Hopepunk: Hope for Individuals, Companies, and the Future

Imagine a world where hope is not just a feeling but a strategy—a defiant, intentional act of creating a better future. This is the essence of Hopepunk, a storytelling movement born in 2017 that emphasizes resilience, kindness, and collective action. But its power extends far beyond fiction. In a world grappling with rapid change and uncertainty, Hopepunk holds lessons not just for individuals but for companies, leaders, and boards seeking purpose and direction.

Listen to the discussion about Hopepunk:

Hopepunk: The Future Needs a New Kind of Story

Hopepunk stories are about more than survival; they’re about thriving against the odds. They show us characters who fight for connection, justice, and change, even when success isn’t guaranteed. It’s the same vision we need for the future of businesses and societies: a commitment to purpose and progress, no matter how difficult the journey.

In speculative fiction like Becky Chambers’ A Psalm for the Wild-Built, characters challenge norms and create inclusive, sustainable futures. Scholars like Onur Karakose see these narratives as blueprints for rethinking systems and structures—lessons that are just as relevant to boardrooms and corporate strategy as they are to literature.

Companies and Boards: The Guardians of Purpose

Businesses today face a choice: stay reactive or lead with purpose. Hopepunk teaches us that the latter is the only viable path forward. Boards and leaders must actively cultivate resilience, not just in their strategies but in their cultures. They need to ask, “How can we be a force for good in the world?”

Purpose is no longer just a buzzword; it’s a necessity. Companies that align with long-term social and environmental goals are better positioned to navigate uncertainty. Leaders who cultivate purpose within their organizations create not only value but also meaning—for employees, stakeholders, and society.

The World Economic Forum emphasizes the importance of building on past leadership principles to create a better future, highlighting the need for leaders to adapt timeless values to contemporary challenges.

Hopeful Leadership: Cultivating Resilience in Chaos

To lead with hope is to lead with courage. It’s about recognizing that change is inevitable and choosing to shape it rather than resist it. Leaders who embody Hopepunk values prioritize:

1. Future Thinking: Like Hopepunk’s imaginative worlds, businesses must look beyond short-term gains to create sustainable, inclusive futures. Researchers Rikke Toft Nørgård and Kim Holflodsuggest using speculative and utopian thinking to reimagine education—and the same applies to business. By embracing radical innovation and big-picture thinking, leaders can ensure their organizations are not just reactive but regenerative.

2.Resilience: Hopepunk heroes fight on, even when the odds are against them. In business, this means fostering cultures that embrace change and learn from failure. Boards play a critical role here, setting the tone for adaptability and guiding companies through turbulent times.

3.Purpose and Meaning: Donna Passara Crilly’s research on Hopepunk during times of crisis reveals its power to foster collective resilience. For companies, this translates to embedding purpose into every decision, ensuring employees and stakeholders see their efforts as part of something bigger.

4.Kindness and Connection: In Hopepunk stories, kindness is an act of rebellion. For leaders, this means building workplaces where empathy and collaboration thrive. By prioritizing people over profits, companies can achieve sustainable success.

The World Economic Forum identifies key geopolitical questions for 2025, urging leaders to address challenges with a forward-thinking and hopeful approach.

Boards as Hopepunk Heroes

Boards are the stewards of a company’s future. They must ensure that purpose isn’t just a statement on a website but a guiding principle in every strategy. This requires dynamic leadership, where boards actively:

• Foster innovation and adaptability.
• Hold companies accountable for long-term sustainability goals.
• Champion inclusivity and equity within their organizations.

As thought leaders like Cecilia Mancuso suggest, Hopepunk isn’t just a genre; it’s a framework for social and systemic change. Boards that embrace this mindset can guide companies through challenges while staying true to their purpose.

The Future We Build Together

Hopepunk is more than a storytelling movement—it’s a call to action for individuals, companies, and societies to create a future shaped by boldness, purpose, and resilience. Hope isn’t passive; it’s something we cultivate, defend, and fight for.

By pairing radical optimism with visionary frameworks like Massive Transformative Purpose (MTP) and Moonshot Thinking, we can reimagine what’s possible:

• Massive Transformative Purpose inspires organizations to define bold goals that drive innovation and meaningful impact, uniting stakeholders around a shared vision for sustainability, equity, and progress.
• Moonshot Thinking challenges leaders to tackle ambitious, seemingly impossible goals with creativity and resilience, tackling big problems and achieving extraordinary change.

Combining Hopepunk, MTP, and Moonshots

The future demands bold action and compassion. By blending Hopepunk principles with MTP and Moonshot Thinking, individuals and organizations can drive societal progress where:

• Purpose fuels progress: Boards and leaders create long-term value for humanity and the planet.
• Resilience sparks innovation: Teams embrace challenges to create groundbreaking solutions.
• Audacity inspires action: Bold goals push organizations to address global challenges.

A Call to Climate Leadership

This week, COP29 in Baku is gathering nations to advance global climate finance and operationalize carbon markets. For corporate boards, aligning strategies with climate goals isn’t just compliance—it’s an opportunity for growth and leadership in sustainability. (Read the briefing here)

The future isn’t inherited—it’s built. With Hopepunk, MTP, and Moonshot Thinking, we can craft a legacy of resilience, progress, and hope

A Future Worth Fighting For

The future is not something we passively inherit—it’s something we actively create. Whether you’re an individual imagining a better world, a leader shaping your company’s path, or a board member guiding strategy, the question to ask is: What would a Hopepunk hero do?

With Massive Transformative Purpose as our guide, Moonshot Thinking as our framework, and climate leadership informed by forums like COP29, we can pursue audacious goals while staying rooted in compassion, courage, and collaboration. Together, we can write a story of radical hope—a story where we don’t just survive the future but thrive in it, creating a legacy worth fighting for.

References

• 5 Geopolitical Questions for 2025 – World Economic Forum. Discusses key geopolitical challenges and questions leaders will need to address in 2025. Read the full article here.
• Leadership for our times: Build on the past to create a better future – World Economic Forum. Discusses how timeless leadership principles can be adapted to address contemporary global challenges. Read the full article here.
• Beyond Cyberpunk: Reading Hopepunk as Queer Futurism in Becky Chambers’ A Psalm for the Wild-Built – Onur Karakose. Examines how Hopepunk narratives create subversive queer futurisms, breaking traditional storytelling norms. Read the full article here.
• Multiplicative Speculations: What We Can Learn from The Rise and Fall of Hopepunk – Cecilia Mancuso. Explores Hopepunk’s impact on genre conventions and its potential for inspiring social change. Read the summary here.
• Impossible Dreaming: On Speculative Education Fiction and Hopeful Learning Futures – Shandell Houlden and George Veletsianos. Investigates how Hopepunk-inspired speculative fiction can foster radical imagination in education. Read the full article here.
• (No) Hope for the Future? A Design Agenda for Rewidening and Rewilding Higher Education with Utopian Imagination – Rikke Toft Nørgård and Kim Holflo Suggests rewilding education with Hopepunk-inspired utopian frameworks to create preferable futures. Read the full article here.
• Hopepunk as a Process: Hope in Times of Crisis – Donna Passara Crilly. Explores Hopepunk’s role in fostering resilience during socio-political crises in the U.S. Read the thesis here.
• A Psalm for the Wild-Built – Becky Chambers. A Hopepunk novel that embodies radical kindness, inclusivity, and resilience in a speculative world. Find the book here.
• HopePunk: A Guide for Optimists Wanting to Better the World of Work – Mike Perk and Charles Mathews. A practical guide exploring how to apply Hopepunk’s radical optimism to personal and professional challenges. Available on Amazon.
• Enacting Purpose: Latest Insights from Two Global Initiatives – Saïd Business School, University of Oxford. Highlights the importance of embedding purpose into corporate governance and business strategies. Read the full article here.
• Creating an Innovation Culture with Massive Transformative Purpose – Singularity University. Explores how organizations can foster innovation by defining and pursuing a Massive Transformative Purpose. Read more here.
• The Secrets of X: These 5 Principles Will Help Your Company Make Moonshots Happen – Singularity Hub. Highlights key principles behind Moonshot Thinking and how organizations can adopt this mindset to achieve extraordinary goals. Read the full article here.
• What to expect at COP29: A briefing for Board Directors – Climate Governance Initiative Read the briefing here

Explore related Virtual Art Exhibition: Hopepunk – Futures of Radical Hope

Welcome to explore the virtual art exhibition “Hopepunk: Futures of Radical Hope”

Step into a world where hope is a strategy and creativity sparks transformation. This exhibition celebrates resilience, kindness, and bold imagination, inspired by the Hopepunk movement.

Through visionary art, explore how individuals, companies and communities can defy challenges, reimagine the impossible, and build a future rooted in compassion and purpose.

Explore the exhibition with the support of our Art Guide available here:

Novisali (Liselotte Engstam) the multi-media artist behind the exhibition, brings curious and explorative mind to her work, aiming to extend the art experiences.

Learn More

Webinars, Peer Exchanges and Events

Events Autumn 2024 and Digoshen Calendar Autumn 2024

Board Programs

“Boards Oversight of Responsible AI”

“Boards Oversight of Sustainability“

More to Come

Digoshen is preparing a unique experience for the December Month: Balanced Bridge, an inspirational 31-day journey to cultivate clarity, calm, and connection, through daily guided practices of reflection, based on academic research and exploring four themes of Gratitude Practice, Self-Compassion, Personal Value and Purpose  and Part of something Greater. 
More to Come… Sign up to get a notice when the program opens

More inspiration

Playlist on Spotify: Hopepunk

A Hopepunk Ode

Imagine hope, not a fleeting breeze,
But a force that bends the tallest trees.
A strategy forged in a fiery storm,
Shaping futures, transforming norms.

Hopepunk lives where stories ignite,
In worlds that push for what is right.
Where kindness rebels, resilience shines,
And purpose drives through uncertain times.

Massive Transformative Purpose leads the way,
A beacon through chaos, lighting the fray.
Uniting hearts with goals so grand,
A compass for change, steady and planned.

Moonshot dreams dare the impossible call,
To rise, to innovate, to conquer it all.
A mindset bold, to reimagine anew,
What others deem false, Hopepunk makes true.

Boards as heroes, they hold the key,
Fostering equity, accountability.
Guiding progress with hands so firm,
They plant the seeds for a brighter term.

Let purpose and action light the way,
Transforming the night into hopeful day.
With unity strong and vision wide,
Together we stand, side by side.

Together we fight for a world worth knowing,
Where boldness and compassion keep us growing.
A legacy forged in audacious care,
A Hopepunk future, beyond compare.

Where individuals rise, and companies lead,
Where resilience and courage plant the seed.
Through challenges vast, through tides unsure,
Hopepunk’s vision will always endure.

With hearts aligned, we shape what’s ahead,
A story of hope where no fear is bred.
From boardrooms to fields, the call is clear,
The future we build starts now, right here.

About the Artist: Novisali (Liselotte Engstam)

Novisali, the multi-media artist behind the exhibition, brings a curious and explorative mind to her work, aiming to extend art experiences to both current and new audiences using traditional and digital mediums. The exhibition features a blend of watercolor paintings, AI-modified artwork based on paintings, text and photos, digital drawing, and manipulation tools. Additionally, the music and poetry accompanying the exhibition are composed and generated by Novisali, enhancing the overall tone and atmosphere.

About Novisali 

This blog post was originally shared at the blog of the blog of Digoshen  www.digoshen.com,  the Digoshen & Boards Impact Forum Chair and founder www.liselotteengstam.com, with the artist name Novisali and on the blog on Novisali.com .

Novisali, (alias Liselotte Engstam), is besides her roles as professional board member and advisor, a multi-media artist, with a curious, explorative mind and an ambition to learn and extend art experiences to current and new audiences using both traditional and new digital mediums. More information and exhibitions can be found via Novisali.com