Power of Vulnerability: Teachings on Authenticity, Connection and Courage

Show Up and Let Yourself be Seen

Is vulnerability the same as weakness? "In our culture," teaches Dr. Brené Brown, "we associate vulnerability with emotions we want to avoid such as fear, shame, and uncertainty. Yet we too often lose sight of the fact that vulnerability is also the birthplace of joy, belonging, creativity, authenticity, and love." On The Power of Vulnerability, Dr. Brown offers an invitation and a promise—that when we dare to drop the armor that protects us from feeling vulnerable, we open ourselves to the experiences that bring purpose and meaning to our lives. Here she dispels the cultural myth that vulnerability is weakness and reveals that it is, in truth, our most accurate measure of courage.

"The Power of Vulnerability is a very personal project for me," Brené explains. "This is the first place that all of my work comes together. This audio course draws from all three of my books—it’s the culmination of everything I’ve learned over the past 12 years. I'm very excited to weave it all into a truly comprehensive form that shows what these findings and insights can mean in our lives."

Guidance and Insights for Wholehearted Living

Over the past 12 years, Dr. Brené Brown has interviewed hundreds of people as part of an ongoing study of vulnerability. "The research shows that we try to ward disappointment with a shield of cynicism, disarm shame by numbing ourselves against joy, and circumvent grief by shutting off our willingness to love," explains Dr. Brown. When we become aware of these patterns, she teaches, we begin to become conscious of how much we sacrifice in the name of self-defense—and how much richer our lives become when we open ourselves to vulnerability.

"In my research," Dr. Brown says, "the word I use to describe people who can live from a place of vulnerability is wholehearted." Being wholehearted is a practice—one that we can choose to cultivate through empathy, gratitude, and awareness of our vulnerability armor. Join this engaging and heartfelt teacher on The Power of Vulnerability as she offers profound insights on leaning into the full spectrum of emotions—so we can show up, let ourselves be seen, and truly be all in.

Highlights:

Cultivating shame resilience—the key to developing a sense of worth and belonging
· Vulnerability as the origin point for innovation, adaptability, accountability, and visionary leadership
· Our emotional armory—how we use perfectionism, numbing, and other tactics to avoid feeling vulnerable
· The myths of vulnerability—common misconceptions about weakness, trust, and self-sufficiency
· Discovering your vulnerability armor—recognizing what makes us shut down, and how we can change
· The 10 guideposts of wholehearted living—essential skills for becoming fully engaged in life
· Six hours of stories, warm humor, and transformative insights for living a life of courage, authenticity, and compassion from Dr. Brené Brown
Course objectives:

Recognize emotional armory and recognizing what makes us shut down—how we use perfectionism, numbing, and other tactics to avoid feeling vulnerable
· Discussing the cultivation of shame resilience--the key to developing a sense of worth and belonging
· Discussing the myths of vulnerability—common misconceptions about weakness, trust, and self-sufficiency
· Defining vulnerability as the origin point for innovation, adaptability, accountability, and visionary leadership
· Summarizing the 10 guideposts of wholehearted living—essential skills for living a life of courage, authenticity, and compassion

PhD, LMSW Brene Brown
Brené Brown, PhD, LMSW 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. She is a nationally renowned speaker and has won numerous teaching awards, including the college’s Outstanding Faculty Award. Her groundbreaking work has been featured on PBS, NPR, and CNN. Her 2010 TEDxHouston talk on the power of vulnerability is one of most watched talks on TED.com. Her most recent TED talk, "Listening to Shame," was released in March 2012.

Brené is the author of The Gifts of Imperfection and I Thought It Was Just Me (but it isn’t). She is also the author of Connections, a psychoeducational shame resilience curriculum that is being facilitated across the nation by mental health and addiction professionals.

Brené’s current research focuses on wholeheartedness in families, schools, and organizations. She lives in Houston with her husband and their two young children.