Which Brené Brown book do I read first?
As a certified facilitator of Dare to Lead (TM) and Daring Greatly (TM), I’m often asked which of Brené Brown’s books I recommend first. Brené herself has written a post on this but I still thought it would be useful to share my thoughts on which Brené Brown book to read (or listen to) first - or in fact at all. All of her books are great, and her work has evolved and some of the books are more suitable for you than others. It all depends on what you’re looking for. Her writing style blends research and storytelling in a similar way to the TED talks that catapulted her to fame. She’s also recorded the audio books for her later work herself. So if you prefer to listen to books, you might want to check those out instead. Here is my quick guide to which Brené Brown book is right for you. I’ve written about them in (almost) reverse publication order, with the most recent first. I’ll update this blog post with the Atlas of Emotions when it is published in November 2021.
Dare to Lead
This is the one for you if you are a leader in life or in work. If you want to understand the skills of daring leadership; the differences between daring and armoured leadership and have specific tools at your fingertips to help you as a leader - start here. And if you want to really get into this work, contact me to find out about the full Dare to Lead (TM) training programme.
Read this when: You’re a leader and want to be more brave in how you lead.
Read a free chapter from The Women’s Guide to Change
Daring Greatly & Rising Strong (2 books, read them together in order)
If you are not in a leadership role then I would suggest reading Daring Greatly and Rising Strong. They were always envisaged as a pair by Brené. Daring Greatly helps you to understand the fundamentals of courage and how to apply them in your day to day life. Rising Strong recognises that when we are brave and daring, we will fall and we need to know how to get back up again. It’s the book that helps you to get back up again. Having those tools makes it less scary to be brave because you know you won’t be left lying in the dirt forever.
Read these when: You want to show up more in your life and you also know you’ll fall flat when you do.
I thought it was just me (but it isn’t)
This one is more specifically for women and looks more closely at shame and how to develop shame resilience. If you’re caught in the pursuit of perfectionism this is a great read. It’s a bit heavier than The Gifts of Imperfection though.
Read this when: You want to understand more about feelings of shame (I’m not ______ enough)
The Gifts of Imperfection
This book gives the core of Brené’s initial work and gives ten guideposts for Wholehearted living. Taking her research into vulnerability, courage, worthiness and shame this early book helps you to tackle the question ‘what will people think’ and make the shift to a belief that you are enough. Always a good place to start and a short read for those tight for time.
The sub-title of this book states ‘Let go of who you think you’re supposed to be and embrace who you are’. It’s a guide to living a wholehearted life and gives the foundations for the deeper and more structured exploration that comes later in Daring Greatly.
Read this when: You want to start to start believing that you are enough - just as you are.
Braving the wilderness
This book is more standalone and is a book about finding belonging in a polarised culture. I’ll be honest it’s not one on my go-to pile of books but you might find it relevant if you are questioning belonging in communities, organisations and culture.
Whichever book you choose, let me know what you think!
