TEDx Houston 2010 © Blue Lemon Photo

Overview

Dr. Brené Brown is a much sought-after speaker whose reputation is built on her ability to explore vulnerable topics with tremendous honesty, warmth, and humor. She has the rare ability to engage and inspire audiences of all sizes, from intimate conversations with small groups to keynote presentations for several thousand participants.

After moderating a national series of lectures given by Brené, Dr. Karen Casey had this to say about her work: “Brené is uniquely capable of blending research, humor, and storytelling in a way that captures the hearts and minds of her audience.”

Brené’s audiences have ranged from professional organizations, corporate leaders, mental health professionals,and physicians and medical students, to faith-based groups, women’s groups, college students, men’s groups, parenting groups, and school districts.

Brené enjoys working with event organizers to ensure that her presentations are relevant and meaningful to their specific audience.

To download Brené’s speaking kit, click here.

If you are interested in inviting Dr. Brown to speak to your group, please contact Jo-Lynne Worley at Worley Shoemaker Management at 913.789.7600 or email her at jolynne.worley@gmail.com.

Here's Brené’s 18-minute talk from TEDxKansas City, August 2010.

Below is a 20-minute presentation filmed at The UP Experience (Houston, October 2009).

Additional video is available here.

From Event Organizers

“We invited Brené to speak at The UP Experience – a daylong event for business, education, and cultural leaders. She was amazing! Her presentation had all 500-plus people in the audience completely mesmerized. Out of the sixteen internationally renowned writers, scientists, and business experts speaking that day, our audience rated her presentation as one of the top two.

Not only was Brené informative and thought-provoking, but her willingness to talk about the parts of our lives we rarely discuss was profoundly honest. As she spoke about the importance of living our lives from a place of worthiness, her humorous approach to storytelling made us all sit back, appreciate our imperfections, and laugh at the same time.

If you are looking for an excellent speaker who is extremely knowledgeable, inspiring, and relatable, I highly recommend Brené. She will offer your audiences a very real look into the powerful emotions that affect every aspect of our lives.”

--Sheryl W. Rapp, Co-Founder, The UP Experience

“Brené has delivered numerous lectures for us over the past several years, and we believe that in addition to being an incredibly gifted speaker, she is a change agent and a thought leader. She combines research and storytelling in a way that creates real paradigm shifts for audience members. A few examples of their responses include, 'This changed my life,' and 'I’ve never heard anyone talk about these issues,' and 'Brené’s parenting guideposts changed the way we raise our children.'

Brené uses warmth, humor, and vulnerability to connect with her audiences at a deeply authentic level. Whether addressing corporate leaders and philanthropists or parents and mental health professionals, she educates and inspires audiences to cultivate more courage, compassion, and connection in their lives. It’s truly an experience to hear her speak.”

--Laura A. Easton, LMSW,  Chief Planning and Development Officer, The Council on Alcohol and Drugs Houston

"Brené is one of the most requested speakers among our teachers, administrators, and parents. As a teacher and a parent, she is able to connect with the joys and struggles in the classroom, at home, and within the school community. She talks openly and honestly about the pressures that come from living in an anxious and overscheduled world, offering real strategies for change. She has talked to us about perfectionism, privilege, addiction, bullying, and many other issues.

Brené’s speaking style is one-of-a-kind. One minute the entire audience erupts in laughter, and the next minute everyone is so captivated that you can hear a pin drop. She’s real and inspiring, and our school community is grateful for her ability to combine her fresh perspective with original research, providing the kind of stories that make you realize that we’re all in this together.” 

--Kevin Brown, Ph.D., Superintendent, Alamo Heights Independent School District

“Today’s global economy is forcing businesses to increase productivity and efficiency while reorganizing to reflect the global landscape. Brené’s research on connection, empathy, and vulnerability in the workplace helped us better understand how the emotional consequences of change play out in the workplace, and how to more effectively engage with one another. 

She delivers a critically important message that is supported by original research and does so in an engaging and intelligent way. Leaders at all levels of the organization come away with a new framework for looking at these issues and making effective changes to how they lead.”

--Elaine DeCanio, Shell Oil Company

“Dr. Brown’s gift for combining a thoughtful analysis of her research with her actual experiences as a teacher makes her one of the most engaging speakers we’ve ever had at St. Andrew’s School.  

The point she makes about the tension between holding kids accountable and the unsustainability of a perfectionistic culture speaks to the complexity of being a human being and the beauty of the middle path. If your school is interested in more than simple academic excellence, and wants to explore the importance of balance, purpose, and wellbeing, I don't know of anyone better to start the conversation than Brené.”

--Tim McGhee, Academic Dean, St. Andrew's Episcopal School

“Brené Brown is one of the best trainers we have had in the eleven-year history of Hazelden’s Women Healing conferences.  What’s so unique about Brené is that she does her own research and has the talent to share her work using an extremely engaging presentation style. Over 2,000 people attended our conferences in 2007, and she received excellent reviews on all her evaluations.  We hope to have Brené at our conferences again in the future.” 

--Patricia Broat, Corporate Events Director, Hazelden Foundation

Keynote Address, Lecture, and Workshop Topics

This is a list of recently requested topics. They can easily be adapted to fit the needs of specific audiences.

General Audience

The Hustle for Worthiness: Exploring the Power of Love, Belonging, and Being Enough

The Gifts of Imperfections: Guideposts for Letting Go of Who We Think We’re Supposed and Embracing Who We Are

Authenticity, Courage, and Joy: Guideposts for Wholehearted Living

The Spirituality of Midlife: Falling Apart, Growing Up, and Finding Joy

The Wholehearted Family: Guideposts for Cultivating Meaning, Purpose and Joy

I Thought It Was Just Me: Shining a Light on Perfectionism, Shame, and Being Enough

Parenting

The Gifts of Imperfect Parenting: Raising Children with Courage, Compassion, and Connection

The Wholehearted Child: Guideposts for Cultivating Hope, Joy and a Resilient Spirit

Navigating Adolescence/Young Adulthood in Anxious Times: Guideposts for Cultivating a Resilient Spirit

Wired for Connection: How Empathy, Shame, and Vulnerability Shape Our Families

Leadership / Organizational Development

The Courage to Lead. The Spirit to Inspire.

Authentic Leadership: Guideposts for Cultivating Inspiration, Creating Meaning, and Fostering Accountability

The Only Constant Is Change: Developing Calm, Connection, and Courage in Overstressed and Anxious Organizations

Our Best Selves at Work: Creating an Organizational Culture of Connection

Teaching

The Anatomy of Bullying: Causes, Consequences and Strategies for Change (for teachers, administrators, and parents)

The Pedagogy of Resilience: Strategies for Cultivating Hope, Critical Thinking, and Accountability

Teachable Moments: Bringing Courage, Compassion, and Connection to the Classroom

Wired for Connection: How Empathy, Shame, and Vulnerability Shape Academic and Social Learning

Continuing Education for Mental Health and Health Professionals

Shame, Addiction, and Authenticity: Issues for Adolescents and Young Adults

The Connections Curriculum: A New Psychoeducational Approach to Helping Men, Women, Couples, and Families Explore Shame and Develop Resilience

Embracing Imperfection and Overcoming Our Fears of Inadequacy: Helping Women, Men, Couples, and Families Understand Shame and Develop Resilience

 

Medical Professionals

I’m Trying to Help! Cultivating Compassion and Empathy with Difficult Patients and Families

Wired for Connection: How Empathy, Shame, and Vulnerability Affect Helping and Healing

To download Brené’s speaking kit, click here.

If you are interested in inviting Dr. Brown to speak to your group, please contact Jo-Lynne Worley at Worley Shoemaker Management at 913.789.7600 or email her at jolynne.worley@gmail.com.