posted April 02, 2012 02:59 PM            

Brené Brown studies vulnerability, courage, authenticity, and shame.

Why you should listen to her:
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Brené Brown is a research professor at the University of Houston Graduate College of Social Work. She has spent the past ten years studying vulnerability, courage, authenticity, and shame. She spent the first five years of her decade-long study focusing on shame and empathy, and is now using that work to explore a concept that she calls Wholeheartedness. She poses the questions:

How do we learn to embrace our vulnerabilities and imperfections so that we can engage in our lives from a place of authenticity and worthiness? How do we cultivate the courage, compassion, and connection that we need to recognize that we are enough – that we are worthy of love, belonging, and joy?

Read the TED Blog's Q&A with Brené Brown >>

"Brené Brown is an absolute legend. This is groundbreaking - not in terms of peoples awareness of these subjects and what they mean... But in these messages enhanced communication made accessible to a wider audience on this level. I have a jumbled up jigsaw in front of me with pieces I've been putting together my whole life- and Brene Brown has just connected so many pieces. This makes so much sense on so many levels. Really awesome stuff. I will watch this a few times and recommend it to people!"
jakesandersonaudio on YouTube

Quotes by Brené Brown.
“Maybe stories are just data with a soul.”
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“Vulnerability pushed, I pushed back. I lost the fight, but probably won my life back.”
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“We are the most in-debt, obese, addicted and medicated adult cohort in U.S. history.”
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“When we numb [hard feelings], we numb joy, we numb gratitude, we numb happiness.”
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“You’re imperfect, and you’re wired for struggle, but you are worthy of love and belonging.”
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“Vulnerability is our most accurate measurement of courage.”
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“Vulnerability is the birthplace of innovation, creativity and change. ”
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“Vulnerability is not weakness. And that myth is profoundly dangerous.”
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“I became Vulnerability TED, like an action figure — like Ninja Barbie, but I'm Vulnerability TED.”
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“You cannot talk about race without talking about privilege. And when people start talking about privilege, they get paralyzed by shame.”
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“When they teach [doctors] how to suture, they also teach them how to stitch their self-worth to being all-powerful.”
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“That's what life is about: about daring greatly, about being in the arena.”
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“If you put shame in a Petri dish, it needs three things to grow exponentially: secrecy, silence and judgment.”
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“The two most powerful words when we're in struggle: me too.”
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