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4.24 AVERAGE
4.24 AVERAGE
In a nutshell: Vulnerability actually isn’t a bad thing even though by nature we believe it is a weakness.
Recommendation: Appreciate the book for what it is and sets out to do, but don’t expect to change your pattern of thinking because of it.
This book gets a high rating simply because I give it credit for what it is and what it sets out to do. I simply saw the title and thought it seemed interesting and wanted to see how Brown could convince me that vulnerability is good despite my inherent belief that vulnerability is crippling. She convinced me otherwise.
It’s been a while since I read this book and I’ve seriously been lacking with my reviews so I fear this will be short and sweet. Kudos to Brown for being able to put this book together in an intelligent way without straying too far off topic and by keeping it interesting, despite the fact that the book essentially centers around the inner psyche. Usually books like this just lose me. They’re too long or not long enough or don’t make a strong argument. This book was the perfect length and did present very compelling arguments that were defended effectively.
The thing is though... despite the fact that the book presents very valid points, it still won’t convince people to drop vulnerability or appreciate vulnerability. Vulnerability is still terrifying, no matter how much Brown attempts to change our pattern of thinking by encouraging us to embrace vulnerability. You really believe that in a job interview when all those qualities are coming to the surface you can just switch it off by remembering what Brown has written about and dropping it? No. If you’re expecting to do that, then this book probably isn’t for you.
Despite this however, the arguments presenting are interesting for sure!
Recommendation: Appreciate the book for what it is and sets out to do, but don’t expect to change your pattern of thinking because of it.
This book gets a high rating simply because I give it credit for what it is and what it sets out to do. I simply saw the title and thought it seemed interesting and wanted to see how Brown could convince me that vulnerability is good despite my inherent belief that vulnerability is crippling. She convinced me otherwise.
“Vulnerability is the birthplace of love, belonging, joy, courage, empathy, and creativity. It is the source of hope, empathy, accountability, and authenticity. If we want greater clarity in our purpose or deeper and more meaningful spiritual lives, vulnerability is the path.”
It’s been a while since I read this book and I’ve seriously been lacking with my reviews so I fear this will be short and sweet. Kudos to Brown for being able to put this book together in an intelligent way without straying too far off topic and by keeping it interesting, despite the fact that the book essentially centers around the inner psyche. Usually books like this just lose me. They’re too long or not long enough or don’t make a strong argument. This book was the perfect length and did present very compelling arguments that were defended effectively.
The thing is though... despite the fact that the book presents very valid points, it still won’t convince people to drop vulnerability or appreciate vulnerability. Vulnerability is still terrifying, no matter how much Brown attempts to change our pattern of thinking by encouraging us to embrace vulnerability. You really believe that in a job interview when all those qualities are coming to the surface you can just switch it off by remembering what Brown has written about and dropping it? No. If you’re expecting to do that, then this book probably isn’t for you.
Despite this however, the arguments presenting are interesting for sure!
Game Changer. Great mix of common sense and enlightenment for how to live life to its fullest. I hope to reread from time to time to inspire myself to Dare Greatly.
Love Brene Brown!! Great read for anyone, esp parents and teachers.
emotional
hopeful
informative
fast-paced
Every parent, leader, creative, person should read this book - a great perspective on how shame culture influences everything, keeps us small and discourages us from showing up and trying. Definitely worth reflecting on how your life or work culture has been shaped by shame and understanding how you can change things to live a more fulfilling and ultimately more joyful life.
I don’t know that I was a great audience member for this read in this current season of my life. Nonetheless, an interesting research topic with several great points made about the importance of connecting through vulnerability in our communities. Connect. Share. Create. Grow.
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
This is the second Brené Brown book I’ve read. I picked up Rising Strong a couple of years ago, and while I liked parts of it, I remember feeling a little underwhelmed overall (it landed at a solid three stars for me). This one, though, hit all the right notes.
What stood out the most was how Brené framed vulnerability — not just as a personal thing, but as something that threads through every part of how we work, live, parent, and create. I found myself nodding along constantly, highlighter in hand. As a painter and writer, this book hit close to home. I tend to hold back when it comes to sharing my work because I worry about how it’ll be received, what people will think, and what it’ll mean about me if it’s not universally adored. Reading Daring Greatly made me realize that being vulnerable isn’t optional when it comes to creative work. It’s absolutely mandatory. (It was one of those "Thanks, I hate it," moments.)
One section that especially stuck with me was Brené’s breakdown of how men and women approach vulnerability and shame differently. It wasn’t something I’d ever thought about in a structured way before, but once I read it, it felt obvious. It even sparked some really good conversations between me and my husband when we were driving around one day, which made it even more meaningful.
I loved Brené’s personal anecdotes throughout the book. Some of them were definitely on the cringey side, but I actually appreciated that. It made her feel more real, and it gave the book a grounded, human quality that matched the topic well. I also appreciated that she was open about her own ongoing struggles with vulnerability instead of trying to position herself as someone who had it all figured out.
I do really like Brené’s writing style. It's empathetic without being preachy, honest without being over-dramatic, and encouraging without being over-the-top.
All in all, Daring Greatly reminded me that the only way we're going to get to where we want to be in life is by daring to show up, flaws and all, as much as possible, as openly as possible. And yeah, it's damn hard. And maybe that's the whole point.
What stood out the most was how Brené framed vulnerability — not just as a personal thing, but as something that threads through every part of how we work, live, parent, and create. I found myself nodding along constantly, highlighter in hand. As a painter and writer, this book hit close to home. I tend to hold back when it comes to sharing my work because I worry about how it’ll be received, what people will think, and what it’ll mean about me if it’s not universally adored. Reading Daring Greatly made me realize that being vulnerable isn’t optional when it comes to creative work. It’s absolutely mandatory. (It was one of those "Thanks, I hate it," moments.)
One section that especially stuck with me was Brené’s breakdown of how men and women approach vulnerability and shame differently. It wasn’t something I’d ever thought about in a structured way before, but once I read it, it felt obvious. It even sparked some really good conversations between me and my husband when we were driving around one day, which made it even more meaningful.
I loved Brené’s personal anecdotes throughout the book. Some of them were definitely on the cringey side, but I actually appreciated that. It made her feel more real, and it gave the book a grounded, human quality that matched the topic well. I also appreciated that she was open about her own ongoing struggles with vulnerability instead of trying to position herself as someone who had it all figured out.
I do really like Brené’s writing style. It's empathetic without being preachy, honest without being over-dramatic, and encouraging without being over-the-top.
All in all, Daring Greatly reminded me that the only way we're going to get to where we want to be in life is by daring to show up, flaws and all, as much as possible, as openly as possible. And yeah, it's damn hard. And maybe that's the whole point.
An interesting and thought-provoking challenging ourselves and our culture on what's important in our lives, i.e., connection. To establish connection, we need vulnerability and to be true to ourselves. Backed up by the author's considerable social scientific research, this book received considerable attention after the author's equally interesting and informative TED talk. For me, this book said a lot I was already thinking, but gave me a good vocabulary and background to discuss these issues.
Listened to audiobook. Pretty good, but I found it to be super repetitive. I haven’t listened to or read any other books by Brené Brown, but I’m curious to check out a few of her other ones. I liked what she had to say about teaching, working with students, and parenting. I didn’t love how she mentioned “daring greatly” at least 100 times in her 6 hour audiobook. Overall, interesting research, and quick listen.