes you have to go find it—and sometimes that means you have to be it, for yourself and others.

Something to Think About: How do you find hope when it feels dark around you?