Brené Brown's Blog, page 7

5 Questions With Raven B. Varona

Since Raven B. Varona went full-time in photography eight years ago, she has had a front-row seat to some of pop culture’s biggest moments, an honor she takes seriously, seeing herself as a historian of these intimate, close-up captures with important figures in the zeitgeist. Scrolling through her vibrant portfolio of stop-you-in-your-tracks portraits showcases long-term creative partnerships with many of her subjects, from Future and Beyoncé to Adele, whom she worked alongside for every moment...

5 Questions With Mira Jacob

I knew my friend Mira Jacob was a talented writer — her work has appeared in the New York Times Book Review, Literary Hub, Vogue, and Harper’s Bazaar, among others — but in 2019, when her book, Good Talk: A Memoir in Conversations, was released, I was still gobsmacked. Mira taught herself to draw in order to create this graphic memoir, which tackles everything from immigration and discrimination to LGBTQIA+ issues and struggling to belong, even within your own family. At its root, it is a treati...

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We're taking a break from podcasting, but I have a feeling we'll be back soon. Stay tuned!

Creating Space

Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and freedom.” —Viktor Frankl*

If you wrote this quote as a formula, it might look like this: S( )R.

I didn’t grow up with any understanding or even awareness of this space. I grew up with the R starting before the S was even done. Something happened, someone did or said something, and I’d come out swinging or fearing or worrying or apologizing.

No space. No ...

Podcast Update: February 8, 2022

As you may or may not know, I’m under a multiyear, exclusive contract with Spotify. Unlike some creators, I don’t have the option of pulling my work from the platform. When the COVID misinformation issue first surfaced, I posted across social media that I was pausing the podcast to learn more about what was happening at Spotify.

On February 1, I explained the pause across social and on my website and committed to learning more about Spotify’s policies and the application of these policies (se...

An Update on My Decision to Pause the Podcasts

We often joke about Unlocking Us and Dare to Lead being pause-casts, not podcasts. I have a habit of taking long pauses to think about a question or an answer. Last week, I took a bigger pause, and I’d like to walk you through it.

On Saturday, January 29, I posted across social media that I would not be releasing any podcasts until further notice. I’d had hundreds of comments across social media asking my opinion on the Spotify/Joe Rogan issue, and I didn’t know enough to comment. I didn’t w...

I Love Words + Pictures (4 Great Books on My Giving List)

Our offices will soon be closed for a winter break. And I’m ready! I’m going to practice some serious self-care, filling the days with naps, walks, British mysteries, a shit ton of pickleball, and books. Lots of books. Here are four that I’m particularly loving—and gifting—this holiday season.

Original Sisters: Portraits of Tenacity and Courage, by Anita Kunz
Anita Kunz, a Canadian artist and illustrator, has painted and shared the stories of incredible women across history. Some are familiar—...

The Practice of Story Stewardship

Adapted from Atlas of the Heart

I’m going to start by acknowledging that I’ve been wrong about something for years. For two decades, I’ve said, “We need to understand emotion so we can recognize it in ourselves and others.” Without exaggeration, I’ve said this thousands of times, and I’ve heard it from other researchers at least that much. Well, let me go on the record right now: I no longer believe that we can recognize emotion in other people, regardless of how well we understand human emot...

Virtual Atlas Book Launch

Normally at this point in the book process, I’m anxious about the release. What will people think? Does it make sense? I still have those questions, but with this book—Atlas of the Heart: Mapping Meaningful Connection and the Language of Human Experience—I just can NOT wait for us to talk about it. It’s always so much more powerful to learn, unlearn, and relearn with y’all.

In so many ways, Atlas is the culmination of 20 years of research, and in other ways, it’s like nothing I’ve done before...

Reset and Refresh!

Welcome! We are so proud of the new brenebrown.com that I want to take a quick minute to show you around.

Everything you came to expect on the former site—books, podcasts, resources, hubs, facilitator info, quote cards—is still here. We’ve just reorganized it in a way to bring like-spirited content together and to let stories shine.

And you know how I feel about art! There’s big, gorgeous photography and illustrations everywhere. Images always make me feel something, and I believe they hel...