Rising Strong

Social scientist Brene Brown turns from vulnerability itself to what happens after people stumble and fall. As a grounded theory researcher, she gathered stories of bravery, failure and recovery from leaders in business and the military, artists, couples in long relationships, teachers and parents. What they shared, she found, was a readiness to recognize emotion and lean into discomfort. Brown describes a process: reckoning with emotions and getting curious about them, rumbling with personal stories until reaching the truth, and repeating this daily until it becomes a practice. The struggles range from losing a job or a relationship to a conflict with a friend or colleague. Brown also wrote Daring Greatly and The Gifts of Imperfection.

AnneMarie Schindler, founder of Small Wins Consulting, picked it up hoping it would reveal blind spots in her roles as wife, parent and entrepreneur. Shaen Yeo, founder of Positive Education, values it for being real and vulnerable, with wise lessons that help her stay resilient.