Irene Smalls

In Farsi, KoorSoo means a faint glimmer of hope—the small, fragile light that remains when clarity, certainty, and strength feel out of reach.

In this talk, Irene Smalls explores the deep connection between sleep, the brain, and hope. Drawing on neuroscience, lived experience, and quiet moments we all recognize, she reveals how sleep loss intensifies despair—and how rest, even in small doses, can help us survive our darkest hours. This is not a talk about perfect sleep or quick fixes. It is about the soft, profound rebellion of rest, and the biological truth that even the smallest spark matters.

KoorSoo reminds us: sometimes hope doesn’t arrive as a breakthrough—sometimes it comes as rest.