Brene Brown Popular Books

Brene Brown Biography & Facts

Casandra Brené Brown (born November 18, 1965) is an American professor, social worker, author, and podcast host. Brown is known for her work on shame, vulnerability, and leadership, and for her widely viewed 2010 TEDx talk. She has written six number-one New York Times bestselling books and hosted two podcasts on Spotify.She appears in the 2019 documentary Brené Brown: The Call to Courage on Netflix. In 2022, HBO Max released a documentary series based on her book Atlas of the Heart. Brown holds the Huffington Foundation's Brené Brown Endowed Chair at the University of Houston's Graduate College of Social Work and is a visiting professor in management at the McCombs School of Business at the University of Texas at Austin. Early life and education Brown was born on November 18, 1965, in San Antonio, Texas, where her parents, Charles Arthur Brown and Casandra Deanne Rogers, had her baptized in the Episcopal Church. She is the eldest of four children. Her family then moved to New Orleans, Louisiana.Brown completed a Bachelor of Social Work degree at the University of Texas at Austin in 1995, a Master of Social Work degree in 1996, and a Doctor of Philosophy degree in social work at the University of Houston Graduate School of Social Work in 2002. Career Research and teaching Brown has studied the topics of courage, vulnerability, shame, empathy, and leadership, which she has used to look at human connection and how it works. She has spent her research career as a professor at her alma mater, the University of Houston's Graduate College of Social Work. Public speaking Brown's TEDx talk from Houston in 2010, "The Power of Vulnerability", is one of the five most viewed TED talks. Its popularity shifted her work from relative obscurity in academia into the mainstream spotlight. The talk "summarizes a decade of Brown's research on shame, framing her weightiest discoveries in self-deprecating and personal terms." Reggie Ugwu for The New York Times said that this event gave the world "a new star of social psychology." She went on to follow this popular TED talk with another titled "Listening to Shame" in 2012. In the second talk she talks about how her life has changed since the first talk and explains the connection between shame and vulnerability, building on the thesis of her first TED talk.She also has a less well-known talk from 2010 given at TEDxKC titled "The Price of Invulnerability." In it she explains that when numbing hard and difficult feelings, essentially feeling vulnerable, we also numb positive emotions, like joy. This led to the creation of her filmed lecture, Brené Brown: The Call to Courage, which debuted on Netflix in 2019. USA Today called it "a mix of a motivational speech and stand-up comedy special." Brown discusses how and why to choose courage over comfort, equating being brave to being vulnerable. According to her research, doing this opens people to love, joy, and belonging by allowing them to better know themselves and more deeply connect with other people.Brown regularly works as a public speaker at private events and businesses, such as at Alain de Botton's School of Life and at Google and Disney. Writing She is, as of 2021, the author of six number-one New York Times bestsellers: The Gifts of Imperfection, Daring Greatly, Rising Strong, Braving the Wilderness, Dare to Lead, and Atlas of the Heart. She discussed Daring Greatly with Oprah Winfrey on Super Soul Sunday in March 2013. The book's title comes from a 1910 Theodore Roosevelt speech, "Citizenship in a Republic", given at the Sorbonne. Her most recent work, Atlas of the Heart, was published in November 2021, with the goal of helping readers expand their emotional vocabulary—the language they have to communicate their feelings.Brown wrote a chapter of advice in Tim Ferriss' book Tools of Titans. With Tarana Burke, she co-created You Are Your Best Thing: Vulnerability, Shame Resilience, and the Black Experience, an anthology of essays by Black individuals discussing the trauma of white supremacy as well as the experiences of Black love and Black life. Her 2024 essay titled “Not Looking Away: Thoughts on the Israel-Hamas War" was criticized for being too "corporate-friendly" and maintained a privileged point of view that ignored aspects of Palestinian people's existence under Israeli occupation. Podcasting In 2020, Brown began hosting the Unlocking Us and Dare to Lead podcasts. Unlocking Us alternates between interviews with guests and solo episodes where Brown talks alone, directly to listeners. In solo episodes, she tells stories from her life, explains learnings from her research, and supplements it with summaries of other related social science work. Interview guests have included grief expert David Kessler, singer Alicia Keys, writer Glennon Doyle, and activist Tarana Burke who started the Me Too movement.In 2022, Brown's interview with Debbie Millman was featured on the Storybound season 5 premiere. Other work Brown is CEO of "The Daring Way", a professional training and certification program on the topics of vulnerability, courage, shame, and empathy. She appeared as herself in the movie Wine Country. Her five-part docuseries, Brené Brown: Atlas of the Heart, was released on HBO Max in 2022. Personal life Brown and her husband, Dr. Steve Alley, have two children. The family lives in Houston, Texas.Though she was baptized in the Episcopal Church, her family raised her as a Catholic. She later left the Catholic Church and returned to the Episcopal community with her husband and children two decades later. Brown revealed past addictions to alcohol, smoking, emotional eating and control (she often speaks about the positive impact of her decision to stop drinking and smoking on May 12, 1996, one day after her master's program graduation). Selected works Women & Shame: Reaching Out, Speaking Truths And Building Connection, 3C Press, ISBN 9780975425237 (2005) "Feminist Standpoint Theory" and "Shame Resilience Theory." In S. P. Robbins, P. Chatterjee & E. R. Canda (Eds.), Contemporary human behavior theory: A Critical Perspective for Social Work. Boston: Allyn and Bacon. 560 pp. ISBN 978-0-13-477926-3 Published 2007. I Thought It Was Just Me (But It Isn't): Telling the Truth About Perfectionism, Inadequacy and Power. Avery. 336 pp. ISBN 978-1-59240-335-6 (2007) Connections: A 12-Session Psychoeducational Shame-Resilience Curriculum. Center City, MN: Hazelden. ISBN 978-1-59285-742-5 (2009) The Gifts of Imperfection: Let Go of Who You Think You're Supposed to Be and Embrace Who You Are. Center City, MN: Hazelden. 160 pp. ISBN 978-1-59285-849-1 (2010) Men, Women and Worthiness: The Experience of Shame and the Power of Being Enough, Sounds true INC International Concepts, ISBN 978-1-604078510, (2012) Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent and Lead. New York City: Gotham. 320 pp. ISBN 978-1-59240-841-2 (2012) The Gifts of Imperfect Pa.... Discover the Brene Brown popular books. Find the top 100 most popular Brene Brown books.

Best Seller Brene Brown Books of 2024

  • The Mind of the Soul synopsis, comments

    The Mind of the Soul

    Gary Zukav

    "This book can dramatically change your life by showing you how to take responsibility for the choices you make and break free from the illusion that you are a victim of your circu...

  • Speak synopsis, comments

    Speak

    Tunde Oyeneyin

    From Tunde Oyeneyin, the massively popular Peloton instructor, fitness star, and founder of SPEAK, comes an empowering, inspiring book about how she transformed grief, setbacks, an...

  • The Choice synopsis, comments

    The Choice

    Edith Eva Eger

    A New York Times Bestseller“I’ll be forever changed by Dr. Eger’s story…The Choice is a reminder of what courage looks like in the worst of times and that we all have the ability t...

  • The Four Pivots synopsis, comments

    The Four Pivots

    Shawn A. Ginwright, PhD

    “Reading this courageous book feels like the beginning of a social and personal awakening...I can’t stop thinking about it.”Brené Brown, PhD, author of Atlas of the Heart For ...

  • Gracefully You synopsis, comments

    Gracefully You

    Jenna Dewan

    Actress and dancer Jenna Dewan shares her uplifting message of how to elevate your life and experience beauty every dayperfect for fans of Jessica Alba’s The Honest Life and Kate H...

  • The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows synopsis, comments

    The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows

    John Koenig

    NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER“It’s undeniably thrilling to find words for our strangest feelings…Koenig casts light into lonely corners of human experience…An enchanting book. “ The Wa...

  • Atlas of the Heart synopsis, comments

    Atlas of the Heart

    Brené Brown

    #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER In her latest book, Brené Brown writes, “If we want to find the way back to ourselves and one another, we need language and the grounded confidence to...

  • The Courage to Be Happy synopsis, comments

    The Courage to Be Happy

    Ichiro Kishimi & Fumitake Koga

    In this followup to the international phenomenon The Courage to Be Disliked, discover how to reconnect with your true self, experience true happiness, and live the life you want. W...

  • Daring Greatly synopsis, comments

    Daring Greatly

    Brené Brown

    The #1 New York Times bestseller. More than 2 million copies sold!Look for Brené Brown’s new podcast, Dare to Lead, as well as her ongoing podcast Unlocking Us!From thought leader ...

  • The Courage to Be Disliked synopsis, comments

    The Courage to Be Disliked

    Ichiro Kishimi & Fumitake Koga

    “Marie Kondo, but for your brain.” HelloGiggles “Compelling from front to back. Highly recommend.” Marc AndreessenReading this book could change your life.The Courage to Be Dislike...

  • Think Like a Monk synopsis, comments

    Think Like a Monk

    Jay Shetty

    Jay Shetty, social media superstar and host of the #1 podcast On Purpose, distills the timeless wisdom he learned as a monk into practical steps anyone can take every day to live a...

  • There I Am synopsis, comments

    There I Am

    Ruthie Lindsey

    Brain on Fire meets Carry On, Warrior in this inspirational memoir and “testament to the things that break us, heal us, and make us who we are” (Glennon Doyle, #1 New York Times be...

  • The Four Tendencies synopsis, comments

    The Four Tendencies

    Gretchen Rubin

    NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER Are you an Upholder, a Questioner, an Obliger, or a Rebel? From the author of Better Than Before and The Happiness Project comes a groundbreaki...

  • First, We Make the Beast Beautiful synopsis, comments

    First, We Make the Beast Beautiful

    Sarah Wilson

    New York Times Bestseller "Probably the best book on living with anxiety that I’ve ever read.” – Mark Manson, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Subtle Art ...

  • On Fire synopsis, comments

    On Fire

    John O'Leary

    In the bestselling tradition of Brene Brown’s Daring Greatly and Nick Vujicic’s Life Without Limits comes a rousing 7step plan for living a life on fire, filled with hope and possi...

  • Right Kind of Wrong synopsis, comments

    Right Kind of Wrong

    Amy C. Edmondson

    Winner of the Financial Times and Schroders Business Book of the Year 2023 A Behavioral Scientist Notable Book of 2023A revolutionary guide that will transform your relationship wi...

  • Leadership 101 synopsis, comments

    Leadership 101

    John C. Maxwell

    Unleash your leadership potential with this needtoknow guide, direct from the playbooks of America's most trusted leadership expert, John C. Maxwell.No matter who you are, you can ...

  • A Guide to Confident Living synopsis, comments

    A Guide to Confident Living

    Dr. Norman Vincent Peale

    "Change your thoughts and you change your life." Norman Vincent Peale A Guide to Confident Living shows you how to release your inner powers to achieve confidence and contentment...

  • You Are Awesome synopsis, comments

    You Are Awesome

    Neil Pasricha

    INSTANT #1 BESTSELLERFrom Neil PasrichaNew York Times millioncopy bestselling author of The Book of Awesome series and The Happiness Equation, thought leader for the next generatio...

  • Women, Food, and Desire synopsis, comments

    Women, Food, and Desire

    Alexandra Jamieson

    A holistic health counselor and costar of the awardwinning documentary Super Size Me explores women’s cravingsfor food, sleep, sex, movement, companionship, inspirationand teaches ...

  • The Dance of Intimacy synopsis, comments

    The Dance of Intimacy

    Harriet Lerner

    In The Dance of Intimacy, the bestselling author of The Dance of Anger outlines the steps to take so that good relationships can be strengthened and difficult ones can be healed. ...

  • Thin synopsis, comments

    Thin

    Grace Bowman

    Bright, popular, pretty and successful, Grace Bowman had the world at her feet. So what drove her to starve herself nearly to death at the age of 18? And what, more importantly, ma...

  • Hero on a Mission synopsis, comments

    Hero on a Mission

    Donald Miller

    New York Times bestselling author Donald Miller shares the plan that led him to turn his life around. This actionable guide will teach you how to do the same through journaling pro...

  • Life Is Magic synopsis, comments

    Life Is Magic

    Jon Dorenbos

    “Jon Dorenbos is a magical person. Life Is Magic shows how we can all choose happiness in the face of overwhelming odds.” Ellen DeGeneres An extraordinary and empowering story of r...

  • Think Big synopsis, comments

    Think Big

    GRACE LORDAN

    What are you doing today to make your dream future come true? 'A rare selfhelp book that's actually informed by evidence. A host of perceptive, practical tips for getting out of y...

  • Dare to Lead Summary synopsis, comments

    Dare to Lead Summary

    Instant-Summary

    Dare to Lead: Hard Work. Tough Conversations. Whole Heart A Comprehensive Summary Dare to Lead is a book about embracing one’s vulnerability. In this book, the author Brene Bro...

  • This Messy Magnificent Life synopsis, comments

    This Messy Magnificent Life

    Geneen Roth

    Geneen Roth, author of the #1 New York Times bestseller Women Food and God, explains how to take the journey to find one’s own best self in this “beautiful, funny, deeply relevant”...

  • The End of Stress synopsis, comments

    The End of Stress

    Don Joseph Goewey

    Rid yourself of stress and live a richly beautiful life filled with the joy you deserve! Using a simple method, The End of Stress shows you how to change your brain’s default react...

  • Rising Strong synopsis, comments

    Rising Strong

    Brené Brown

    #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER When we deny our stories, they define us. When we own our stories, we get to write the ending. Don’t miss the fivepart HBO Max docuseries Brené Brown:...

  • The Gift synopsis, comments

    The Gift

    Edith Eva Eger

    “I will be forever changed by Edith Eger’s story.” OprahA practical and inspirational guide to stopping destructive patterns and imprisoning thoughts to find freedom and joy in lif...

  • Braving the Wilderness synopsis, comments

    Braving the Wilderness

    Brené Brown

    #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER REESE’S BOOK CLUB PICK A timely and important book that challenges everything we think we know about cultivating true belonging in our communities, o...

  • The Heart of the Soul synopsis, comments

    The Heart of the Soul

    Gary Zukav

    New York Times megabestselling author of The Seat of the Soul, Gary Zukav takes a giant leap forward in his message, with this guide to the next level of spiritual growth."THE LONG...

  • You Are Your Best Thing synopsis, comments

    You Are Your Best Thing

    Tarana Burke & Brené Brown

    NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER Tarana Burke and Dr. Brené Brown bring together a dynamic group of Black writers, organizers, artists, academics, and cultu...

  • The Gifts of Imperfection synopsis, comments

    The Gifts of Imperfection

    Brené Brown

    NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER This tenthanniversary edition of the gamechanging #1 New York Times bestseller features a new foreword and new tools to make the work...

  • How to Heal a Broken Heart synopsis, comments

    How to Heal a Broken Heart

    Rosie Green

    'The poster girl for divorce.' The Times'If you've ever had your heart broken (and who hasn't) Rosie Green's How to Heal a Broken Heart is your best friend. Honest, comforting and ...

  • Leading Without Authority synopsis, comments

    Leading Without Authority

    Keith Ferrazzi & Noel Weyrich

    The #1 New York Times bestselling author of Never Eat Alone redefines collaboration with a radical new workplace operating system in which leadership no longer demands an offi...

  • A Tribe Called Bliss synopsis, comments

    A Tribe Called Bliss

    Lori Harder

    Selflove expert and creator of the Earn Your Happy podcast shares the methods she used to build her own tribe and grow from an anxietyridden, unhealthy, introverted underachiever t...

  • Dare to Lead synopsis, comments

    Dare to Lead

    Brené Brown

    #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER Brené Brown has taught us what it means to dare greatly, rise strong, and brave the wilderness. Now, based on new research conducted with leaders, cha...