DR. ROBYNE HANLEY-DAFOE is an educational behaviorist, bestselling author of I Hope So, and international speaker who teaches resilience and well-being.

She shares her journey from struggling with undiagnosed ADHD as a child to dropping out of high school, being institutionalized at 16, and surviving a near-death car accident—and how her mother’s question “how do you want to feel?” instead of “what are your goals?” changed everything.

She explains:
◼ How undiagnosed ADHD in young girls can lead to rejection sensitivity, self-harm, and addiction
◼ The difference between hope and optimism—and why hope is what makes resilience possible
◼ Why high performers often succeed despite their habits, not because of them
◼ What “making yourself savable” means
◼ The cost of hopelessness in society today

0:00 – What Is an Educational Behaviorist?
6:37 – Feeling “Othered” From Grade One, Dropping Out at 15
11:22 – Self-Harm, Addiction, and Parents Who Loved Her Helplessly
14:01 – Why Are Kids More Complex in Classrooms Today?
18:21 – Institutionalized at 16: “I Was Just Begging to Die”
26:46 – Her Mother: “Can I Tell You What I See for You?”
31:44 – Three Weeks Later: Car Crashes Through Ice, Trapped Underwater
36:42 – Navy SEAL: “You Made Yourself Savable”
43:15 – Going Back to School, Finally Diagnosed With ADHD
49:34 – Meeting the Impulse With a Choice Instead of Acting on It
56:39 – High Performers: Despite Habits or Because of Them?
58:53 – Hope vs. Optimism: What I Hope So Actually Means
1:02:42 – The Cost of Hopelessness in Society Today
1:05:35 – Where to Find Dr. Robyne and I Hope So