What is Authentic Hope? with Annie F. Downs

In this week’s episode, we sit down with New York Times bestselling author, speaker, and podcast host Annie F. Downs—known by many as the “Queen of Fun.” Annie shares with us her journey of embracing both joy and pain, and how cultivating delight in everyday life can reconnect us to God, ourselves, and others. Together we explore the tension between being hopeful and bypassing pain, how to discern what parts of our story are private vs. public, and why fun is more than just entertainment—it’s a taste of eternity. Annie invites us to rediscover what our five-year-old selves loved, and how those simple joys can bring healing and hope today.

Links

• Annie F. Downs: anniefdowns.com

• That Sounds Fun Podcast: Listen here
• Book: That Sounds Fun https://amzn.to/42s5ObF

• Upcoming Tour Dates with CAIN: caintheband.com

• Reforesting Faith: What Trees Teach Us About the Nature of God and His Love for Us by Matthew Sleeth https://amzn.to/42seuPo

Takeaways

• Fun is not frivolous—it’s a spiritual practice that points us to eternity.

• Vulnerability requires discernment: knowing what belongs to your private life and what can be shared publicly.

• Hope can be both a practice and a feeling—sometimes we “put it on like a jacket” before we fully believe it.

• Settling into our humanness allows us to extend grace to ourselves and to others.

• Men especially need to reclaim fun and kindness toward themselves, not just others.
  

Chapters

(00:00) – Putting on Hope Like a Jacket

(02:00) – Meet Annie F. Downs: Author, Speaker, Podcaster

(05:00) – Onsite, Vulnerability, and Healing

(10:00) – Public, Personal, and Private Lives

(18:00) – The Tension Between Hope and Spiritual Bypassing

(25:00) – Settling Into Humanness and Grace

(29:00) – Why Fun Matters for Men

(35:00) – Listening to Your Five-Year-Old Self

(41:00) – Fun as a Taste of Eternity

(44:00) – Be Kind to Yourself

(46:00) – Annie’s Upcoming Tour and Projects

(48:00) – Pizza, Shirley Temples, and Madeleine L’Engle

Keywords

Annie F. Downs, That Sounds Fun, hope, fun, faith, vulnerability, Onsite, private vs. public life, therapy, humanness, grace, joy, eternity, childhood delight, masculinity, emotional health, three percent podcast