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Dare to Lead #2
Strong Ground: The Lessons of Daring Leadership, the Tenacity of Paradox and the Wisdom of the Human Spirit
Brought to you by Penguin.
#1 New York Times bestselling author Brené Brown returns with an urgent call to reimagine the essentials of courageous leadership in the midst of global instability, uncertainty and complexity. With actionable and tactical insights, Brown identifies the mindsets and skill sets we need to sharpen focus, power growth and reconnect to ourselves and each other.
Over the past six years, Brené Brown, along with a global community of coaches and facilitators, has taken more than 150,000 leaders in forty-five countries through her Dare to Lead courage-building work. In Strong Ground, Brown shares the lessons from these experiences along with wisdom from other thinkers. This is a handbook for everyone from senior leaders developing and executing complex strategies to GenZers entering and navigating turbulent work environments. It is also an unflinching assessment of what happens when we continue to perpetuate the falsehood that performance and wholeheartedness are mutually exclusive.
With equal amounts of optimism and caution about AI, Brown writes, 'I hear a lot of experts trying to soothe people’s anxiety about the pace of technological change by offering platitudes like, What makes us human will ensure our relevance. This is dangerous simply because, right now, we’re not especially good at what makes us human. We’re not hardwired for this level of uncertainty, and many of us feel as if the constant need to self-protect is driving the humanity right out of us. This is why organisational transformation today must foster deep connection, deep thinking and deep collaboration. We need the courage to lead people in a way that honours and protects the wisdom of the human spirit.'
Brown offers a broad assessment of the skillsets and mindsets we need moving forward, including the capacity for respectful and difficult conversations, increased productive urgency and smart prioritisation rather than reactivity, and strategic risk-taking, paradoxical thinking and situational and anticipatory awareness skills. She identifies the toughest skill set as the discipline, humility and confidence to unlearn and relearn.
Brown writes, 'Individuals and organisations are building new muscles. Finding our strong ground – that athletic stance – is the only thing that can provide both unwavering stability in a maelstrom of uncertainty and a platform for the fast, explosive change that the world is demanding.'
Brené Brown 2025 (P) Penguin Audio 2025
#1 New York Times bestselling author Brené Brown returns with an urgent call to reimagine the essentials of courageous leadership in the midst of global instability, uncertainty and complexity. With actionable and tactical insights, Brown identifies the mindsets and skill sets we need to sharpen focus, power growth and reconnect to ourselves and each other.
Over the past six years, Brené Brown, along with a global community of coaches and facilitators, has taken more than 150,000 leaders in forty-five countries through her Dare to Lead courage-building work. In Strong Ground, Brown shares the lessons from these experiences along with wisdom from other thinkers. This is a handbook for everyone from senior leaders developing and executing complex strategies to GenZers entering and navigating turbulent work environments. It is also an unflinching assessment of what happens when we continue to perpetuate the falsehood that performance and wholeheartedness are mutually exclusive.
With equal amounts of optimism and caution about AI, Brown writes, 'I hear a lot of experts trying to soothe people’s anxiety about the pace of technological change by offering platitudes like, What makes us human will ensure our relevance. This is dangerous simply because, right now, we’re not especially good at what makes us human. We’re not hardwired for this level of uncertainty, and many of us feel as if the constant need to self-protect is driving the humanity right out of us. This is why organisational transformation today must foster deep connection, deep thinking and deep collaboration. We need the courage to lead people in a way that honours and protects the wisdom of the human spirit.'
Brown offers a broad assessment of the skillsets and mindsets we need moving forward, including the capacity for respectful and difficult conversations, increased productive urgency and smart prioritisation rather than reactivity, and strategic risk-taking, paradoxical thinking and situational and anticipatory awareness skills. She identifies the toughest skill set as the discipline, humility and confidence to unlearn and relearn.
Brown writes, 'Individuals and organisations are building new muscles. Finding our strong ground – that athletic stance – is the only thing that can provide both unwavering stability in a maelstrom of uncertainty and a platform for the fast, explosive change that the world is demanding.'
Brené Brown 2025 (P) Penguin Audio 2025
Audible Audio
Published September 23, 2025
3934 people are currently reading
8843 people want to read
About the author
Brené Brown
110 books54.6k followersDr. Brené 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.
Brené has spent the past two decades studying courage, vulnerability, shame, and
empathy. She is the author of six #1 New York Times bestsellers and is the host of two
award-winning podcasts, Unlocking Us and Dare to Lead.
Brené’s books have been translated into more than 30 languages, and her titles
include Atlas of the Heart, Dare to Lead, Braving the Wilderness, Rising Strong,
Daring Greatly, and The Gifts of Imperfection. With Tarana Burke, she co-edited the
bestselling anthology You Are Your Best Thing: Vulnerability, Shame Resilience, and
the Black Experience.
Brené’s TED talk on the Power of Vulnerability is one of the top five most-viewed TED
talks in the world, with over 60 million views. She spends most of her time working in
organizations around the world, helping develop braver leaders and more courageous
cultures. In 2024, she was named as the executive director of The Center for Daring
Leadership at BetterUp.
She lives in Houston, Texas, with her husband, Steve. They have two children, Ellen and
Charlie, and a weird Bichon named Lucy.
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.
Brené has spent the past two decades studying courage, vulnerability, shame, and
empathy. She is the author of six #1 New York Times bestsellers and is the host of two
award-winning podcasts, Unlocking Us and Dare to Lead.
Brené’s books have been translated into more than 30 languages, and her titles
include Atlas of the Heart, Dare to Lead, Braving the Wilderness, Rising Strong,
Daring Greatly, and The Gifts of Imperfection. With Tarana Burke, she co-edited the
bestselling anthology You Are Your Best Thing: Vulnerability, Shame Resilience, and
the Black Experience.
Brené’s TED talk on the Power of Vulnerability is one of the top five most-viewed TED
talks in the world, with over 60 million views. She spends most of her time working in
organizations around the world, helping develop braver leaders and more courageous
cultures. In 2024, she was named as the executive director of The Center for Daring
Leadership at BetterUp.
She lives in Houston, Texas, with her husband, Steve. They have two children, Ellen and
Charlie, and a weird Bichon named Lucy.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 309 reviews
October 26, 2025
THIS IS MORE EXCITING TO ME THAN THE NEW TAYLOR ALBUM ANNOUNCEMENT. WHICH SAYS SOMETHING.
October 9, 2025
It seemed to be a compilation of other peoples’ quotes and stories about leadership. Interesting quotes, but extremely repetitive. Nothing specific I took away from this that I haven’t learned from every other leadership book/podcast/conference.
October 2, 2025
This author is one of those authors who, whenever I see her name, I stop and pay attention. I always hope that her messages will actually sink in.
I've read many of her books and I'm consistently impressed by the honesty and insight she brings from her own experiences. She's usually brutally honest and funny...both at the same time. I appreciate that she doesn't shy away from the hard stuff. She brings light to topics that weren't openly discussed, let alone deeply explored.
She is completely relatable and doesn't sugar coat the message or the trials. There are some great take-aways in this one. Not as many in previous books, but still worth the read. So 4 stars.
I've read many of her books and I'm consistently impressed by the honesty and insight she brings from her own experiences. She's usually brutally honest and funny...both at the same time. I appreciate that she doesn't shy away from the hard stuff. She brings light to topics that weren't openly discussed, let alone deeply explored.
She is completely relatable and doesn't sugar coat the message or the trials. There are some great take-aways in this one. Not as many in previous books, but still worth the read. So 4 stars.
September 28, 2025
One the one hand it’s a joy to hear Brene’s reassuring voice (audiobook) again (except for when she’s once again digressing about “pickleball”). The premise is that just like when Brene had to recover after a physical injury she had to start from base, that’s how leadership should be build. All true of course. However, the problem for me is in the (lack of) relevance of the subject. For me most of the things set out spoke for themselves and I didn’t feel I gathered any new insights. Moreover, the book feels VERY far from society today. Where her “vulnerability” books were immediately applicable and caused a shift in society, these words seem totally lost on today’s leaders. Leadership is so far away from anything Brene discusses, the things Brene discusses are literally the least of today’s leadership problems. Like if you would go to a warzone and teach classes on the best ways to sharpen pencils. It feels like the book is written for some world in a different time and place.
September 24, 2025
4.5… I always enjoy Brene’s books and especially her audiobooks because they “read” like a TED talk and it feels like she’s teaching you. This book was no exception. I especially enjoyed her take on the effects of AI in the workplace and the metaphors of being locked in and locked through. Another golden nugget!
https://brenebrown.com/podcast/lock-i...
Definitely worth reading and absorbing.
https://brenebrown.com/podcast/lock-i...
Definitely worth reading and absorbing.
October 4, 2025
The book was just OK. Too many LONG sentences full of "corporate-speak." Been there, done that.
November 19, 2025
In all seriousness, I don’t know that there is anyone more brilliant than Brené. This book is so powerful, so thought provoking, and so insanely insightful….its hard to comprehend her brilliance. And yet, she meets you at eye level, connects with you, and explains in such a way that anyone can understand.
“You don’t rise to the level of your goals, you fall to the level of your systems.”
This book is incredibly inspiring. I don’t care if you’re starting your career, at your height, or on the way out, this book is for you. If you’re a human, this book is for you.
5/5⭐️
“You don’t rise to the level of your goals, you fall to the level of your systems.”
This book is incredibly inspiring. I don’t care if you’re starting your career, at your height, or on the way out, this book is for you. If you’re a human, this book is for you.
5/5⭐️
October 9, 2025
I really wanted to love this book. Brene is such an icon! Alas, I found this one disappointing. First, the good stuff: she’s bringing important leadership concepts like working with paradox to the mainstream. She has codified the skill sets, mindsets, coaching sets, value sets needed to be an effective and influential leader. I liked the insight on how preparation can be mistaken for leadership presence ( though I disagree with the bagging out of leadership presence altogether).
The downsides:
1. it felt like an outline of a syllabus with far fewer take action recommendations than I hoped for. We learn about paradox but not HOW to work with it. Most of the insights were like this. I felt that in order to get the how you’d have to hire her team.
2. There weren’t many original thoughts here. I have been working with many of these concepts (e.g. above the line/below the line, drama triangle, systems thinking) for more than twenty years.
3. What’s missing: place, land, country, context. There is virtually no acknowledgment of our current context, the deep ecological and social challenges. Having done some work with the Peter Cullen Water and Environment Trust, this glaring omission feels more obvious. How can we do any of the tough leadership work belly to belly with others when we do not recognise and peer into the beating pulse of our landscape? Our communities?
While I love the inclusion of other voices in her work, and am interested in the launch of her new imprint next year to see what she does in publishing, I felt this book was a missed opportunity. It could have been a movement, a clarion call, but instead feels more like an extended pamphlet. Sad emoji face here.
The downsides:
1. it felt like an outline of a syllabus with far fewer take action recommendations than I hoped for. We learn about paradox but not HOW to work with it. Most of the insights were like this. I felt that in order to get the how you’d have to hire her team.
2. There weren’t many original thoughts here. I have been working with many of these concepts (e.g. above the line/below the line, drama triangle, systems thinking) for more than twenty years.
3. What’s missing: place, land, country, context. There is virtually no acknowledgment of our current context, the deep ecological and social challenges. Having done some work with the Peter Cullen Water and Environment Trust, this glaring omission feels more obvious. How can we do any of the tough leadership work belly to belly with others when we do not recognise and peer into the beating pulse of our landscape? Our communities?
While I love the inclusion of other voices in her work, and am interested in the launch of her new imprint next year to see what she does in publishing, I felt this book was a missed opportunity. It could have been a movement, a clarion call, but instead feels more like an extended pamphlet. Sad emoji face here.
October 16, 2025
Couldn’t sleep. Worth it.
Every manager, leader, any person working with people should read it. Our work environment would be so much better. Period.
Every manager, leader, any person working with people should read it. Our work environment would be so much better. Period.
October 17, 2025
This is definitely her worst book. While it is still good, it is more scattered than the others. It was difficult at some times to see the relevance of stories. Sometimes her descriptions were not followed with examples or ways to implement concepts. Too many sports stories. It just was disappointing as a Brene Brown book.
Read
September 28, 2025I love Brene Brown’s work as much as the next white woman but this book was a bit more corporate focused than I’m interested in. Still phenomenal and I recommend it if it’s something that interests you!
October 10, 2025
Some great concepts in here, at 400 pages it is a big commit. I enjoyed other writers being involved but it got a bit excessive.
Biggest takeaways are about fear, anxiety, worry, and being brave.
Biggest takeaways are about fear, anxiety, worry, and being brave.
November 30, 2025
Brené Brown is a shame researcher with a social work background who's come to prominence in recent decades through books like Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead, and has since transformed her brand into (my perception) some melding of '90s/early '00s Oprah Winfrey and Adam Grant -- aka, someone with a podcast, a social media presence, and a clustering of books predictably published every few years to which many people (particularly women) look reverentially for life wisdom and inspiration.
Brown's latest popular nonfiction book is 2025's Strong Ground. I would describe it as a smorgasbord (or a charcuterie board, to be more on-trend) of random nuggets - Brown's interviews with various other influential people about leadership, emotional regulation, preparing for the future, etc., as well as her own conversational relatability about topics like rehabbing pickleball injuries and losing a loved one to dementia. A large portion of the book focuses on Brown's fears for gen Zers (aka those her kids' age) who she worries aren't being taught the coping skills necessary to survive our 'unprecedented' times. Brown also lends her platform to praising what she finds to be shining examples of ingenuity, whether they are of the technological sort (she quotes a lot of biomedical innovation coming out of my undergrad alma mater, Rice University, that honestly doesn't sound all that impressive to me) or mental frameworks that have allegedly reshaped her view of the world/approach to communication. I admire her enthusiasm for all of these new ideas, though I'm probably too much of a cynic and skeptic to think that 'ideas that will transform your life' and 'innovations that will revolutionize the world' are that dime-a-dozen.
I listened to the audiobook version narrated in a very conversational, often off-the-script way by the author. I felt at times I was listening to a podcast (which is something I never intentionally do).
Despite my sardonic comments, I do think this book has an established target audience that will derive enjoyment and utility from Brown's latest insights, and it's not that I was particularly or diametrically opposed to any of her ideas myself, though I wish they'd been presented in a more cohesive, structured way.
My statistics:
Book 356 for 2025
Book 2282 cumulatively
Brown's latest popular nonfiction book is 2025's Strong Ground. I would describe it as a smorgasbord (or a charcuterie board, to be more on-trend) of random nuggets - Brown's interviews with various other influential people about leadership, emotional regulation, preparing for the future, etc., as well as her own conversational relatability about topics like rehabbing pickleball injuries and losing a loved one to dementia. A large portion of the book focuses on Brown's fears for gen Zers (aka those her kids' age) who she worries aren't being taught the coping skills necessary to survive our 'unprecedented' times. Brown also lends her platform to praising what she finds to be shining examples of ingenuity, whether they are of the technological sort (she quotes a lot of biomedical innovation coming out of my undergrad alma mater, Rice University, that honestly doesn't sound all that impressive to me) or mental frameworks that have allegedly reshaped her view of the world/approach to communication. I admire her enthusiasm for all of these new ideas, though I'm probably too much of a cynic and skeptic to think that 'ideas that will transform your life' and 'innovations that will revolutionize the world' are that dime-a-dozen.
I listened to the audiobook version narrated in a very conversational, often off-the-script way by the author. I felt at times I was listening to a podcast (which is something I never intentionally do).
Despite my sardonic comments, I do think this book has an established target audience that will derive enjoyment and utility from Brown's latest insights, and it's not that I was particularly or diametrically opposed to any of her ideas myself, though I wish they'd been presented in a more cohesive, structured way.
My statistics:
Book 356 for 2025
Book 2282 cumulatively
December 9, 2025
I’ll probably come back to update my review once I have had more time to digest and make my notes and summaries. As a first reaction I loved this book, it felt more than just a book, it is a piece of art and tribute to other authors, a reflection on todays and future meaning of what it means to be human. I had my own aha moments and believe I will keep on going back to this book and its reflections for months to come.
November 18, 2025
Enjoyed this one but it wasn’t my favourite Brene book. But it was packed with some great takeaways.
November 14, 2025
A lot of the way Brené views leadership really resonates with me, and this was no different. An engaging and interesting read, though I did feel like the actual practical application aspect was fairly light, and it felt (very, very lightly) a bit like a funnel to purchase coaching from her business to actually gain access to more specific exercises to grow in these areas.
November 4, 2025
I don’t feel like I learned anything new or deeper in this book that wasn’t already in a previous Brene book. This was more a summary of others work combined with her past work and how it all supported each other - but we knew that.
The one chapter I loved was locked in and locked through - will be taking that one with me in the transitions between work and home.
The one chapter I loved was locked in and locked through - will be taking that one with me in the transitions between work and home.
December 1, 2025
Strong Ground isn’t Brené Brown’s strongest work. The book feels uneven—chapters, interviews, and poems that never quite cohere into a single thread or argument. It reads as though a deadline arrived before the book fully baked. There are genuinely valuable insights here—negative capacity, pocket presence, and the idea of locking in and locking through—but they’re surrounded by a lot of recycled material from her earlier books. With about 150 pages trimmed, it could have been tighter, sharper, and far more compelling.
December 28, 2025
Always feel like I'm in for a life lesson on empathy and getting in touch with feelings when I hear Brene's voice and this was no different. I think a lot of this is rehashing principles, which isn't a bad thing, just less interesting second time around. It's feels heavily aimed at senior leaders and less practical in daily grind. Still positions a world that would be ideal to get to with caring and wise leaders, not sure that it was grounded in today's landscape, outside the board room.
September 21, 2025
I have selected this book as Stevo's Business Book of the Week for the week of 9/21, as it stands heads above other recently published books on this topic.
September 28, 2025
Great sequel :)
- it’s exhausting working with people you have to put your armor on for
- “Tell me more” that’s not been my experience, Ways to frame negative things
- Coaching is a difference maker
- You do not rise to level of your goals, you fall to the level of your systems (James Clear).
- 5cs process can take 120 seconds to get in front of an issue.
- Staying above the line
- Presence and preparation are two different things
- Everything is easy until you have to do it.
- Intuition is pattern recognition passed on past experiences
- it’s exhausting working with people you have to put your armor on for
- “Tell me more” that’s not been my experience, Ways to frame negative things
- Coaching is a difference maker
- You do not rise to level of your goals, you fall to the level of your systems (James Clear).
- 5cs process can take 120 seconds to get in front of an issue.
- Staying above the line
- Presence and preparation are two different things
- Everything is easy until you have to do it.
- Intuition is pattern recognition passed on past experiences
September 25, 2025
5 stars! Friends!! Brene Brown is one of my huge scale heroes! She and her writing and research have deeply affected me- and this book is amazing! She takes on the heavy load we all bear in this culture- the fast changing technology, sergeancy and prevalence of AI, the need for psychological safety and awareness in the quicksand of cultural and political drama that is hollowing us out! Once again her writing has been a lifeboat for me in these turbulent waters! Her lean int o paradoxical thinking and exposure to other thinkers and the helpful mental tools to ground our spirits and sharpen our navigation skills has been the just the map I needed! Thank you Brene!! Friends- run! Don’t walk and buy this book!!
October 17, 2025
3.5 ⭐️ Lots themes that were on point, but this book didn't seem as genuine as her other books I've read. Instead of this being a research-based leadership book, it unfortunately felt more like an advertisement for her pals' [with the same publisher] books.
October 14, 2025
I’ll start by sharing that I listened to the audiobook and Brene is so conversational and it’s like listening to a wise colleague sharing their knowledge. Brene references lots of other authors and their writings in the book and one of the things I loved most about the audiobook is that she would reread quotes a couple times, since as a listener you can’t just reread that line over again. I was very grateful for that since I was usually multitasking with dishes or folding laundry and didn’t need to stop and rewind.
I also took about two pages of notes, when I was fully focused, that I plan to take back to my team and start a conversation around the ideas.
I also took about two pages of notes, when I was fully focused, that I plan to take back to my team and start a conversation around the ideas.
December 21, 2025
Just finished the audiobook and immediately went back to chapter 1 to listen all over again. As always, Brené’s work on leadership and living wholeheartedly is relevant and poignant. Listening again to try to absorb every ounce of brilliance.
November 14, 2025
I wasn’t sure I’d find Brene’s latest book as relatable as some of her previous books, but when it came up on a skip-the-line loan, and my scarcity tendencies were triggered, I decided to give it the 7 day lend of a 2 fast 2 furious listen.
I recently read that Brene Brown did not like how she was portrayed as a self-help guru or an article about how she became “America’s therapist.” Listening to her book, she’s clear about the ways she struggles, and how that’s guided her in her role as a researcher, and led her towards other teachers and researchers with solutions for problems that plague us all. For me, she’s a teacher I really admire for her expertise, her adaptability, her effort, and her transparency.
I tagged no less than twenty parts during my listen which means I need to pony up the cash and own a hard copy of the book so I can refer to it more easily and often.
Even though the book is more corporate world focused so much applies to just living.The most immediately useful part of the book for was learning about above and below the line thinking. The line we vacillate between is fear and I’ve been better able to identify when I’m dipping into fear in a way that is not useful or helpful.
Always way too many notes, but so much to think about and digest🤓
- “We grow spiritually much more by doing things wrong than doing things right” - Richard Rhor (The Grace Paradox)
- “Her determination to change the trajectory of our lives was the purest form of love” (about her late mother)
- “We all have to straddle the paradox of being vulnerable enough with our art, our tenderness, our openness, while at the same time being tough enough to know that our whole heartedness won’t always be received or returned. That’s what it means to be human. That’s where the thrill of victory, meets the agony of defeat.”
- We need both gritty faith and gritty facts
- “One of the best markers of daring leadership is a leader who can say ‘I don’t know’”- negative capability
- John Keats - inscription on his tombstone ‘here lies one whose name was writ in water’ “accepting our impermanence is part of the human experience - in the face of that absolute certainty it is perhaps the ultimate paradox to put much stock in anything at all, knowing it’ll end, and yet we do. Because along with our need to accept our impermanence is our need for meaning. The gift is the paradox. The skill we need to straddle the tension and develop paradoxical thinking skills is negative capability. Resist the urge to reach for certainty where it does not exist. The longer we can hold that paradox, the greater capacity we have to see and honor one another in our fullness and in our contradictions.”
- Above/Below the line thinking - the line is fear - above the line we’re aware of the fear and able to maintain the wheel, but when we’re below it we’re reacting from fear and our behaviors are being driven by fear
- Above the line roles - creator, challenger, coach
- Below the line roles - the hero, the villain, the victim
I recently read that Brene Brown did not like how she was portrayed as a self-help guru or an article about how she became “America’s therapist.” Listening to her book, she’s clear about the ways she struggles, and how that’s guided her in her role as a researcher, and led her towards other teachers and researchers with solutions for problems that plague us all. For me, she’s a teacher I really admire for her expertise, her adaptability, her effort, and her transparency.
I tagged no less than twenty parts during my listen which means I need to pony up the cash and own a hard copy of the book so I can refer to it more easily and often.
Even though the book is more corporate world focused so much applies to just living.The most immediately useful part of the book for was learning about above and below the line thinking. The line we vacillate between is fear and I’ve been better able to identify when I’m dipping into fear in a way that is not useful or helpful.
Always way too many notes, but so much to think about and digest🤓
- “We grow spiritually much more by doing things wrong than doing things right” - Richard Rhor (The Grace Paradox)
- “Her determination to change the trajectory of our lives was the purest form of love” (about her late mother)
- “We all have to straddle the paradox of being vulnerable enough with our art, our tenderness, our openness, while at the same time being tough enough to know that our whole heartedness won’t always be received or returned. That’s what it means to be human. That’s where the thrill of victory, meets the agony of defeat.”
- We need both gritty faith and gritty facts
- “One of the best markers of daring leadership is a leader who can say ‘I don’t know’”- negative capability
- John Keats - inscription on his tombstone ‘here lies one whose name was writ in water’ “accepting our impermanence is part of the human experience - in the face of that absolute certainty it is perhaps the ultimate paradox to put much stock in anything at all, knowing it’ll end, and yet we do. Because along with our need to accept our impermanence is our need for meaning. The gift is the paradox. The skill we need to straddle the tension and develop paradoxical thinking skills is negative capability. Resist the urge to reach for certainty where it does not exist. The longer we can hold that paradox, the greater capacity we have to see and honor one another in our fullness and in our contradictions.”
- Above/Below the line thinking - the line is fear - above the line we’re aware of the fear and able to maintain the wheel, but when we’re below it we’re reacting from fear and our behaviors are being driven by fear
- Above the line roles - creator, challenger, coach
- Below the line roles - the hero, the villain, the victim
December 9, 2025
I love Brene Brown, I've read everything from her since Gifts of Imperfection. But, this was just poorly put together. When I saw that this was a sequel to her magnificent leadership book, Dare to Lead, I expected another wonderful insights-filled, educated guide to empowered leadership with plenty of heart. But, this book felt like a homework assignment that was rushed and not thought through all the way OR someone didn't slow Brene down with all of her ideas for a book.
I kept trying to figure out what the grounding idea was to take us to so many different places. The narrative thread was just too thin. It felt like Brene Brown took all of her favorite and most effective practices and just smooshed them together. With all this said, there are some AMAZING practices and perspectives in here. But, it is almost too much to muddle through all the rest to find and remember them.
I loved what she taught about quarterback awareness and how it parallels leadership skills. I think chapter 14 on pocket presence is probably the strongest. I loved her explanation of effective feedback that also came with the great discussion on management vs leadership in chapter 9.
There were probably two or three other things I loved, but I was so distracted by what the book was supposed to be, and not getting any help from the delivery of the materials, I can't remember them anymore. Super frustrating. Still, worth a read again so I can hammer out those useful nuggets amidst the messiness of the delivery.
I kept trying to figure out what the grounding idea was to take us to so many different places. The narrative thread was just too thin. It felt like Brene Brown took all of her favorite and most effective practices and just smooshed them together. With all this said, there are some AMAZING practices and perspectives in here. But, it is almost too much to muddle through all the rest to find and remember them.
I loved what she taught about quarterback awareness and how it parallels leadership skills. I think chapter 14 on pocket presence is probably the strongest. I loved her explanation of effective feedback that also came with the great discussion on management vs leadership in chapter 9.
There were probably two or three other things I loved, but I was so distracted by what the book was supposed to be, and not getting any help from the delivery of the materials, I can't remember them anymore. Super frustrating. Still, worth a read again so I can hammer out those useful nuggets amidst the messiness of the delivery.
December 25, 2025
This is a really great companion to Dare to Lead and Atlas of the Heart, two of Brown’s other titles, but I do feel like you need to have read them both and have them on hand to refer back to in order to get the most out of this book. Because this book is synthesizing so much other work and research by Brown and other thought leaders, it feels like it has fewer action steps and less of a clear directive than I was anticipating. However, it is still an extremely useful book that makes me feel seen and called out to do better all at the same time. I know I am not really going to be walking away from this book, but constantly re-reading and referring back to it as I work on improving my leadership and relationship skills. I also have a number of books added to my TBR because this has given me a starting place to delve deeper into some of the topics presented.
October 14, 2025
I love Brene Brown and I loved many of the ideas presented in this book. I found her section about paradox fascinating. I did have a hard time reading the book, it felt like a combination of a bunch of her podcast episodes and I think I would have preferred to have listened to parts of the podcast. I found that the book was unorganized and challenging to follow. There were so many ideas that I had a hard time digesting and implementing change. Because the book had so many ideas, I feel like it lacked the storytelling that sets Dr. Brown apart and helps the reader connect to the content. I don’t think a lot of the content in this book will stick with me and I struggled to stay motivated to read the book because I felt whiplash from all the different ideas and points.
October 23, 2025
4.5 ⭐️🎧 I will never skip a Brené Brown book because Daring Greatly shifted my perspective, and in turn my life, more than any other book. I loved this one too! Interesting lessons from sports, the arts, academia, etc mixed with tangible advice on how to action these takeaways at home and at work. And I love that Brené reads all of her audiobooks. She infuses them with her casual intonation and undeniable passion for her work that really humanizes some of the bigger topics she discusses. Highly recommend!
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