Brian Hackerson is an IT consultant, Agile practitioner, and co-creator of the Agile Best Self mindset — a framework for applying the principles of continuous improvement to personal growth. He has spent more than two decades helping organizations build better ways of working, and the last several years building a better version of himself.

Hope Is Not a Feeling is the book that emerged from that work. It started with a doctor's visit in February 2025, a set of lab numbers Brian couldn't ignore, and a decision on the drive home to stop waiting for things to get better and start building the conditions that make better possible. What followed was a year of deliberate practice — in the gym, in the kitchen, in the quiet before the day started — grounded in research on hope, neuroscience, and behavior change, and tested against real life.

Brian lives in Minnesota with his wife Debby and their two cats. He writes and speaks on hope, resilience, and the daily practice of becoming.