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239 pages, Hardcover
First published August 25, 2015
10407 people are currently reading
136737 people want to read
About the author
Brené Brown
111 books54.8k 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 5,365 reviews
May 15, 2019
I finally had to give up on this book. I was going to try to make it to the end but I couldn't do it anymore after I got through the second-to-last chapter of this tiresome volume of 100-proof arrogance.
Brown's "Rising" purports to be a self-help book about getting over life's adversities but it never delivers.
Instead, Brown writes a series of non-event anecdotes from her boring, privileged life as a social work teacher at the University of Houston (she's married to a pediatrician), including such episodes as being upset when she couldn't get a book deal right away, being irritated by a woman who wrote a snippy email to her after a speaking engagement, getting into inconsequential arguments with her husband and accidentally picking up a pile of trash that had, well, more than trash in it.... She also tells us about how she cries in her therapist's office -- a lot.
She takes about 300 pages to get across an important, but very simple point: don't be afraid of your feelings! Huge epiphany. You'd have to be the most spiritually, emotionally repressed person on earth to think this book is revelatory in any way.
Here's my favorite quote from the book:
"Do I believe serial killers and terrorists are doing the best they can? Yes."
You really don't need to read the whole book now.
It's possible Brown's other books and TED talks were really good; otherwise, I don't see how this one would have gotten published. If they were on par with this one, there's no way we'd even know who she is.
Brown's "Rising" purports to be a self-help book about getting over life's adversities but it never delivers.
Instead, Brown writes a series of non-event anecdotes from her boring, privileged life as a social work teacher at the University of Houston (she's married to a pediatrician), including such episodes as being upset when she couldn't get a book deal right away, being irritated by a woman who wrote a snippy email to her after a speaking engagement, getting into inconsequential arguments with her husband and accidentally picking up a pile of trash that had, well, more than trash in it.... She also tells us about how she cries in her therapist's office -- a lot.
She takes about 300 pages to get across an important, but very simple point: don't be afraid of your feelings! Huge epiphany. You'd have to be the most spiritually, emotionally repressed person on earth to think this book is revelatory in any way.
Here's my favorite quote from the book:
"Do I believe serial killers and terrorists are doing the best they can? Yes."
You really don't need to read the whole book now.
It's possible Brown's other books and TED talks were really good; otherwise, I don't see how this one would have gotten published. If they were on par with this one, there's no way we'd even know who she is.
December 7, 2015
I thought I would have a lot to say after listening to this audiobook.
However,
**Rebecca Foster** already wrote A PERFECT REVIEW. Everything she wrote fits my experience!
I enjoyed LISTENING to this book while walking. My guess is I would not have enjoyed 'reading' it half as much. (I might have been too judgmental)
Personal things I'm looking at from this book:
TIMES I HIDE OUT and SHUT down: in front of my mother-in-law and my brother-in-law!
Isn't that enough to look at?
I think so. End of review!
***REBECCA FOSTER'S REVIEW*** ....(which expresses 100% how I feel)
"Brown, a qualitative researcher in the field of social work, encourages readers to embrace vulnerability and transform failure and shame through a simple process of re-evaluating the stories we tell ourselves. The gimmicky terminology and frequent self-referencing grated on me a bit, but I appreciated how the book made me re-consider
events from my own life. Its the ideas that carry "Rising Strong", so
as long as you come to it expecting a useful tool rather than a literary
experience you shouldn't be disappointed.
Genuinely helpful self-help."
THANK YOU, *Rebecca*!
*****Valuable tools for being an emotionally more present human being -for our toolbox!
However,
**Rebecca Foster** already wrote A PERFECT REVIEW. Everything she wrote fits my experience!
I enjoyed LISTENING to this book while walking. My guess is I would not have enjoyed 'reading' it half as much. (I might have been too judgmental)
Personal things I'm looking at from this book:
TIMES I HIDE OUT and SHUT down: in front of my mother-in-law and my brother-in-law!
Isn't that enough to look at?
I think so. End of review!
***REBECCA FOSTER'S REVIEW*** ....(which expresses 100% how I feel)
"Brown, a qualitative researcher in the field of social work, encourages readers to embrace vulnerability and transform failure and shame through a simple process of re-evaluating the stories we tell ourselves. The gimmicky terminology and frequent self-referencing grated on me a bit, but I appreciated how the book made me re-consider
events from my own life. Its the ideas that carry "Rising Strong", so
as long as you come to it expecting a useful tool rather than a literary
experience you shouldn't be disappointed.
Genuinely helpful self-help."
THANK YOU, *Rebecca*!
*****Valuable tools for being an emotionally more present human being -for our toolbox!
November 7, 2015
I scored this off of NetGalley. I was unsure how I'd feel about reading a Brene Brown book since I have only watched her TED Talks and listened to The Power of Vulnerability which is a series of workshop courses she gave.
I shouldn't have wondered. Brown's voice grabbed me from the moment I read the introduction. In fact, early in the book Brown's realization that "you can't skip Act 2" (a reference that will be clear if you read the book) was revelatory for my husband and me in a work situation that we're slogging through at the moment. It didn't change our point on the map, so to speak, so much as to point out where we were and that we weren't really lost in the Slough of Despond ... just working our way through it to Act 3.
I like the way Brown has our innate connection to storytelling as a parallel thread. On one hand, it defines ways we can recognize and recover from dangerous trajectories. On the other, just reading what she's found about us as storytelling beings hits a note that interested and connected with me.
The reason I only gave this three stars is that the last third of the book somehow felt very different, much more self-help oriented than what preceded it. Suddenly there were a lot of acronyms, bullet pointed lists to consider and work through, open ended questions to ask yourself, and a couple of case studies that seemed very unnecessary. My eyes glaze over at that sort of thing which is why I've enjoyed Brown's talks so much — because they are necessarily free from such items. I haven't actually read one of her other books so she may have followed this pattern before. It may work for everyone else in which case the problem is mine alone.
At any rate, I still recommend the book. It allowed me to make a lot of connections in my own life between my behavior, internal logic, and how to avoid or recover personally from falling hard when taking a risk.
I shouldn't have wondered. Brown's voice grabbed me from the moment I read the introduction. In fact, early in the book Brown's realization that "you can't skip Act 2" (a reference that will be clear if you read the book) was revelatory for my husband and me in a work situation that we're slogging through at the moment. It didn't change our point on the map, so to speak, so much as to point out where we were and that we weren't really lost in the Slough of Despond ... just working our way through it to Act 3.
I like the way Brown has our innate connection to storytelling as a parallel thread. On one hand, it defines ways we can recognize and recover from dangerous trajectories. On the other, just reading what she's found about us as storytelling beings hits a note that interested and connected with me.
The reason I only gave this three stars is that the last third of the book somehow felt very different, much more self-help oriented than what preceded it. Suddenly there were a lot of acronyms, bullet pointed lists to consider and work through, open ended questions to ask yourself, and a couple of case studies that seemed very unnecessary. My eyes glaze over at that sort of thing which is why I've enjoyed Brown's talks so much — because they are necessarily free from such items. I haven't actually read one of her other books so she may have followed this pattern before. It may work for everyone else in which case the problem is mine alone.
At any rate, I still recommend the book. It allowed me to make a lot of connections in my own life between my behavior, internal logic, and how to avoid or recover personally from falling hard when taking a risk.
November 3, 2018
Transformative. This book is a way with handling emotions that come up in life.
When we feel an emotion like anger or shame, there is something behind this being triggered. This is a way of working through those emotions. Brene is an excellent storyteller. She has done a ton of research on the issues and collected 1,000s of stories from her life and others over the years.
In this one, she talks of an experience at Pixar. It was a neat story. She talks about the 2nd act of a story. It's dark and usually not fun and we can't skip it. It's difficult and hard to go through. She says the protagonist tries everything to solve the problem in their life from a comfortable place. By the 3rd act, the protagonist realizes that they have to face the problem in a place that is not comfortable. We have to embrace discomfort to finally solve the problem.
What a big lesson that is. I am pretty normal in the fact that I do everything to avoid discomfort and dealing with it. I try and put things off and not deal head on with a problem until I simply have to. It is not the spiritual way to deal with life's issues.
She also speaks of Joseph Campbell's Hero of a 1,000 Faces. I want to read this book and I love this idea of myths. Our life story is a hero's journey.
She also speaks to bravery. Being brave is facing our shame and dealing with our emotions. Going to this dark place and letting these emotions speak to us - this is bravery and courage. I would agree with her.
She has so much in this book. I mean there is good stuff in this book. I need to read this book about 5 more times at least to let it sink in. I love her work and I need to learn this. I am so stressed with school right now and I'm emotionally having a difficult time with everything I'm having to do. I need to do some work like this to help move some inner stuff. I feel very stagnant on the inside and emotionally. I need to move this and get it out. I think that is why I need goodreads. I write about 3 reviews or less a day and it is a way I can get some things out at times. (like this email)
Much of the things she speaks to in this book are issues I'm dealing with right now. I really needed this story at this time. It was just what I needed. I hope I can put into place some of what she spoke too. I need to start journaling again and getting things out so my pain and story doesn't own me. I don't want own my pain, I want to discharge it and move on.
I feel like this work has religious overtimes. All the great religions in the world are working with these themes. Forgiveness and loving yourself. They are trying to get at what Brene is talking about from a research perspective.
This is a lovely book and anyone looking for personal growth can find this helpful.
When we feel an emotion like anger or shame, there is something behind this being triggered. This is a way of working through those emotions. Brene is an excellent storyteller. She has done a ton of research on the issues and collected 1,000s of stories from her life and others over the years.
In this one, she talks of an experience at Pixar. It was a neat story. She talks about the 2nd act of a story. It's dark and usually not fun and we can't skip it. It's difficult and hard to go through. She says the protagonist tries everything to solve the problem in their life from a comfortable place. By the 3rd act, the protagonist realizes that they have to face the problem in a place that is not comfortable. We have to embrace discomfort to finally solve the problem.
What a big lesson that is. I am pretty normal in the fact that I do everything to avoid discomfort and dealing with it. I try and put things off and not deal head on with a problem until I simply have to. It is not the spiritual way to deal with life's issues.
She also speaks of Joseph Campbell's Hero of a 1,000 Faces. I want to read this book and I love this idea of myths. Our life story is a hero's journey.
She also speaks to bravery. Being brave is facing our shame and dealing with our emotions. Going to this dark place and letting these emotions speak to us - this is bravery and courage. I would agree with her.
She has so much in this book. I mean there is good stuff in this book. I need to read this book about 5 more times at least to let it sink in. I love her work and I need to learn this. I am so stressed with school right now and I'm emotionally having a difficult time with everything I'm having to do. I need to do some work like this to help move some inner stuff. I feel very stagnant on the inside and emotionally. I need to move this and get it out. I think that is why I need goodreads. I write about 3 reviews or less a day and it is a way I can get some things out at times. (like this email)
Much of the things she speaks to in this book are issues I'm dealing with right now. I really needed this story at this time. It was just what I needed. I hope I can put into place some of what she spoke too. I need to start journaling again and getting things out so my pain and story doesn't own me. I don't want own my pain, I want to discharge it and move on.
I feel like this work has religious overtimes. All the great religions in the world are working with these themes. Forgiveness and loving yourself. They are trying to get at what Brene is talking about from a research perspective.
This is a lovely book and anyone looking for personal growth can find this helpful.
February 9, 2022
I'm definitely an outlier here, as I feel like this is an overly long rehashing of all that I already know and practice -- most simply, everything is NOT about ME. Using terms like "rumbling" makes it a bit too precious. Drat.
September 1, 2016
There are books that meet you at just the right time, when you most need and are open to their messages. I can well imagine encountering the warm Texan embrace of Brené Brown's brand of social psychology at other times of my life and being turned off by its fierceness, volume and confidence. I may have looked askance at the cult of Brené Brown, with legions of devotees who discovered her through her TED talk gone viral, read her previous works, taken her Oprah-endorsed self-actualization workshops, or listened to her CD series on vulnerability and shame. Rising Strong is in fact my first encounter with Brené Brown's work. It was pressed into the hand of the person who gave it to me as a gift last Christmas, the bookstore clerk assuring him it was a life-changing read, and now I will be the one to press it into everyone else's hands.
So yes, let's just get it out there: the subtitled theme of Rising Strong, this triumvirate of Reckoning-Rumble-Revolution is schticky and looks like pop-psychology gone wild. It will likely turn off others who rely exclusively on data and peer-reviewed research to support social science theory and prescriptive methodology.
What I came to love about Brown's narrative is the marriage of research and inspiration, her ability to take grounded theory and apply it to art-the art of emotion, the art of knowledge, the art of faith.
What is this book about exactly? It's about surviving hurt, acknowledging shame, embracing vulnerability, learning how to tell our stories, and getting back up to do it all over again, with courage and determination.
The emphasis on personal narrative touched me deeply. As a writer, I believe we are wired for story and my greatest healing has come by turning to the page, not only in telling my own stories, as I do when spilling my guts in my journal, or constructing a personal essay that is meant to reveal more universal truths, but in creating fictional worlds with characters who are born of my heart, my emotions, and in a tangential way, my experiences. So Brown's insistence that we use the physical act of writing out our narratives as a way to achieve truth and emotional release resonates deeply. Only in writing our stories can we examine what's real and what isn't, when we've conflated nostalgia with memory, when our memories have failed us and we fill in the gaps with drama or denial, where there is room for change or a different way of looking at the past that has shaped us.
There are too many components of this book that touched me, made me nod or tear up with recognition, made me turn to my partner and read aloud. Just too many. Here are a few: The destructive nature of comparative suffering. The phenomenon of "chandeliering", when we've packed down hurt so tightly that a seemingly innocuous comment can send us straight up to the chandelier with an emotional reaction well out of proportion to the situation. The need to sustain our creative souls. The idea that everyone is simply doing the best they can and recalibrating your responses accordingly. Creating boundaries to access compassion. Courage is contagious. Hope as a learning process, not a fly-by emotion. Embracing regret as a path toward empathy and how trauma leads to shame, and unacknowledged shame prevents us from being vulnerable.
Although I found many of the anecdotes that led to the development of theories and the concrete plans for personal engagement a bit trite, the approach to change Brown offers—like both hands extended to lift the reader up—is ripe and right, with practical, actionable guidance.
I'm on board. All in. Let's do this.
So yes, let's just get it out there: the subtitled theme of Rising Strong, this triumvirate of Reckoning-Rumble-Revolution is schticky and looks like pop-psychology gone wild. It will likely turn off others who rely exclusively on data and peer-reviewed research to support social science theory and prescriptive methodology.
What I came to love about Brown's narrative is the marriage of research and inspiration, her ability to take grounded theory and apply it to art-the art of emotion, the art of knowledge, the art of faith.
What is this book about exactly? It's about surviving hurt, acknowledging shame, embracing vulnerability, learning how to tell our stories, and getting back up to do it all over again, with courage and determination.
The emphasis on personal narrative touched me deeply. As a writer, I believe we are wired for story and my greatest healing has come by turning to the page, not only in telling my own stories, as I do when spilling my guts in my journal, or constructing a personal essay that is meant to reveal more universal truths, but in creating fictional worlds with characters who are born of my heart, my emotions, and in a tangential way, my experiences. So Brown's insistence that we use the physical act of writing out our narratives as a way to achieve truth and emotional release resonates deeply. Only in writing our stories can we examine what's real and what isn't, when we've conflated nostalgia with memory, when our memories have failed us and we fill in the gaps with drama or denial, where there is room for change or a different way of looking at the past that has shaped us.
There are too many components of this book that touched me, made me nod or tear up with recognition, made me turn to my partner and read aloud. Just too many. Here are a few: The destructive nature of comparative suffering. The phenomenon of "chandeliering", when we've packed down hurt so tightly that a seemingly innocuous comment can send us straight up to the chandelier with an emotional reaction well out of proportion to the situation. The need to sustain our creative souls. The idea that everyone is simply doing the best they can and recalibrating your responses accordingly. Creating boundaries to access compassion. Courage is contagious. Hope as a learning process, not a fly-by emotion. Embracing regret as a path toward empathy and how trauma leads to shame, and unacknowledged shame prevents us from being vulnerable.
Although I found many of the anecdotes that led to the development of theories and the concrete plans for personal engagement a bit trite, the approach to change Brown offers—like both hands extended to lift the reader up—is ripe and right, with practical, actionable guidance.
I'm on board. All in. Let's do this.
August 7, 2017
A good non-fiction book infuses detailed stories and vignettes and links them to the main points and research in the text. I thought that the main points in this book were extremely interesting. I loved the topics of research that she discussed: resiliency and mindfulness especially, and also her focus on the importance of re-framing our initial emotional responses to aversive events.
However, my main critique of the book is that I didn't like the stories and vignettes that she gave as examples to illustrate these points. I've seen a couple of other reviews here touch on this by saying that they found her book too "personal." I think the word "personal" is slightly misleading: I don't think a book can be a disappointment just because it's too intimate or personal. I guess that more than personal, it's overly introspective and self-involved; often it felt like I was reading someone's unedited, repetitive, and often petty diary.
For example, she spends pages upon pages analyzing why one time when her husband was less communicative than usual, her mind immediately jumped to an insecure thought about how it might be because he's not attracted to how she looks in her speedo bathing suit anymore. She continues to go back to this example in subsequent chapters and while I found it interesting initially to see someone's mind working through their insecurities, after a while I just found it boring! She also goes on and on about various other issues and events that I can't relate to at all, like feeling the urge to send mean email responses to unfair criticisms about her speaking style, feeling the urge to freak out when her son gets a splinter in his thumb, singing along to "Down in the Valley to Pray" with her happy family on the way to church, what joining church means to her and her family, feeling insecure about her Texan accent because she's a social science researcher, etc.
It's not that the ideas in the book are uninteresting or that the research is inaccurate. I liked some of her points about what privilege means and why some people are more resilient than others. I also loved a lot of the quotations that she brought up from various interesting books, songs, and people (including Leonard Cohen, Aristotle, Jung, and Csikszentmihalyi). Even her professional examples about going to Pixar and her more intellectual analogies and thoughts about creativity. My problem was that these great points and examples were needles in a haystack of repetitive "personal" thoughts. It became really tedious to read through multiple pages in a row where every sentence began with "I": "I really do need to...I absolutely need to...I had to confront my discomfort...I realized....My rumbles with shame...It was my own need...are comfortable for me...I wanted to solve...I think...I was...I'd been telling myself...my history"
Please make it stop!!
Then as a cherry on top, her research points are further undercut by the fact that the book sometimes is suddenly formatted like an 80s self-help book with cheesy self-questions and quizzes to ask yourself that feel patronizing rather than cute, because they're randomly pasted in-between long streams of her thoughts about herself. And don't even get me started on how the book concludes with an overly simplified and overly idealized "manifesto" about how we could pretty much change the world and improve everyone's lives if we adopt her process of "rumbling with our emotions" at every workplace! She treats this as a serious revolution and speaks about all of her personal realizations as if they are these huge revelations, and unfortunately I just wasn't convinced by it...
I know that a lot of my complaints are personal pet peeves. I can understand why some people love her way of writing and find her thoughts relatable (I don't). The critiques I've mentioned above just unfortunately were enough to make it so that although I DID finish the book and did find a few gems in it, I ultimately found it to be a disappointment and not worth reading, because I never actually felt excited to sit down with it. And that feeling of excitement to learn new things is the whole reason why I love Psychology in the first place!
However, my main critique of the book is that I didn't like the stories and vignettes that she gave as examples to illustrate these points. I've seen a couple of other reviews here touch on this by saying that they found her book too "personal." I think the word "personal" is slightly misleading: I don't think a book can be a disappointment just because it's too intimate or personal. I guess that more than personal, it's overly introspective and self-involved; often it felt like I was reading someone's unedited, repetitive, and often petty diary.
For example, she spends pages upon pages analyzing why one time when her husband was less communicative than usual, her mind immediately jumped to an insecure thought about how it might be because he's not attracted to how she looks in her speedo bathing suit anymore. She continues to go back to this example in subsequent chapters and while I found it interesting initially to see someone's mind working through their insecurities, after a while I just found it boring! She also goes on and on about various other issues and events that I can't relate to at all, like feeling the urge to send mean email responses to unfair criticisms about her speaking style, feeling the urge to freak out when her son gets a splinter in his thumb, singing along to "Down in the Valley to Pray" with her happy family on the way to church, what joining church means to her and her family, feeling insecure about her Texan accent because she's a social science researcher, etc.
It's not that the ideas in the book are uninteresting or that the research is inaccurate. I liked some of her points about what privilege means and why some people are more resilient than others. I also loved a lot of the quotations that she brought up from various interesting books, songs, and people (including Leonard Cohen, Aristotle, Jung, and Csikszentmihalyi). Even her professional examples about going to Pixar and her more intellectual analogies and thoughts about creativity. My problem was that these great points and examples were needles in a haystack of repetitive "personal" thoughts. It became really tedious to read through multiple pages in a row where every sentence began with "I": "I really do need to...I absolutely need to...I had to confront my discomfort...I realized....My rumbles with shame...It was my own need...are comfortable for me...I wanted to solve...I think...I was...I'd been telling myself...my history"
Please make it stop!!
Then as a cherry on top, her research points are further undercut by the fact that the book sometimes is suddenly formatted like an 80s self-help book with cheesy self-questions and quizzes to ask yourself that feel patronizing rather than cute, because they're randomly pasted in-between long streams of her thoughts about herself. And don't even get me started on how the book concludes with an overly simplified and overly idealized "manifesto" about how we could pretty much change the world and improve everyone's lives if we adopt her process of "rumbling with our emotions" at every workplace! She treats this as a serious revolution and speaks about all of her personal realizations as if they are these huge revelations, and unfortunately I just wasn't convinced by it...
I know that a lot of my complaints are personal pet peeves. I can understand why some people love her way of writing and find her thoughts relatable (I don't). The critiques I've mentioned above just unfortunately were enough to make it so that although I DID finish the book and did find a few gems in it, I ultimately found it to be a disappointment and not worth reading, because I never actually felt excited to sit down with it. And that feeling of excitement to learn new things is the whole reason why I love Psychology in the first place!
January 19, 2021
January 2021
This is my fourth time reading Rising Strong and I think one of the key takeaway for me this year is that I will not be taking criticism or holding on to the words of people who are not face down in the arena of life.
I a was also reminded to live wholeheartedly and that is what I am going to do.
January 2020
I read Rising Strong for the first time in 2019 and I was blown away but home much the book and the teachings resonated with me. I think for the entire 2019 I made a conscious decision to be more vulnerable and live wholeheartedly and for the most part it worked.
This time around what really resonated with me was how the story I tell myself when things happen. I liked that Brene Brown really focused on this because it is something I battle with a lot and I liked having the tools to work through it.
This is such a great read for anyone who is in the arena of life. A must read.
January 2019
Yes, feeling vulnerable is at the core of difficult emotions like fear, grief, and disappointment, but it’s also the birthplace of love, belonging, joy, empathy, innovation, and creativity. When we shut ourselves off from vulnerability, we distance ourselves from the experiences that bring purpose and meaning to our lives.
Rising Strong by Brene Brown is exactly the book I needed to start my year. I found myself highlighting almost every line on my Kindle. This book explores how being vulnerable leads us to live a more fulfilling life. It also in no uncertain terms informs us that it will hurt and it will suck at times but if we want to live wholeheartedly, this is the process.
I have to admit, there is a lot to absorb and so much to explore with this book at times it felt overwhelming but the lessons that are explored are essential. I particularly love this little nugget that Brene Brown shared:
My team and I often start difficult team meetings by writing permission slips and sharing them before we dig into our work. We’re not going to recognize emotion if we don’t feel like we have permission to feel emotion.
These are just some of the practical tips Brown shared in her book on how she goes about living a wholehearted life.
This is definitely one of those books I have to get in hard copy so I can highly and re-read yearly.
MUST READ.
This is my fourth time reading Rising Strong and I think one of the key takeaway for me this year is that I will not be taking criticism or holding on to the words of people who are not face down in the arena of life.
I a was also reminded to live wholeheartedly and that is what I am going to do.
January 2020
I read Rising Strong for the first time in 2019 and I was blown away but home much the book and the teachings resonated with me. I think for the entire 2019 I made a conscious decision to be more vulnerable and live wholeheartedly and for the most part it worked.
This time around what really resonated with me was how the story I tell myself when things happen. I liked that Brene Brown really focused on this because it is something I battle with a lot and I liked having the tools to work through it.
This is such a great read for anyone who is in the arena of life. A must read.
January 2019
Yes, feeling vulnerable is at the core of difficult emotions like fear, grief, and disappointment, but it’s also the birthplace of love, belonging, joy, empathy, innovation, and creativity. When we shut ourselves off from vulnerability, we distance ourselves from the experiences that bring purpose and meaning to our lives.
Rising Strong by Brene Brown is exactly the book I needed to start my year. I found myself highlighting almost every line on my Kindle. This book explores how being vulnerable leads us to live a more fulfilling life. It also in no uncertain terms informs us that it will hurt and it will suck at times but if we want to live wholeheartedly, this is the process.
I have to admit, there is a lot to absorb and so much to explore with this book at times it felt overwhelming but the lessons that are explored are essential. I particularly love this little nugget that Brene Brown shared:
My team and I often start difficult team meetings by writing permission slips and sharing them before we dig into our work. We’re not going to recognize emotion if we don’t feel like we have permission to feel emotion.
These are just some of the practical tips Brown shared in her book on how she goes about living a wholehearted life.
This is definitely one of those books I have to get in hard copy so I can highly and re-read yearly.
MUST READ.
January 28, 2016
I come at this book from a few perspectives. First, I saw a librarian make a presentation on vulnerability in the classroom, and he quoted Brene's earlier book, Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead, as the basis for his experiments with students. I think both he and the author herself would have recommended I read that book instead of this book. Why? Well, even the author makes frequent references to it. It made me wonder if this book really had enough content to warrant an entire book. It is highly repetitive yet lingo-saturated, making it unpleasant to listen to in large doses. In fact, I put it on hold for a while and decided to go back to it.
Don't you want to rumble with your MFD's and rise up? Yeah, I just don't like to have to speak in code. It makes it feel like you spend half the time learning her lingo and not focusing as much on the ideas themselves.
The other perspective I come from in reading this is in my work, where I lead a team, one I feel protective of; I want them to be creative and work together and not to feel discouraged when we fail or are told we can't do an idea that we planned for. I needed something uplifting after a stressful December. To that end I appreciated the sections on story-filters and creativity. There are a few pieces I will bring up because they were useful.
From a personal perspective, I always need to hear that pushing through the difficult middle of any situation has rewards.
After reading quite a bit about how Brown's therapist helped her make some of these realizations, I think I'd like to read her therapist's book.
And one final thank you for getting THIS song back in my head for endless days.
I received a review copy of this audiobook from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. The author does a fine job reading, but I found I had to consult the print to look back at a few points I wanted to hold on to.
Don't you want to rumble with your MFD's and rise up? Yeah, I just don't like to have to speak in code. It makes it feel like you spend half the time learning her lingo and not focusing as much on the ideas themselves.
The other perspective I come from in reading this is in my work, where I lead a team, one I feel protective of; I want them to be creative and work together and not to feel discouraged when we fail or are told we can't do an idea that we planned for. I needed something uplifting after a stressful December. To that end I appreciated the sections on story-filters and creativity. There are a few pieces I will bring up because they were useful.
From a personal perspective, I always need to hear that pushing through the difficult middle of any situation has rewards.
After reading quite a bit about how Brown's therapist helped her make some of these realizations, I think I'd like to read her therapist's book.
And one final thank you for getting THIS song back in my head for endless days.
I received a review copy of this audiobook from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. The author does a fine job reading, but I found I had to consult the print to look back at a few points I wanted to hold on to.
September 24, 2015
Brown, a qualitative researcher in the field of social work, encourages readers to embrace vulnerability and transform failure and shame through a simple process of re-evaluating the stories we tell ourselves. The gimmicky terminology and frequent self-referencing grated on me a bit, but I appreciated how the book made me reconsider events from my own life. It’s the ideas that carry Rising Strong, so as long as you come to it expecting a useful tool rather than a literary experience you shouldn’t be disappointed. Genuinely helpful self-help.
See my full review at The Bookbag.
Related reading:
• Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott
• Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert
• Better than Before by Gretchen Rubin
See my full review at The Bookbag.
Related reading:
• Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott
• Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert
• Better than Before by Gretchen Rubin
December 14, 2017
I didn’t finish the book. I made it as far as only chapter 3 or 4. It was exceedingly grating and I just couldn’t choke down anymore.
It’s not a fault of Ms. Brown’s that she’s privileged and successful, but when reaching for examples of hardships and struggles to illustrate her book’s thesis that the darkness is a necessary, if silent and shadow part of a journey to resiliency, the examples she serves up reek of a white, rich life in a bubble. It seems it has been a long time since she truly connected with any other people outside her family because she had nothing in the way of stories to share that could inspire.
Stressing about her Oprah appearance? Really? I wanted to brush off the author’s detachment from reality, but example after example she offers up are so unrelatable.
In my life, I’m worried about my loved ones diagnosed with cancer, living with a neurological illness, parenting children with special needs, recovering from addiction, victimized by violence, weighing whether or not they can access health insurance or afford to retire, struggling in a loveless marriage.
It was so weird to me, and unforgivably alienating, that Ms Brown couldn’t draw on any similar life experiences to write a book about how to find value in the hard times.
If the hard times of life are getting a bad review of your book and feeling embarrassed about your performance on daytime TV, then lucky you.
It’s not a fault of Ms. Brown’s that she’s privileged and successful, but when reaching for examples of hardships and struggles to illustrate her book’s thesis that the darkness is a necessary, if silent and shadow part of a journey to resiliency, the examples she serves up reek of a white, rich life in a bubble. It seems it has been a long time since she truly connected with any other people outside her family because she had nothing in the way of stories to share that could inspire.
Stressing about her Oprah appearance? Really? I wanted to brush off the author’s detachment from reality, but example after example she offers up are so unrelatable.
In my life, I’m worried about my loved ones diagnosed with cancer, living with a neurological illness, parenting children with special needs, recovering from addiction, victimized by violence, weighing whether or not they can access health insurance or afford to retire, struggling in a loveless marriage.
It was so weird to me, and unforgivably alienating, that Ms Brown couldn’t draw on any similar life experiences to write a book about how to find value in the hard times.
If the hard times of life are getting a bad review of your book and feeling embarrassed about your performance on daytime TV, then lucky you.
June 8, 2015
When I read a self-help book, I realize not all of it will apply to me or I will take what I need at that moment. This book is no different BUT I took a lot of notes. It was intriguing and interesting. The book is full of stories to help the reader see the point Brene is trying to make.
I used some of her ideas the next day and honestly felt better about my day and communication with the people around me. I grew up in a home that did not deal with emotions nor did we talk about hard things at all. Now I'm married, I need to be able to understand my emotions that I tend to keep buried and "safe" and I need to communicate better with my husband and children. I would recommend this book just for the help of thinking in a different way.
4 1/2 STARS
Thanks netgalley for the read!!
I used some of her ideas the next day and honestly felt better about my day and communication with the people around me. I grew up in a home that did not deal with emotions nor did we talk about hard things at all. Now I'm married, I need to be able to understand my emotions that I tend to keep buried and "safe" and I need to communicate better with my husband and children. I would recommend this book just for the help of thinking in a different way.
4 1/2 STARS
Thanks netgalley for the read!!
July 18, 2016
I'm sure this book would've been impactful no matter when I read/listened to it, but MAN does it feel incredibly appropriate right now.
August 19, 2015
I love Brene Brown. Of all the self-help, crunchy, inner-peace books I’ve read (and there have been…a few), Brown’s The Gifts of Imperfection is still my favorite. Reading it was a life-changing experience. Rising Strong is equally good, and different from her other books in all the right ways. Rising Strong is much more personal. Brown uses many examples from her own life (and her marriage in particular) to illustrate her points, and the topic–vulnerability–is still so relevant and important. Daring Greatly discussed vulnerability in terms of courage and shame, but in Rising Strong, she talks about it as an essential ingredient for any forward momentum in our lives. For interpersonal conflict, workplace tension, or any number of other pain points in our lives, Rising Strong stresses vulnerability and emotion as being key to solving those issues. Brown is straight-forward about how we fail at this: we act out hurt instead of feeling it. We try to guess what people are thinking or feeling and blame them for it–writing their stories for them–instead of staying in our own lane. She talks about the challenge some people have in asking for connection as part of a healing process. Their tendency is to become closed off and hidden, assuming that means safety. The book also talks about compassion, how reaching out costs us nothing: “Empathy is not finite, and compassion is not a pizza with eight slices. When you practice empathy and compassion with someone, there is not less of these qualities to go around. There’s more.” Really beautiful, inspiring words, and it was good to read them this time of year too. Marking the change of seasons with something (a trip, a book, a ritual) is always nice and this book was perfect for it. Thank you to Random House for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for a review.
October 5, 2015
A bit too much academic "truthiness" for me. I knew I was in trouble when the author started with a disclaimer, saying that she believed in mixing qualitative research with story telling. This is some of the squishiest pseudo-science I have ever read. When there was no study or research to support her beliefs, she just pulls out a quote from a song or spiritual leader to fill the gap. I can't imagine what the folks at her university think of all this.
I am sure her message will help people who are looking for it (Brown is part of the "Church of Oprah", so I guess I should not have been surprised that this is much like the Dr. Phil/Dr. Oz school of self-help masquerading as scholarship).
I am sure her message will help people who are looking for it (Brown is part of the "Church of Oprah", so I guess I should not have been surprised that this is much like the Dr. Phil/Dr. Oz school of self-help masquerading as scholarship).
August 13, 2015
“Rising Strong” is the third in a series of recent books Brene Brown has written about the importance of vulnerability and authenticity in one’s life. Here she once again synthesizes her years of research, innate understanding of human behavior, and personal stories into a highly readable, relatable, and actionable self-improvement book.
In her earlier works, Brown references the times in our lives when we will all feel like failures, either personally or professionally. In “Rising Strong” she digs deep into that space between failure and recovery – the “Act 2” as she calls it – because she sees it being glossed over in our culture:
“On a cultural level, I think the absence of honest conversation about the hard work that takes us from lying face down in the arena to rising strong has led to two dangerous outcomes: the propensity to gold plate grit and a badassery deficit…We much prefer stories about falling and rising to be inspirational and sanitized…We like recovery stories to move quickly through the dark so we can get to the sweeping redemptive ending.”
With examples from her research and her own life, Brown outlines several case studies of people who spent a lot of time in “Act 2”, and the strategies they used to do the hard work required to really get back up and go on. She breaks these into three sections: Reckoning (recognizing something is wrong and getting curious about one’s own feelings); Rumble (reality-checking our first response to a problem and digging deeper); and Revolution (fundamentally transforming your story).
As I reviewed my notes from the book I realized that I had probably highlighted more sections in this book alone than I had in many other books combined. The material is completely engaging and her style is honest and authentic. 4 stars.
Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for a galley of this book in exchange for an honest review.
In her earlier works, Brown references the times in our lives when we will all feel like failures, either personally or professionally. In “Rising Strong” she digs deep into that space between failure and recovery – the “Act 2” as she calls it – because she sees it being glossed over in our culture:
“On a cultural level, I think the absence of honest conversation about the hard work that takes us from lying face down in the arena to rising strong has led to two dangerous outcomes: the propensity to gold plate grit and a badassery deficit…We much prefer stories about falling and rising to be inspirational and sanitized…We like recovery stories to move quickly through the dark so we can get to the sweeping redemptive ending.”
With examples from her research and her own life, Brown outlines several case studies of people who spent a lot of time in “Act 2”, and the strategies they used to do the hard work required to really get back up and go on. She breaks these into three sections: Reckoning (recognizing something is wrong and getting curious about one’s own feelings); Rumble (reality-checking our first response to a problem and digging deeper); and Revolution (fundamentally transforming your story).
As I reviewed my notes from the book I realized that I had probably highlighted more sections in this book alone than I had in many other books combined. The material is completely engaging and her style is honest and authentic. 4 stars.
Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for a galley of this book in exchange for an honest review.
May 31, 2016
Oh my God, this book annoyed me. I've been "rumbling" with the reason it bothered me so much. There is some great wisdom here--truly! ("self-righteousness is just the armor of self-loathing")--but so much of this book is a rambling, faux-groundbreaking treatise on what should be basic common sense. OH, so we need to deal with our emotions and confront conflict head-on? Glad your years of research and professional experience panned THAT one out, Dr. Brown.
Also. In the book, Brown gives personal anecdotes that describe how we can use the "rising strong process" to:
*Deal more effectively with a marital spat
*Not be an a-hole when people write us mean emails, and
*Own up to bad decisions in the workplace
. . .to name a few. Okay, cool. Improved communication is always a good thing. But please don't call not sending a s*tty email (really? you had to go to your therapist to figure out that you shouldn't send that email?) "rising strong." I'm gonna echo all the reviews that said, by and large, the examples in this book were overly first world. How 'bout rising strong from bankruptcy? an abusive marriage? an actual tragedy? I know everything is relative, and the "process" can be applied to any given circumstance (or, as it often seems in the book, minor inconvenience)--but I would like to see examples in which the stakes are just a little bit higher.
Also. If I hear the word "rumble" ever again, I MIGHT go insane.
Also. In the book, Brown gives personal anecdotes that describe how we can use the "rising strong process" to:
*Deal more effectively with a marital spat
*Not be an a-hole when people write us mean emails, and
*Own up to bad decisions in the workplace
. . .to name a few. Okay, cool. Improved communication is always a good thing. But please don't call not sending a s*tty email (really? you had to go to your therapist to figure out that you shouldn't send that email?) "rising strong." I'm gonna echo all the reviews that said, by and large, the examples in this book were overly first world. How 'bout rising strong from bankruptcy? an abusive marriage? an actual tragedy? I know everything is relative, and the "process" can be applied to any given circumstance (or, as it often seems in the book, minor inconvenience)--but I would like to see examples in which the stakes are just a little bit higher.
Also. If I hear the word "rumble" ever again, I MIGHT go insane.
December 22, 2018
#mystrangereading Rising Strong by Brené Brown ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ So, I have basically decided that I will read anything by this woman and would be willing to listen to her speak on any subject. She is so knowledgeable, witty, sassy and so awe-inspiringly vulnerable.
What I loved about this book as a follow-up to Daring Greatly was that it was research AND story driven. I love that she recognized the important role that stories play in our lives, and I just love how spot on every single one of her points is.
We will fail. We will fall flat on our face and begin to hear all the shameful thoughts we believe about ourselves and the narrative we create in our heads turns into something bigger, scarier and more powerful than we should ever give it credance to, but how do we get back up? How do we change the narrative? How do we not only rise up but come out stronger and more whole-hearted after this failure?
Such an incredible read. Anyone who has ever failed (so everyone) and had a 'face down in the floor' moment can relate to everything she talks about in this book, and I'm just obsessed. Read her books. End of fangirling.
What I loved about this book as a follow-up to Daring Greatly was that it was research AND story driven. I love that she recognized the important role that stories play in our lives, and I just love how spot on every single one of her points is.
We will fail. We will fall flat on our face and begin to hear all the shameful thoughts we believe about ourselves and the narrative we create in our heads turns into something bigger, scarier and more powerful than we should ever give it credance to, but how do we get back up? How do we change the narrative? How do we not only rise up but come out stronger and more whole-hearted after this failure?
Such an incredible read. Anyone who has ever failed (so everyone) and had a 'face down in the floor' moment can relate to everything she talks about in this book, and I'm just obsessed. Read her books. End of fangirling.
November 1, 2015
I felt somewhat betrayed by this book. I read it on the strength of a TV interview in which Brown maintained that her 'research' led her to come to certain conclusions, however, upon reading the book, I was presented with nothing but anecdotal information laced with religious interpretations of certain events. Where was the research? The statistics? I don't endorse or dispute the results Brown points to, but I have to question her conclusions as she provides no empirical evidence for the conclusions she reaches.
February 1, 2016
"Curiosity is a shit-starter." My new favorite motto.
September 4, 2015
I didn't care for the long stories...
For me, I wanted to grasp what was being said without all the extra dialogue. Much of it felt like "filler" to me. There were some neat things that I noted, but it was hard sifting through all the "filler" to get to the data.
I think it's fine to use a story to help make a point, but sum it up quickly and get to the point is my preference.
Also, some of the stories the author relayed about her own life seemed...immature? I hope she was embellishing to make herself sound like someone who is impatient and needy or has to run to her therapist like a child and has a temper. I just didn't get that impression from her in her earlier books which I enjoyed.
For me, I wanted to grasp what was being said without all the extra dialogue. Much of it felt like "filler" to me. There were some neat things that I noted, but it was hard sifting through all the "filler" to get to the data.
I think it's fine to use a story to help make a point, but sum it up quickly and get to the point is my preference.
Also, some of the stories the author relayed about her own life seemed...immature? I hope she was embellishing to make herself sound like someone who is impatient and needy or has to run to her therapist like a child and has a temper. I just didn't get that impression from her in her earlier books which I enjoyed.
October 21, 2019
Another amazing read by Brené Brown. All the same reviews apply to this so just going include my favorite quotes:
“I want to be in the arena. I want to be brave with my life. And when we make the choice to dare greatly, we sign up to get our asses kicked. We can choose courage or we can choose comfort, but we can’t have both. Not at the same time. Vulnerability is not winning or losing; it’s having the courage to show up and be seen when we have no control over the outcome. Vulnerability is not weakness; it’s our greatest measure of courage.”
Vulnerability is not winning or losing; it’s having the courage to show up and be seen when we have no control over the outcome. Vulnerability is not weakness; it’s our greatest measure of courage.”
“Compassionate people ask for what they need. They say no when they need to, and when they say yes, they mean it. They're compassionate because their boundaries keep them out of resentment.”
“The opposite of recognizing that we’re feeling something is denying our emotions. The opposite of being curious is disengaging. When we deny our stories and disengage from tough emotions, they don’t go away; instead, they own us, they define us. Our job is not to deny the story, but to defy the ending—to rise strong, recognize our story, and rumble with the truth until we get to a place where we think, Yes. This is what happened. This is my truth. And I will choose how this story ends.”
“Integrity is choosing courage over comfort; choosing what is right over what is fun, fast, or easy; and choosing to practice our values rather than simply professing them.”
“People who wade into discomfort and vulnerability and tell the truth about their stories are the real badasses.”
“I assumed that people weren't doing their best so I judged them and constantly fought being disappointed, which was easier than setting boundaries. Boundaries are hard when you want to be liked and when you are a pleaser hellbent on being easy, fun, and flexible.”
“There are too many people today who instead of feeling hurt are acting out their hurt; instead of acknowledging pain, they’re inflicting pain on others. Rather than risking feeling disappointed, they’re choosing to live disappointed. Emotional stoicism is not badassery. Blustery posturing is not badassery. Swagger is not badassery. Perfection is about the furthest thing in the world from badassery.”
“I define wholehearted living as engaging in our lives from a place of worthiness. It means cultivating the courage, compassion, and connection to wake up in the morning and think, No matter what gets done and how much is left undone, I am enough. It’s going to bed at night thinking, Yes, I am imperfect and vulnerable and sometimes afraid, but that doesn’t change the truth that I am brave and worthy of love and belonging.”
“C. S. Lewis captured this so beautifully in one of my favorite quotes of all time: To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything and your heart will certainly be wrung and possibly be broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact, you must give it to no one, not even an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements. Lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket, safe, dark, motionless, airless, it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable. To love is to be vulnerable.”
“TEN GUIDEPOSTS FOR WHOLEHEARTED LIVING 1. Cultivating authenticity: letting go of what people think 2. Cultivating self-compassion: letting go of perfectionism 3. Cultivating a resilient spirit: letting go of numbing and powerlessness 4. Cultivating gratitude and joy: letting go of scarcity and fear of the dark 5. Cultivating intuition and trusting faith: letting go of the need for certainty 6. Cultivating creativity: letting go of comparison 7. Cultivating play and rest: letting go of exhaustion as a status symbol and productivity as self-worth 8. Cultivating calm and stillness: letting go of anxiety as a lifestyle 9. Cultivating meaningful work: letting go of self-doubt and “supposed to” 10. Cultivating laughter, song, and dance: letting go of being cool and “always in control”
“I want to be in the arena. I want to be brave with my life. And when we make the choice to dare greatly, we sign up to get our asses kicked. We can choose courage or we can choose comfort, but we can’t have both. Not at the same time. Vulnerability is not winning or losing; it’s having the courage to show up and be seen when we have no control over the outcome. Vulnerability is not weakness; it’s our greatest measure of courage.”
Vulnerability is not winning or losing; it’s having the courage to show up and be seen when we have no control over the outcome. Vulnerability is not weakness; it’s our greatest measure of courage.”
“Compassionate people ask for what they need. They say no when they need to, and when they say yes, they mean it. They're compassionate because their boundaries keep them out of resentment.”
“The opposite of recognizing that we’re feeling something is denying our emotions. The opposite of being curious is disengaging. When we deny our stories and disengage from tough emotions, they don’t go away; instead, they own us, they define us. Our job is not to deny the story, but to defy the ending—to rise strong, recognize our story, and rumble with the truth until we get to a place where we think, Yes. This is what happened. This is my truth. And I will choose how this story ends.”
“Integrity is choosing courage over comfort; choosing what is right over what is fun, fast, or easy; and choosing to practice our values rather than simply professing them.”
“People who wade into discomfort and vulnerability and tell the truth about their stories are the real badasses.”
“I assumed that people weren't doing their best so I judged them and constantly fought being disappointed, which was easier than setting boundaries. Boundaries are hard when you want to be liked and when you are a pleaser hellbent on being easy, fun, and flexible.”
“There are too many people today who instead of feeling hurt are acting out their hurt; instead of acknowledging pain, they’re inflicting pain on others. Rather than risking feeling disappointed, they’re choosing to live disappointed. Emotional stoicism is not badassery. Blustery posturing is not badassery. Swagger is not badassery. Perfection is about the furthest thing in the world from badassery.”
“I define wholehearted living as engaging in our lives from a place of worthiness. It means cultivating the courage, compassion, and connection to wake up in the morning and think, No matter what gets done and how much is left undone, I am enough. It’s going to bed at night thinking, Yes, I am imperfect and vulnerable and sometimes afraid, but that doesn’t change the truth that I am brave and worthy of love and belonging.”
“C. S. Lewis captured this so beautifully in one of my favorite quotes of all time: To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything and your heart will certainly be wrung and possibly be broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact, you must give it to no one, not even an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements. Lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket, safe, dark, motionless, airless, it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable. To love is to be vulnerable.”
“TEN GUIDEPOSTS FOR WHOLEHEARTED LIVING 1. Cultivating authenticity: letting go of what people think 2. Cultivating self-compassion: letting go of perfectionism 3. Cultivating a resilient spirit: letting go of numbing and powerlessness 4. Cultivating gratitude and joy: letting go of scarcity and fear of the dark 5. Cultivating intuition and trusting faith: letting go of the need for certainty 6. Cultivating creativity: letting go of comparison 7. Cultivating play and rest: letting go of exhaustion as a status symbol and productivity as self-worth 8. Cultivating calm and stillness: letting go of anxiety as a lifestyle 9. Cultivating meaningful work: letting go of self-doubt and “supposed to” 10. Cultivating laughter, song, and dance: letting go of being cool and “always in control”
June 16, 2025
I’ve had such an interesting journey of self reflection and a change in my external world outlook in reading quite a few of her books now, with the one usually negative aspect being the feeling like some of her works can be a bit regurgitated and repeated throughout her works which if I’m being honest would be hard not to do when writing her type of book and the amount she’s published, but I can clearly say that for this one that’s wasn’t the case. Throughout my binge reading this one I felt completely impressed upon with new and insightful information I hadn’t heard from her before and like the title entails, I put the final chapter down and felt not only the strength of my own current inner resilience but also with even greater strength I still have to pull from and grasp and how with a little positive thinking and directive changes that I might improve myself and decrease the amount of chandeliering I struggle to not turn to in anxious or surprising times. 4.25/5
June 16, 2025
I have to admit a lot of her work seems to be reiteration of the same. All of it is good for the soul, though often difficult in practice. This one had a few extra gems that hit me in the gut. Thank you.
September 14, 2015
I was introduced to Brene' Brown through her two popular "Ted Talks" one in The Power of Vulnerability (2010) and Listening to shame (2011). If you haven't seen these two 20 minute talks I highly recommend taking time to listen in order.
Brene' Brown is a Shame and Vulnerability researcher. As she says, "that's garunteed to be a conversation stopper on an airplane...I'm a shame researcher...and I see you." Brown is a qualitative, rather than a quantititative researcher. That means she collects stories. She has learned about human struggle with life through her research data and, in the process she learned something about herself. It's like the hair club for men, she's not just the president, she's also a user.
Rising strong follows up Daring Greatly: By Brene Brown -- Summary]. She describes the Gifts of Imperfection as "learning how to be you," Daring Greatly as learning how to change to a better self and this book is about rising up again after you have dared greatly and fallen. As she puts it, if you live your life daring greatly then you will fail, not with everything, just with something. This book explains how people who find themselves face down in the arena, covered with sweat and blood who rise again to take up the challenge one more time.
I listend to the audiobook which was narrated by Brown herself. Her research is well documented. Her research studies are well designed, monitored and in the results are some profound lessons about life. Brown uses her story as examples to clarify what she means as well as stories from other people whom she has met through the course of her work. The stories are better in this book than in Daring Greatly.
One of the best things about this book, other than her personal stories, is that she does not just show us a picture of a cake, she also gives a recipe to make a cake. By that I mean, she doesn't just paint a picture of how shame vulnerability and courage affect our lives, as if we didn't know that already, she also gives us a recipe to fix it. What do we do if we want to feel better about ourselfs and enjoy life and relationships with other people to the fullest. She makes no secret that this struggle can be life long but she does clue us in as to how fullfilling Daring Greatly and Rising Strong can be, and how it not only helps us, but the people around us.
Brene' Brown is a person of faith. She believes in the power of spirituality and she is very practical in her approach. It does not matter if you are an athiest or a devout born again Christian, this book will not offend and can help you get more out of life.
I gave this book a 4 instead of a 5 (though I would call it 4.5 if Goodreads allowed half stars). The detractors are that every discover is described as live changing. I believe that it has been for her. I do not doubt her sincerity one bit. It sometimes comes across as "over-selling." To me it seems like she is passionate about what she's telling us and (perhaps not as effective) almost begging us to try it so we can enjoy living through Daring Greatly ourselves. She wants to share the joy but the overselling isn't helpful.
Also, I found this helpful, accurate and appropriate for men, though I believe it orients towards a female perspective more effectively. The most effective parts of the story come from Brown sharing about her life. She is female. She has good stories shared to her by men that are helpful and she has research supporting her conclusions about men that are just as sound. Her stories likely touch other women more deeply than they do men.
The bottom line is that this book is wonderful, enlightening and practical. For those willing to accept her understanding of how to live whole heartedly this book will help and it's the best of the series connected to her Ted Talks through her research.
It is highly recommended for everyone.
Brene' Brown is a Shame and Vulnerability researcher. As she says, "that's garunteed to be a conversation stopper on an airplane...I'm a shame researcher...and I see you." Brown is a qualitative, rather than a quantititative researcher. That means she collects stories. She has learned about human struggle with life through her research data and, in the process she learned something about herself. It's like the hair club for men, she's not just the president, she's also a user.
Rising strong follows up Daring Greatly: By Brene Brown -- Summary]. She describes the Gifts of Imperfection as "learning how to be you," Daring Greatly as learning how to change to a better self and this book is about rising up again after you have dared greatly and fallen. As she puts it, if you live your life daring greatly then you will fail, not with everything, just with something. This book explains how people who find themselves face down in the arena, covered with sweat and blood who rise again to take up the challenge one more time.
I listend to the audiobook which was narrated by Brown herself. Her research is well documented. Her research studies are well designed, monitored and in the results are some profound lessons about life. Brown uses her story as examples to clarify what she means as well as stories from other people whom she has met through the course of her work. The stories are better in this book than in Daring Greatly.
One of the best things about this book, other than her personal stories, is that she does not just show us a picture of a cake, she also gives a recipe to make a cake. By that I mean, she doesn't just paint a picture of how shame vulnerability and courage affect our lives, as if we didn't know that already, she also gives us a recipe to fix it. What do we do if we want to feel better about ourselfs and enjoy life and relationships with other people to the fullest. She makes no secret that this struggle can be life long but she does clue us in as to how fullfilling Daring Greatly and Rising Strong can be, and how it not only helps us, but the people around us.
Brene' Brown is a person of faith. She believes in the power of spirituality and she is very practical in her approach. It does not matter if you are an athiest or a devout born again Christian, this book will not offend and can help you get more out of life.
I gave this book a 4 instead of a 5 (though I would call it 4.5 if Goodreads allowed half stars). The detractors are that every discover is described as live changing. I believe that it has been for her. I do not doubt her sincerity one bit. It sometimes comes across as "over-selling." To me it seems like she is passionate about what she's telling us and (perhaps not as effective) almost begging us to try it so we can enjoy living through Daring Greatly ourselves. She wants to share the joy but the overselling isn't helpful.
Also, I found this helpful, accurate and appropriate for men, though I believe it orients towards a female perspective more effectively. The most effective parts of the story come from Brown sharing about her life. She is female. She has good stories shared to her by men that are helpful and she has research supporting her conclusions about men that are just as sound. Her stories likely touch other women more deeply than they do men.
The bottom line is that this book is wonderful, enlightening and practical. For those willing to accept her understanding of how to live whole heartedly this book will help and it's the best of the series connected to her Ted Talks through her research.
It is highly recommended for everyone.
May 17, 2017
I'll say right away that I love Brene Brown. I've read three of her previous books back to back a few years ago, I've seen her TED talks and several interviews.
This book wasn't what I thought it would be. It has a general feel to it. It talks about attitudes, ways of thinking and processing emotions for a healthier everyday life. Basically, it teaches to deal with anything from mild annoyances to a shitty week at work, or a hard weekend with your parents, or a fight with your husband. Sure, those are real and serious problems, they can trigger emotional baggage etc. But they are also passing, or can be pushed to the background, or turned away from entirely. The author even says at the end that the book isn't enough to deal with the heavier stuff, although it will be helpful. I was looking for a book that talks about how to not break down and "rise strong" in the face of serious hardship.
"Rising strong" wasn't my favorite among Brene Brown's books - but it's a good one. My favorite book of hers is the first one because it is less on the "self-help" spectrum, cites more research and scientific facts.
If you haven't read Brene Brown - I recommend picking something up.
This book wasn't what I thought it would be. It has a general feel to it. It talks about attitudes, ways of thinking and processing emotions for a healthier everyday life. Basically, it teaches to deal with anything from mild annoyances to a shitty week at work, or a hard weekend with your parents, or a fight with your husband. Sure, those are real and serious problems, they can trigger emotional baggage etc. But they are also passing, or can be pushed to the background, or turned away from entirely. The author even says at the end that the book isn't enough to deal with the heavier stuff, although it will be helpful. I was looking for a book that talks about how to not break down and "rise strong" in the face of serious hardship.
"Rising strong" wasn't my favorite among Brene Brown's books - but it's a good one. My favorite book of hers is the first one because it is less on the "self-help" spectrum, cites more research and scientific facts.
If you haven't read Brene Brown - I recommend picking something up.
June 21, 2015
Having read all of Ms. Brown’s previous books and listened to many of her “talks” via TED talks and podcasts, you could say I’m a “fan”. Her work on shame has been life changing for me and I assume many others.
Though I enjoy personal stories as examples, she was “too personal” for me in this book. Perhaps it wasn’t the choice of examples she used but the intricate details. Obviously she felt they were important to make her point and I’m sure some will feel they are helpful, too.
Ms. Brown continues to inspire with the results of her work in “Rising Strong”. Anyone interested in living life fully will certainly glean something new from this work.
Though I enjoy personal stories as examples, she was “too personal” for me in this book. Perhaps it wasn’t the choice of examples she used but the intricate details. Obviously she felt they were important to make her point and I’m sure some will feel they are helpful, too.
Ms. Brown continues to inspire with the results of her work in “Rising Strong”. Anyone interested in living life fully will certainly glean something new from this work.
December 15, 2018
Nope.
No to book titles using gerunds.
No to making a pithy life-guide with the letters B.R.A.V.I.N.G.
No to simplistic and preachy definitions of what forgiveness means and why if you’re not doing it you’re wrong.
No to feeling bad for the guy who poops in a newspaper and leaves it in the street. That is savage and inexcusable.
No to blaming yourself if a guy from Whole Foods sticks his unsanitary hands in a vat of beef stew because of “privilege”. It’s rude and gross and stealing is isn’t fair.
No to thinking that everyone is doing the best they can. They’re not.
No to the cubby-wubby womb-room hive-speak that deems this type of book “life-changing”
No to “rumbling”.
No to “reckoning”.
No to ever reading another Brene Brown book.
No to book titles using gerunds.
No to making a pithy life-guide with the letters B.R.A.V.I.N.G.
No to simplistic and preachy definitions of what forgiveness means and why if you’re not doing it you’re wrong.
No to feeling bad for the guy who poops in a newspaper and leaves it in the street. That is savage and inexcusable.
No to blaming yourself if a guy from Whole Foods sticks his unsanitary hands in a vat of beef stew because of “privilege”. It’s rude and gross and stealing is isn’t fair.
No to thinking that everyone is doing the best they can. They’re not.
No to the cubby-wubby womb-room hive-speak that deems this type of book “life-changing”
No to “rumbling”.
No to “reckoning”.
No to ever reading another Brene Brown book.
June 24, 2016
I love me some Brene Brown. I will read everything she writes. She has a gift for explaining the human soul. She's a storyteller, but she's incredibly insightful. Some of the "i'm down home texas folksy" bit is a teensy bit annoying, but she's totally unassuming. I couldn't put this book down after I started.
March 29, 2017
It seems like Dr. Brown's work can get kind of repetitive, and this book definitely seemed to have some material that's been used before. But I still learned a lot from this book, along with her other one that I listened to. The recycled work doesn't take away from this one, though. It's still used in a way to help expand on her thoughts and points.
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