Key themes
- Vulnerability as strength — the courage to be seen
- Shame and the cultures that use it as a management tool
- The gap between the armoured life and the wholehearted one
About this book
Why vulnerability is a strength, not a weakness; a warm, research-led argument for showing up.
Published in 2012, Daring Greatly was based on Brown's TED Talk which became one of the most-watched talks in TED's history. Brown is a research professor at the University of Houston who studies shame, courage and vulnerability.
Discussion questions
- Brown's central claim is that vulnerability is not weakness but courage — that allowing yourself to be seen is the foundation of meaningful connection. How does she develop this — and where do you find it most and least persuasive?
- The distinction between shame (I am bad) and guilt (I did something bad) is central to the book. How does Brown develop this — and how does it translate to daily life?
- Brown uses qualitative research — interviews and analysis of stories. How does this method differ from quantitative social science — and does the approach serve her subject?
- The book has been criticised for being motivational rather than scientific. How do you engage with this critique — and does the distinction matter for what the book is doing?
- Daring Greatly has been used in corporate leadership training, therapy and parenting. What does this wide application say about the ideas — and what might each context miss?
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