2023 Women Leadership Series: Dr. Brené Brown

As a continuation of our 2023 Women’s History Month series, we wanted to highlight Dr. Brené Brown. Dr. Brown is a research professor at the University of Houston, where she holds the Huffington Foundation Endowed Chair at the Graduate College of Social Work. She also holds the position of visiting professor in management at the University of Texas at Austin McCombs School of Business. Dr. Brown has spent the past two decades studying courage, vulnerability, shame, and empathy. She is the author of six #1 New York Times best sellers and is the host of two award-winning podcasts, Unlocking Us and Dare to Lead.

Dr. Brown is being highlighted for her immense contributions to both empirical and practical research on topics such as leadership and vulnerability. In fact, her TEDx talk on vulnerability is one of the top five most viewed videos on the platform. She helps leaders and individuals alike live more authentic lives.

Although well-known previously, Dr. Brown’s Netflix special, “The Call to Courage” expanded her sphere of influence to new audiences. This special highlights the link between courage and vulnerability, which she describes as, “having the courage to show up when you can’t control the outcome.” A link to the Netflix special can be found below:

There are some key takeaways from Dr. Brown’s special. Namely:

1. Vulnerability is not a sign of weakness. In fact, vulnerability is essentially a proxy for courage. You can assess someone’s bravery by evaluating how vulnerable they are willing to be.

2. Vulnerability is the “birthplace” of happiness. To love someone is to be vulnerable. Giving someone your heart is one of the most vulnerable things that one can do as it exposes one to potential hurt, however it is also the source for happiness.

3. To be creative requires vulnerability. Creativity and innovation are bred out of experimentation and failure. Without implementing a tolerance for failure, one cannot innovate.

4. Vulnerability is a natural part of life. It is not impossible to avoid vulnerability. One can either accept vulnerability and experience potentially negative emotions, or one can take them out on someone else. Either way, vulnerability will still play a part.

5. Vulnerability is easier to accept now. Vulnerability can be extremely scary. However, imagine having regrets at the end of your life for not being vulnerable and taking that chance. The upside of being vulnerable now is that you’d never have to ask yourself, “what if?”