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i'm speaking!

new DVD

"Owning our story and loving ourselves through that process is the bravest thing we'll ever do."

To learn more about the DVD and to purchase, click here.

my books
  • I Thought It Was Just Me (but it isn't): Telling the Truth About Perfectionism, Inadequacy, and Power
    I Thought It Was Just Me (but it isn't): Telling the Truth About Perfectionism, Inadequacy, and Power
    by Brené Brown
  • The Gifts of Imperfection: Let Go of Who You Think You're Supposed to Be and Embrace Who You Are
    The Gifts of Imperfection: Let Go of Who You Think You're Supposed to Be and Embrace Who You Are
    by Brene Brown

    Now available for pre-order!

curriculum now available!

favorite books & things
on my nightstand
  • When You Reach Me
    When You Reach Me
    by Rebecca Stead

    Our August mother/daughter book club pick. Ellen just finished it and she absolutely loved it!

  • A Whole New Mind
    A Whole New Mind
    by Daniel Pink
  • The Ice Princess: A Novel
    The Ice Princess: A Novel
    by Camilla Lackberg

    Sounds promising.

  • Juliet, Naked: a novel
    Juliet, Naked: a novel
    by Nick Hornby

    Loving this.

  • The Fabric of Her Dancing Shoes
    The Fabric of Her Dancing Shoes
    by Terri St. Cloud

    Terri is one of my favorite soul poets! She's the woman behind Bone Sigh Arts and several of my all-time favorite quotes, including: "Maybe being brave is no more than staring down the 'less than' feeling and stepping up to the 'i am worthy' feeling."

  • One Day
    One Day
    by David Nicholls
sing & dance
  • Archive Series 2
    Archive Series 2
    by Don Walser

    There's nothing like a good yodel and he's the best.

  • Exile on Main Street
    Exile on Main Street
    by Rolling Stones

    If you could only listen to two RS songs for the rest of your life, what would they be?  For me . . . Waiting on a Friend and Beast of Burden. No question.

  • Down in New Orleans
    Down in New Orleans
    by The Blind Boys of Alabama

    One of my favorite versions of "I'll Fly Away."

give credit

Illustration Nicholas Wilton
Css Design Krystyn Heide
Cool Signpost David Robinson
Sky paper Weeds & Wildflowers
Background paper Sande Krieger  

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Monday
Oct192009

UP with story

 

Just a quick update on The UP Experience!

First, thank you for your kind comments, tweets, and emails. I carried you with my in my pocket (along with a little courage stone).

It was an amazing experience - personally and professionally. Personally, I was challenged to walk my talk about the importance of story. Part of me wanted to hit people over the head with bullet points and research the minute I took the stage. The other part of me kept whispering, "Story and truth-telling are the heart of your work."

I started with the story of my worst speaking experience EVER and ended with my thoughts on the hustle for worthiness and perfection. It was so much fun.

One of my slides ran off the screen so instead of shame it said, "hame." It turned out to be a blessing. People can talk about hame easier than they can talk about shame! I'm still getting emails saying, "thanks for the hame talk." 

The quote above is a download that Ali Edwards put together for the students in her incredible e-class. 

Last week I learned that believing in the idea of story is sometimes easier than telling our personal story. Seeing my quote in Ali's beautiful handwriting is an important reminder for me that regardless of how you tell your story - in words, pictures, song, or art - the power is in the telling.

Date10.19.2009 | by AuthorBrené Brown | in Print ArticlePrint Article Comment23 Comments

Reader Comments (23)

I love that quote.
And I am so glad for you that UP went well. Well done, you!
Can I just say that it's exciting to see your life unfolding in this way? Thanks for letting us watch from the bleachers...it gives me hope that my own journey can unfold in ways that will be rewarding, (possibly) unexpected, and (hopefully, occasionally) breathtaking.
10.19.2009 | Unregistered CommenterAnnie
You are such an inspiration Brené. ♥
10.19.2009 | Unregistered CommenterCarmen
You are our cheerleader Brene' and we are yours!! Great job!
Love Ali's quote also and so true.
10.19.2009 | Unregistered CommenterDeb
Sometimes the right words come to you at exactly the right time. I'm going to print your quote and tape it into my journal this minute.

So happy it went well!
10.19.2009 | Unregistered CommenterAmie aka MammaLoves
And once you've owned your story - getting to a place where you realize that you're the space where your story resides, that you're actually bigger than your story and capable of continual creation and re-creation ... what a magic moment THAT must be! So glad you enjoyed yourself at UP ~ you're a fantastic role model for feeling the fear and doing it anyway. Thank you ...
10.19.2009 | Unregistered CommenterSally
that is wonderful to hear - and the quote - in it's expansive human floaty script lightens my heart


thankyou
10.19.2009 | Unregistered Commenterjane
Yeah Brené - you continue to inspire!!! Thank you for sharing your story with us and doing this important work in the world. Wrapping you around with infinite love and wisdom on your journey and giving gratitudes that I know such an amazing soul.
10.19.2009 | Unregistered CommenterChristine G.
Kudos to you for having the courage and conviction to walk your talk! And I'm in Ali's class so definitely looking forward to getting that quote as a download! Love it!
10.19.2009 | Unregistered CommenterCheri A.
You face some interesting moments of your life.It seems you have exciting experience their.
10.20.2009 | Unregistered Commentermicro sd speicherkarten
Love that quote - and I'm so glad the experience was amazing!
10.20.2009 | Unregistered CommenterKatie @ cakes, tea and dreams
Beautiful quote. My only worry is, that I do not have a story to tell.
10.20.2009 | Unregistered CommenterSara w/out the h
Sara - I used to worry about the same thing. I think we all have hundreds of important stories - maybe the journey is about learning to see those stories as worthy of telling. That's where my struggle has been. Two people that write about this in a very powerful way: Jen Lee at jenlee.net and Christina Baldwin's book, "The Storycatcher." (see the sidebar).
10.20.2009 | Registered CommenterBrené Brown
Hi Brene,
Not sure how I ended up here, following threads, but glad I did. Love your site and heart and soul behind it. I believe, as you do, that telling our stories is vital to embracing our truest selves. There is grace in the telling. There is also grace in the receiving. May we all be gentle receivers to one another's tales....Blessings on your good work.
Jan
www.awakeisgood.blogspot.com
www.awakenedliving.com
P.S. I am marking you as a favorite. :-)
10.20.2009 | Unregistered CommenterJan
Congrats on shining things up at UP - we rejoice with you!

If I could add one line on to your quote about the braveness of telling our story, it would be that ( at least for me) it also is the most sacred way in which to honor our own individual lovely, flawed, marvelous, messy and unique passages through this world.

So thanks for welcoming us all into that space so wholeheartedly.
10.20.2009 | Unregistered CommenterSylvia V
I am grateful (and it's not even Friday) for how you have talked about story and encouraged story. Today I had the chance to share my story, although abbreviated it was authentic, with 4 or 5 other Mom's who I know only briefly and who are all in different places in their lives. It felt so good to be real and vulnerable on a day when I felt very vulnerable, sad and ashamed. By the end of the day I started feeling good about where I am at. I started to feel okay with the struggles because it is part of my story.
10.20.2009 | Unregistered Commenterkathy
I recently read a new graphic novel written and illustrated by David Small, called Stitches, in which he tells/draws the story of his rather painful childhood. I could immediately envision my own troubled childhood written out in a similar fashion. I was so inspired that I started writing my own story. However, immediately doubts consumed me and I felt ashamed. I thought, "I am still whining about my childhood and I am 51 years old" or "My childhood certainly wasn't as awful as other people's" or "what a self-indulgent exercise." I worried about what my sisters and mother would think of my interpretation of our family life. The quote about owning one's own story and seeing the telling of the story as brave rather than self-indulgent was quite powerful to me. It might also make a nice epigraph for the book! :-)
10.21.2009 | Unregistered CommenterBeverly M.
lovely quote... and congratulations on UP! it sounds wonderful :)
10.21.2009 | Unregistered Commentercath
Thank you so much for posting the quote and sharing your story. Funny how when you start working with the universe, it starts working with(in) you...

I started a blog a couple of weeks ago called: Owning Kristina. It's about owning my story, owning up to my life (the good and the bad), and owning the power to be who I want to be.
Blogs like yours gave me the inspiration to start the blog and venture out in areas that I used to just talk about.

Thank you again for being an inspiration and for touching lives like mine.

http://owningkristina.wordpress.com
10.22.2009 | Unregistered CommenterKristina
Love this quote. Acceptance. That's what I'm working on and this quote sp inspires me. Thanks!
10.22.2009 | Unregistered Commentererin BUtson
Fine quote. I am not finding the right words about this post. I am speechless. I really inspirational post.
10.24.2009 | Unregistered Commenterkeyboard
"the power is in the telling."

wow. epiphany. thank you.
10.26.2009 | Unregistered CommenterTerri Fischer
You're speech at CSWE was inspirational. Thank you so much!
11.11.2009 | Unregistered CommenterJonathan D Fast
Following my investigation, thousands of people in the world get the <a href="http://lowest-rate-loans.com">loans</a> at different banks. Hence, there is a good possibility to get a term loan in all countries.
06.10.2010 | Unregistered CommenterROXIE26Justice

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