Brené Brown is an American social work professor and community activist. She is known for her research on the power of vulnerability, openness and emotional honesty.
Brené Brown was born on 18 November 1965 in San Antonio, Texas, USA. She received her BA and MA in social work from the University of Texas at Austin, and her PhD in sociology from the University of Houston. She is now a professor in the Department of Social Work at the University of Houston.
Brené Brown is also well known for her TED talks. Her “The Power of Vulnerability” is considered one of the most popular TED talks of all time.
Through her talks, books and research, Brené Brown focuses on the importance of accepting who you are, building healthy relationships, and overcoming your fears. She helps people understand what experiences can help them become a better person and learn to accept them with an open mind.
Brené Brown has also set up an online course, The Power of Vulnerability, where participants can explore and practice their vulnerability, connect with other participants and receive feedback from Brené Brown and her team.
Brené Brown books:
- “Women and Shame: Reaching Out, Speaking Truths and Building Connection” (2004)
- “I Thought It Was Just Me (but it isn’t): Telling the Truth About Perfectionism, Inadequacy, and Power” (2007)
- “The Gifts of Imperfection: Let Go of Who You Think You’re Supposed to Be and Embrace Who You Are” (2010)
- “Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead” (2012)
- “Rising Strong: How the Ability to Reset Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead” (2015)
- “Braving the Wilderness: The Quest for True Belonging and the Courage to Stand Alone” (2017)
- “Dare to Lead: Brave Work. Tough Conversations. Whole Hearts.” (2018)
- “Atlas of the Heart: Mapping Meaningful Connection and the Language of Human Experience” (2021)
Prominent courses and performances:
The Daring Way is an online course based on Brenna Brown’s research on how to overcome fear and self-doubt, learn to live openly and authentically, and find the strength to take risks and achieve your goals.
Rising Strong is a program that helps people sort through their emotions and experiences, survive difficult life situations and emerge stronger and wiser from them. It is based on Brené Brown’s book, Rising to the Top: How to Rise When You’ve Fell to the Bottom, Having Lost Everything or Almost Everything.
The Gifts of Imperfection is an online course that helps people gain confidence, realise their worth and accept themselves for who they are. It is based on Brené Brown’s book The Gifts of Imperfection: How to Gain Confidence and Accept Your Value.
Dare to Lead is a programme that helps people become leaders in their lives and work, develop their emotional intelligence skills, manage a team and create a culture of trust and openness. It is based on Brené Brown’s book Dare to Lead: How to Create a Culture of Trust and Achieve Results.
The Call to Courage is a special talk by Brené Brown on how to overcome fears and doubts, find the courage to take risks and live an authentic life. The performance is available on the Netflix platform.
Brené Brown Overview – Criticism:
Criticism of simplification: some critics feel that Brown oversimplifies complex issues such as depression and anxiety by offering simple solutions that may not work for everyone.
Criticism of incomplete scholarship: other critics point out that her work, especially her concepts of vulnerability and courage, may lack scientific validity and be based more on personal experience than on research.
Criticism of being too female-oriented: some critics feel that her work is too female-oriented and ignores the concerns of men and other groups such as minorities and the LGBT community.
Criticism of commercialisation: some critics point out that Brown has commercialised her work by selling books, training and counselling and that she is more of a marketer than a researcher.