About this episode

Deepika Chopra discusses her perspective on real optimism and how to maintain hope while being realistic.

Deepika Chopra, a clinical psychologist, has a problem with the way optimism is often defined. Real optimism, she says, shouldn’t be about always expecting the best, because sometimes the bad thing will happen. Instead, she wants us to expect the best from ourselves.  On today’s episode, Deepika joins Maya to talk about the deeply personal experience that changed her understanding of optimism – and how to hold onto hope while staying planted in reality.  Check out Deepika’s book, “ The Power of Real Optimism: A Practical, Science-Based Guide to Staying Resilient, Curious, and Open Even When Life Is Hard .” If you enjoyed our conversation with Deepika and want to hear more from A Slight Change of Plans, we recommend these episodes: “ You Have More Influence Than You Think ” with Vanessa Bohns “ Why We Avoid Conversations That Would Make Us Happier ” with Nick Epley “ How to Build Empathy and Avoid Burnout ” with Jamil Zaki See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

People in this episode

Host: Maya

Guest: Deepika Chopra

Topics covered

• optimism
• psychology
• resilience
• hope
• self-improvement

Keywords

• optimism
• psychology
• resilience
• hope
• self-improvement
• Deepika Chopra
• Maya

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: The Power of Real Optimism: A Practical, Science-Based Guide to Staying Resilient, Curious, and Open Even When Life Is Hard

More episodes of A Slight Change of Plans

• Tenacity: Stories about perseverance | From The Story Collider · July 14, 2026 · 37 min
• When Panic Takes Over – And How to Break Free · June 16, 2026 · 18 min

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