The last five years shattered me. One loss after another pulled me under, and I found myself gripped by fear and consumed by grief. My heart, my body, my spirit—held hostage. For someone who once found sanctuary in words, journaling daily as a way to make sense of life, this silence was terrifying. My voice disappeared. I couldn’t write. I couldn’t speak. All I could do was tear images from magazines and glue them into collages that screamed what I couldn’t say out loud—the depth of my despair, the weight of the darkness.

And yet, somewhere in that silence, a question began to rise: What frees the human spirit? I became obsessed—not with overcoming grief, but with finding the spark that refuses to be extinguished. I began seeking out people who, despite unthinkable pain, refused to give up on hope. People who walk through the fire and still dare to believe in joy, in justice, in love.

Tales of Outrageous Hope is my offering. A gathering of stories from everyday people who carry extraordinary courage. Their lives are a testament to the truth that hope is not naive—it’s radical. It’s healing. It’s a daily, deliberate choice.

These conversations have helped me reclaim my voice. And I offer them to you in the spirit of community, of shared humanity, and of fierce, relentless hope. We heal together. We rise together. And in telling these stories, I’m remembering my own.

— Anita Rodriguez Cordero, PCC, SPHR