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

by Deepika Chopra

Optimism isn’t about pretending everything is fine. It’s about staying open and flexible—especially when it’s not. In this fresh, science-backed debut, professional psychologist and media expert Dr. Deepika Chopra shows us how to build the kind of optimism that can actually withstand real life.

We’ve been sold the idea that optimism is a mood, a mindset, or worse—just an inherent trait. But what if real optimism is something else entirely?

In The Power of Real Optimism, Dr. Deepika Chopra—known as The Optimism Doctor®—offers a radically different optimism as a science, a skill, and a psychological muscle we can strengthen. Drawing from over a decade immersed in the science of resilience, emotional well-being, and cognitive psychology—as well as her work with clients, innovative workshops, and hallmark practices ( evidence-based visualization, narrative reframing, her signature “self-worth work,” and even color)—Dr. Chopra offers a toolkit for navigating the chaos, uncertainty, and nuance of being human—without losing yourself to it.

Grounded, practical, and poetic in all the right ways, this book will challenge your relationship with hope, rewire how you recover from hard things, and invite you to stay soft without falling apart. With her blend of intimate storytelling, psychological insight, and tangible tools—including a 33-day Real Optimism Challenge—Dr. Chopra offers something far more enduring than a quick fix or fleeting affirmation. She invites us into a deeper, more resilient way of living—one where we can stay curious in the face of fear, open in the face of grief, and grounded even as the world wobbles beneath us.

Because real optimism doesn’t deny the dark—it teaches us how to see in it.

Genres: Nonfiction, Self Help, Audiobook, Psychology, Personal Development, Health

304 pages, Hardcover

Published March 10, 2026

About the author

Deepika Chopra is an entrepreneur, board advisor, investor, and author with two decades of leadership experience in enterprise AI and organizational readiness. She is the Founder and CEO of AlphaU AI, an enterprise platform focused on decision-making in private capital.

She previously held Senior leadership roles at Citi, AIG, LPL Financial, and Siemens, where she directed large-scale digital and AI transformations that generated significant business impact. Chopra is the creator of the HAAS (Human-Al Alignment Score) and ACT+M Readiness Index frameworks for leadership alignment systems and is a published researcher on enterprise AI adoption and leadership readiness.

Her debut book, Move First, Align Fast, introduces frameworks and scorecards designed to help executives and boards strengthen alignment and scale AI responsibly.

Reviews

[readmelikeastory · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good! I like how it has real world examples!

[Alicia Bayer · Rating 2 out of 5]

To be honest, this book really annoyed me. I went in expecting to get a lot out of it but it seemed like truly basic advice about reframing your thinking. It starts with the author going into a long story about a terrible and terrifying time she went through while writing it, when her child was catastrophically sick with a rare illness he may not ever recover from. I get that. I’m a mom of a cancer survivor (who has also survived a huge list of other terrible medical nightmares) and have lost loved ones to cancer and terrible illness, including children. It’s awful. But she wrote all of this as if it was worse than what most people could ever imagine and sadly I related to it fine and have friends who have unfortunately been through worse (their children died), and she wrote that she didn’t follow any of her own advice during most of the year this went on, and she was sobbing and terrified the whole time (totally valid and human).

Nothing personal to her, but who needs a book on optimism that only works when you are not in crisis? But I still was all in as I moved on to the real start of the book and got to…. another story where her life sucked (seriously sick and vomiting during her first pregnancy) and how she canceled all her work and was miserable for most of that time too.

She kept calling herself an expert on optimism but it seems she only uses it on other people who pay her a lot of money, and then her own techniques barely work when she herself is the one dealing with terrible times.

I skimmed the rest of the book and there are lots of instructions on how to properly practice affirmations, reframe your thoughts, trust your intuition and such, but not the kind of truly deep and helpful advice that I hoped for.

I realize I sound like a terrible person and I am not suggesting that she didn’t go through awful, awful stuff, but I didn’t really get anything from this book to help me get through my own. The advice here is truly basic stuff that anyone with a Finch app or Pinterest account has probably seen a million times. And now I sound like an even more terrible person so I will leave it at that. 😜

[David · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not for me. In fact, I gave up on it. The biggest problem was probably the author herself. She comes across as incredibly self-important: the “Optimism Doctor” a title she has gone on to trademark.

The advice: reframe your thoughts, practise affirmations, trust your intuition, cultivate curiosity, and so on. None of this is particularly groundbreaking. Most of it is the sort of material you've probably already encountered elsewhere. For a book marketed as “science-based”, I was expecting much more substance and evidence.

What really irritated me is the gap between the branding and the content. She's positioned as an expert in optimism, yet the book offers fairly basic advice wrapped in a lot of personal storytelling and self-promotion. It feels less like a serious exploration of resilience and more like an extended advertisement for the author's own optimism brand.

Maybe some people will find the stories inspiring, but I found it cloying and unconvincing. I didn't finish it, and I honestly couldn't see any reason to force myself through the rest. There are plenty of books on resilience and optimism that offer much more depth.

[Xan Heller · Rating 5 out of 5]

I actually do consider myself a relatively optimistic and positive person. But, I have had a few big life-altering events happen in the past few years that has really shaken my ability to truly be optimistic. This book not only gave me hope but also clear, simple tools to help me in those moments when I feel my anxiety and fear overwhelm me. Outside of my personal life, there is so much doom and gloom that infiltrates my day-to-day. So many of the simple tools Dr. Chopra teaches in this book have already made such a difference in helping me feel calm and grounded. The book itself was a quick, easy and enjoyable read - like you are chatting with an old friend. I highly recommend this book to anyone who feels overwhelmed right now or simply wants to find new ways to add some joy to their life!

[Diane Hernandez · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Power of Real Optimism is explained fully in Deepika Chopra’s latest book.

She begins with a new definition of optimism. Optimism does not mean seeing the rosy picture of glass half empty constantly. Instead the book defines optimism as what my grandmother used to call “this too will pass.” The author provides some simple steps to live with hard times that will probably not last forever.

If you are having some difficulties right now, The Power of Real Optimism is a fine resource. It offers a realistic and practical plan to overcome the stress caused by a person’s mindset as well as their lack of control of outside circumstances. 4 stars.

Thanks to NetGalley and Simon Element for providing me with an advanced review copy.

[Amina Becirovic · Rating 5 out of 5]

Čitala sam knjigu na engleskom i ostavila me je baš pod utiskom. Ovo nije još jedna „think positive“ priča, nego realan, nježan i iskren pogled na to kako se nosimo sa teškim emocijama. Deepika Chopra objašnjava optimizam kao vještinu — ne poricanje problema, nego hrabrost da ostanemo otvoreni i znatiželjni čak i u teškim trenucima.
Sviđa mi se što kombinuje ličnu priču, psihologiju i nauku, ali na jednostavan način. Najjača poruka knjige (parafrazirano): ne moraš znati šta će biti sutra — fokusiraj se na danas.
Topla, praktična i inspirativna knjiga za svakoga ko želi malo više unutrašnje snage i mira, bez lažne pozitivnosti.

[kellymross · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a book that feels like a conversation with a wise friend who understands that sometimes life is just hard. The author does a brilliant job of sharing her own experiences, which made the practical, science-based advice feel even more impactful. I found myself highlighting passages on almost every page because the insights into mental health myths were so powerful. This book is an essential guide for anyone looking to build genuine resilience and optimism in an imperfect world. Big thanks to NetGalley for an early copy.

[Simone · Rating 4 out of 5]

As someone who is both slightly pessimistic and also generally opposed to a lot of woo-woo self-help, this is the kind of positive thinking book I need. She uses examples from her life, and some of her patients of tough things and talks through real evidenced based strategies for using the way our brains are wired to think differently about those problems. Note, not change those problems entirely, just shift your position on it in a way that's helpful. Honestly, it's a pretty quick read and I thought the audiobook was great and overall I would recommend it.

[Joanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wasn’t really sure what to expect with this book- I’m very glad I went in with an open mind and curiosity. Gratefully, I felt that the point given resonated with a journey that I’m currently on. I loved how the information was easily digested, and it provide provided reflection points, which sometimes get missed when discussing self improvement and navigating through healing.

[Kerry Wasley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful. So wonderful infact that Ive just ordered to Physical copy so I can have it to refer back to when my brain starts playing tricks on me. 

Im a naturally very Optimistic person, but I also believe that it's something we should all continue to work on.  Know better, do better, make the world better.

Highly recommend 

[Hannah Landes · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was a phenomenal insight into the ways a realistic and yet optimistic framing of reality can transform experience. The storytelling and prose brought me in & I’m unbelievably grateful I found this.

[Madison Moore]

I don’t usually listen to books but I chose to listen to this one - I enjoyed listening to the author and liked her approach! Not perfect by any means but definitely took things away from it that I’ve been reflecting on!

[Autumn Green · Rating 4 out of 5]

this was interesting to listen to… real life examples… she isn’t perfect and doesn’t claim to be …. motivational and insightful. mental shift. perspective. self talk. manifestation. being real w yourself.

[May · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author provides some helpful tips on becoming more optimistic. I think this is a pretty good self-help book.

[Amy McGibney · Rating 4 out of 5]

Worth reading again for sure

[Jay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice read

[Christine]

Enjoyed it at the start, got mid way through and just wasn’t fussed in continuing. May come back to it

[Jean · Rating 1 out of 5]

JFYI https://youtu.be/cgPAAt9Nd7o?si=J8yGO...