Because I think there’s suffering when there’s the absence of connection within individuals, and I think we see in the world today suffering where as communities, we’re not connected to each other within or between. And social work is interesting because unlike psychology, just kind of looks at inter-psychic, what’s going on with an individual, or sociology, what’s going on within communities, social work is really about understanding the link between the social, political, economic world and our everyday lives.Īnd so to me, finishing my degrees in social work, it made sense to me that connection is why we’re here and that in the absence of it, there’s suffering. And in the absence of connection, there’s suffering. It’s what gives purpose and meaning to our lives. I have a Bachelor’s, a Master’s, and a PhD I was getting my PhD at the time in social work.Īnd so all this social work education, the one thing I was absolutely clear on at that point was that connection is why we’re here.

Interestingly, I started my dissertation research, and I was interested in studying connection.

I’m finishing my twelfth year looking into these experiences and emotions I think really are the foundation of our lives. TS: To begin with, I’d love if it you could bring our listeners up to speed with the research work you’ve been doing, and how vulnerability emerged as such a central topic in your findings.īB: Sure. Thank you so much.īrené Brown: Oh, it’s my pleasure. To begin with, Brené, I just want to thank you for taking the time and bringing yourself forward for this conversation. We also talked about the myths that surround vulnerability, and what it means to “be in the arena and take off our armor and dare greatly.” Here’s my conversation with Brené Brown. In this episode of Insights at the Edge, Brené and I spoke about wholeheartedness and what she learned from interviewing people who identify as being wholehearted. With Sounds True, Brené has created a new audio series that’s also available as an interactive video course online called The Power of Vulnerability: Teachings on Authenticity, Connection, and Courage, where she dispels the cultural myth that vulnerability is weakness, and reveals that it is, in truth, our most accurate measure of courage. Brené is the author of the #1 New York Times bestseller Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead. Her 2010 TEDx Houston talk on the power of vulnerability is one of the most-watched talks on TED.com, with over 6 million views. Brené is a research professor at the University of Houston’s graduate college of social work, who has spent the past 10 years studying vulnerability, courage, authenticity, and shame. Tami Simon: You’re listening to Insights at the Edge.

Brene brown dare to be vulnerable