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The price of invulnerability: Brené Brown at TEDxKC

Health & WellnessLeadership
By TEDx Talks
100 Comments

TEDxKC talk synopsis: In our anxious world, we often protect ourselves by closing off parts of our lives that leave us feeling most vulnerable. Yet invulnerability has a price. When we knowingly or unknowingly numb ourselves to what we sense threatens us, we sacrifice an essential tool for navigating uncertain times — joy. This talk will explore how and why fear and collective scarcity has profoundly dangerous consequences on how we live, love, parent, work and engage in relationships — and how simple acts can restore our sense of purpose and meaning.

Speaker: Dr. Brené Brown is a research professor at the University of Houston Graduate College of Social Work where she has spent the past 10 years studying courage, shame and authenticity. She is the Behavioral Health Scholar-in-Residence at the Council on Alcohol and Drugs and has written several books on her research.
www.brenebrown.com/welcome

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Brene Brown

About The Author

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Comment (100)

  1. This was an excellent presentation! Being busy keeps us distracted from being vulnerable. But it also keeps us from truly enjoying our lives. When we numb out, everything (good and bad emotions) shuts down.

  4. Wait, my "What happens next?" guess was that they all start singing Jingle Bells together! LOL What does that mean?
    Maybe this is why I'm always so shocked at the twists in K-Dramas – because I don't typically expect bad things to happen! Haha

  6. Brené, I love your talks. Thank you very much for all the research, analysis and introspection you do, then sharing your vulnerability with us helps us all to be empowered at whatever pace we can walk our path. For it's all a journey of self-awareness and other-awareness. Many of us haven't learnt to have gratitude, vulnerability, worthiness isn't instilled in all of us, quite the opposite, rejection, neglect, betrayal etc. So we wander down the wrong track or zigzag across it. You call it numbing. I call it escapism. I used to be forever running away from all of the pain but it always followed me. Eventually, I learnt that the only way to deal with the pain was to face it, embrace it and grieve through it and conquer it. Then it gradually diminishes, it loses control and power over me, then I can be vulnerable, because I realise that the darkness isn't as big as it seemed, it was decwption, it couldn't defeat me. Namaste.

  9. The society would feel embarrassed when they hear people share their authentic feelings or what actually have happened. That is why so many suppressed souls walking around as if they can do all things. The next thing you hear they are gone, to another realm. And, today's society is such that if you show your strength, people will try all their best to put you down due to their pride or Jealousy or reasons only God knows. People who admit they are vulnerable are strong character that do not try to hide things. Face the reality of life. Life itself is not easy. Either way, people always have something to say. So, why bother? Live your life.

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