HONOR: The work of Brené Brown

Today is Brené Brown’s birthday - Happy Birthday, Brené!

Nov 18, 2020

Just like it was with the Backstreet Boys and podcasts, I came to Brené’s work later than made sense for me. In September of 2017, after about a year and a half of dealing with personal & political struggles and changes (hello, Saturn’s return), I decided to dig into some self work.

The month prior had given us a white supremacist rally, and with it the unnecessary death of Heather Heyer at the hands of the rally’s attendees. It was crystal clear- that could have been me. We were already well into the first year of 45’s term, and I knew I had to be engaged and involved, but I didn’t know where to start. Signing petitions, calling members of Congress, organizing demonstrations- none of these things felt right for me. Somehow, I came to realize that I was kind of a mess, and for me to be effectively useful in service to the greater community, I better start working to clean things up within- enter Brené Brown.

Above all, her work gave me the skills and language to help me untangle myself, to soften, to get clearer on my values, and then to start living intentionally into them more, and more. I come from a very close, Irish Catholic family. We’ve all spent a lot of time together, we all talk a lot (and loudly), and if anyone was displaying healthy boundaries while I was growing up they likely were mocked for it, not respected. Tough, armored, sarcastic, love with conditions and via tit-for-tat transactions more than compassion and space to just be human. I love my family, I do. But, I quickly learned when I started this work that I could allow myself to be more tender, authentic, and more fully myself than I thought was possible. More Mary.

So, today, on Brené’s 55th Birthday, in this 2020 Pandemic Year - I’d like to thank her for her work- past, present, and future. I can say with certainty that I would be struggling 10x harder this year had I not already been engaging with her work for the past 3 years. Thank you, Brené!

If you are already “in the know” when it comes to BB, I encourage you to sift through the resources I’ve listed below - there may be gems of hers you’ve not yet seen shine.

If you have no idea who I am talking about, what I am talking about, but you’re curious— check out her two TED talks, then watch the Netflix special, and if those resonate with you, get yourself The Gifts of Imperfection and take your time to really work through it. It is not a big book, but it lays out the building blocks to start living your life Wholeheartedly (and welcome to the club- I’m here to talk to you about this work, email me!).

And, if you liked it better when I was telling you to go vote & participate in your democracy— all you need to listen to is last month’s episode of her podcast Unlocking Us with the now-President-Elect Joe Biden.

RESOURCES

TED Talk: The Power of Vulnerability

TED Talk: Listening to Shame

Netflix Special: The Call to Courage

Book: The Gifts of Imperfection

Graphic: My favorite illustration of The 10 Guideposts for Wholehearted Living

Podcast Episode: SuperSoul - Brené Brown Part 1: Daring Greatly [Guideposts 1 - 5]

Podcast Episode: SuperSoul - Brené Brown Part 2: Living with a Whole Heart [Guideposts 6 - 10]

Podcast Episode: Ten Percent Happier #185: Brené Brown, Vulnerability: The Key to Courage

Podcast Episode: Under the Skin: #85 Vulnerability and Power (with Brené Brown)

Podcast Episode: Goop - Gwyneth x Brené Brown

Podcast Episode: OnBeing - Brené Brown: The Courage to Be Vulnerable [listen to the unedited version]