Origin Story

It started with the simple truth “Man, I am not okay.”

Not as a slogan, but as an admission. Asking why we’re not okay opened the door to something deeper—a snapshot of the exhaustion, frustration, and quiet weight so many people are carrying every day.

When Joe Walsh heard an early version of the song, he didn’t hear a message to sell—he heard a moment people might recognize themselves in. He suggested one line, “May Hope, Not Fear be our guide,” and that idea helped shape what came next: the Hope, Not Fear Project, built around listening first and meeting people where they are.

Now the song sits at the center of that effort. It doesn’t pretend everything’s fine, and it doesn’t offer easy answers. It simply says: you’re not alone, and maybe—if we’re honest enough—we can start somewhere better together.