daring greatly read-along #1

Welcome to the first audio of the read-along!

Today we're covering the Preface and Introduction (Pages xii – 17).

Before we start, I want to share some really amazing news with you.
Daring Greatly is #1 on the New York Times Bestseller List for 10/7/12!

And, if that's not exciting enough . . . check out our awesome charity: water campaign! We've raised $3795 from sales of the Daring Greatly t-shirts. 

There's only one thing I can say: 

I'm so grateful!

There are several options for listening to the podcast. If you have QuickTime installed, the audio will simply start playing on your computer. You can also save it to your computer, or listen in iTunes if you subscribe to the feed.

Thank you for the great questions. Please leave your feedback, thoughts, and ideas in the comments section!

Daring Greatly Read-Along #1

Update on Tuesday, October 2, 2012 by Brené Brown

Here's the link for iTunes - sorry for the delay! 

Submit questions for the next audio to daringgreatlyquestions(at)gmail(dot)com. 

Comments

[Max]

Daring Greatly was an amazing read. Thank you for doing what you do. You've changed the perspective of a self-proclaimed perfectionist through your great work!

[Megan]

Congratulations! The #1 spot is well deserved! I appreciate your work.

[Erin]

Congrats on the #1 bestseller spot! I am really looking forward to participating in this read-along. So far, I have just read Week 1's assignment. Would it also be okay to read ahead or will that conflict with the issues we will cover each week in the audio?

Thanks!

[Betty]

Is there a link for the ITunes feed? I can't seem to find it and I would like to download it! Thanks for any help I can get!

[Sharon]

Woohoo! Congrats...Very happy for you! No where to run and no where to hide! And I sure do know how to pick those that sit at my council table...making more WE of the us in the world. The more head nods the better by far. Thank you for daring greatly!

[Debra B]

Wahooo!!! So excited for you. Thanks for all your hard work and dedication. I enjoyed hearing your lecture a week ago here in Charlotte. I now have all of your books! :) Keep up the great work! "Well done Good and Faithful Servant". Changing lives one at a time!

[Pauline]

Thank you...for the amazing book and for the read along. How did you know I needed this read along tonight? The gremlins were out in force today at work and you truly have no idea how much I needed the reminder..."Failure and disappointment are tied to the human experience...Your worthiness can not be tied to your accomplishments". I also loved the suggestion about critical/judgmental behavior...asking yourself from what are you protecting yourself? I liked the read along format and the questions that are posed. I'm enjoying the journey...even though at times it is scary as hell. I'm so grateful to you for the read along. Thank you, Brene, for this amazing gift.

[Shelley]

With the energy surrounding many friends that have been awaiting this book and conversation I'm not surprised on the #1 New York Bestseller. Congratulations Brene!!

Can't wait to get into the book with our "Real Conversations" group as we share our thoughts and express our feelings as we read-along in the coming weeks.Thank you for offering this opportunity to learn and grow into our vulnerabilities.

Technical question - How does one subscribe to the itunes feed you mention for listening to the audio? I would love to bring it along with me for those down times when away from home?

[melissa]

many congratulations on creating a national conversation about shame and vulnerability. love to you as you breathe this moment in. xo

[Sheila]

So excited to start this book wih you!! I'm also having trouble finding it in iTunes. Should I be looking under podcasts? Please share the link. Thank you!!

[Liz Athens]

Brene- first off, thanks for such a great book. I find myself quoting you in my personal life, as well as my professional life as a social worker. Not that you need more examples of Daring Greatly, but I am watching a documentary of the rock band No Doubt and in it, the band members talk about how being vulnerable in their creative process has made all the difference. It's on the E channel. Check it out, I'm sure you have lots of free time these days (smile)

[Chip]

First, congratulations on the NYT best seller list! It is so richly deserved, AND means that so many more will have the opportunity to learn about this life-changing research.

Second, the podcast was great. I particularly appreciate hearing q&a because if often amplifies and enhances my understanding of concepts I may have already read about but am still trying to grasp or (perhaps better stated) trying to remain mindful of. This is my second read of Daring Greatly and I am already getting deeper into the concepts as a result of the discussion in the podcast. Thank you for taking the time to do this!

[Claire]

What a timely post, my copy of Daring Greatly arrived this morning! I think it took the slow boat to Australia! Congratulations on the number 1 spot, it is well deserved.

I'd love to subscribe in iTunes as well, looking forward to some more info on how to do that - currently it doesn't show up. Maybe its taking the slow boat too......

[Matthew]

Just finished your book and I think I made notes in every margin and underlined half of every page. Daring Greatly will be a book i go back to again and again. I have finally Dared Greatly and now have a profile page on match.com. I am Enough and now I am willing to be more, one day at a time and it's all about Progress not Perfection.
One of my favorite quotes of all time is from Oscar Wilde,
"Be Yourself, Everyone else is taken".
Thank you Dr. Brown for providing the key to the door I slammed shut so many years ago.

[Michelle]

Brené, thank you so much for hosting this read-along. Although your writing is so engaging that your voice already comes off the pages, it's lovely to actually hear it alongside the deep breaths and pauses. I find the question-answer format very helpful, and what you said about it being so much easier to hide our hurt behind indignation or anger really resonated with me. I tend to feel a lot of frustration when I notice injustices, big and small, but ultimately, what really cuts me is the feeling of disconnection I experience when others don't view the same events or comments as "problematic". My first response has often been to disengage or to dismiss the other as "ignorant" so as to protect myself from the pain of feeling alone in my difference. Yet surely, there must be people who can relate to that, perhaps even the ones who make what I consider to be insensitive comments, if I am willing to be vulnerable and genuinely acknowledge my hurt.

[Pam]

I'm excited to "be on this journey with you" -- the concept and all I've viewed to date encourage my involvement. Already I've been shunned (often because of morals and a strong work ethic), I'm married to my biggest critic! My brother asked if he'd still know me after I read the books. My answer was that I'm not looking to change; I'm looking for permission to be who I am - vulnerable, loving, (not controlled). I do withhold my contributions to avoid confrontations. But I don't want to punch someone in the face, I just want acknowledgement that what I suggest is real - I don't even care about attrubution. It isn't shame, it's unbelievable frustration at the disrespect and control inclinations of those I've shared with. I am worthy, I am accomplished, and I'm not always right but I'm alway sincere. I am enough. I'm ready to move on - and have permission to be me.

[Jane]

Listened to this audio while waiting for a response to a moment of vulnerability, and so was feeling that wash of inadequacy right as you were describing it...the hurt hiding behind angry. Saved the moment for me. And that is one of the reasons daring greatly is number one. Because it's real, authentic humanness, happening right now, explained in a way that makes my brain suck it up like a baleen whale. Kudos, Brene'. I happy danced with you We are awesome.

[Sara Foster]

Congratulations on your book's success Brene! It's so exciting to me that the message under Daring Greatly being number one on the NYT best seller list is that so many people are open to your very well presented message of the importance of vulnerability in making our lives more vibrant and real!! Our society really needs each person who is brave enough to open themselves to this work.

I am a physical therapy student and today I just visited a wonderful program called FitKids here in Flagstaff where children who are at risk for obesity, and their families, receive help to change their eating and physical activity habits so that they can adopt more healthy lifestyles. It was a really amazing experience to see the hard work of everyone involved (therapists and families) and it recommitted me to finding out how I can bring your work into my work as a physical therapist. Your last question about goal setting is right on when helping people change their views on their ability to be physically active! I really hope that you consider allowing physical therapists to be trained in your Connections curriculum... I would be sure to sign up!

Again congratulations and thank you so much for your bravery.

[Rhoda]

WOW!!! I just got done listening to this!!! Amazing info!! I was especially intreaged with the part about all the things that can be armor we use not to go to our pain... Thanks for being real and honest!!!

[Liz]

Yeah! I am so happy for you - you 100% deserve your successes and I am so glad that now more people will read you work which has changed my life! The book is great and the read along is interesting and helpful. Thanks for taking the time to do this extra thing. X

[Angelika]

Congratulations from Germany!!

I recently discovered your TED talks in the wide world of the internet and was deeply moved about your ideas and your way of sharing them.

I instantly felt that I "met" you at a crucial point in my life, so I ordered "Daring Greatly" as an e-book about an hour after having listened to your talk and started reading (to be honest, I didn't so much read the book as inhale it...).

So I'm looking forward to a second, slower read-along - I've listened to your podcast today and enjoyed it greatly.

Thanks and I hope you will be celebrating today!

[Susanne Leckne]

Brené, what you talk about and the way you do it - daring greatly to be "just" you while doing so, gives me so much inspiration! The best of best to you and thank you! Susanne

[Molly]

Congratulations on reaching #1! It is a well deserved honor, indeed.

Some of my girlfriends and I are reading the book as a group and following along. I loved this format because it's so helpful to hear you consider the ideas and offer new stories or backstories that frame what's presented in the book. So often when I'm reading your work, I have questions that I want to ask you and this provides us an outlet to do that.

I can't thank you enough for the work that you do. I encountered it at a critical point in my life about six months ago while I was struggling with defining myself by my accomplishments. My whole life I've been "the good girl" and the "smart girl." It wasn't until I started working on my PhD that I felt like that all came crashing down - struggling through statistics was a humiliating experience that just about wrecked me. On top of that, the shame I felt over my agony (i.e. - sucking at your doctoral program is a very "first world" problem!) made me feel even worse. A counselor recommended your work to me and I've very slowly been taking the steps along with you. Thank you for admitting that you still mess up sometimes and that you still have to work at it every day. It helps us remember that this is an ongoing process and not a destination.

[Andrea]

CONGRATULATIONS!!!!! The #1 spot is so well deserved Brené! I loved the read-along, I thought the format was perfect, the length was perfect and it's so wonderful to hear your voice...keep it up just the way it was!

This book has, at times, moved me to tears as have several of your blog posts. I am so grateful for the work you do and the goodness you spread, you have had a HUGE impact on my life! Thank you!!!

[Teresa]

LOVE the book - I'm getting so much from it -- it's really unbelievable! My new mantra -- I'm daring greatly!". And I love the audio read-along. It's great to hear directly from you on the questions and the content of the sections. Keep it all coming!

[Jeanette]

Love your work and your books Brene!! They are life changing. Thanks for sharing your authentic self with the world. I share your work with everyone I know. Congrats on #1 bestseller list!

[Beth]

Thank you so much for doing the Audio read along with Daring Greatly! I just received my copy yesterday and dove right in. It's lovely hearing your additional thoughts and comments throughout. You've written that one of the hardest parts of your work has been developing accessible language to describe what you have studied. I am so thankful you have done that hard work. What I found in reading the story of the marble jar and the vulnerability myth was that you expressed in words what I had only felt on an emotional level. I didn't have the language yet to express what it felt like, what I was needing and missing in my relationships. It is powerful to be able to name the thing I am experiencing. Thank you!

[Jimena]

Seeing your book reach number 1 put a huge smile on my face. The work you are and have been doing is so very important. The wholeness and authenticity found through ones vulnerability needs to be heard. Only then will people begin to see the strength it provides. Only then can one be truly wholehearted. Thank you and congratulations!!

[Lynn]

Congratulations on publishing the book! It resonates with me. And the #1 Bestseller rank is a testament to the widespread appeal of your work. In this first Read-Along, I enjoyed hearing YOU answer questions- your pauses and choices of words gave me a deeper understanding of your viewpoint. Also, thank you for the insights of "being enough" and "goal setting". They will come in handy as I coach my team members in setting and pursuing their goals.

[suki]

congratulations ANNNNND I am looking forward to reading your book! :-) I have it on my Kindle ready for when I get a moment to curl up in my reading corner.

[lmenz]

audio was awesome! love that you are answering questions from the book.

[Cheryl C]

Congratulations! What a gift. I am so happy that your book reached number 1. I sincerely hope this opens the door for readers to want to get to know themselves, to become self-aware. 10 years of research is now benefiting thousands of people. Thank you for sacrificing, those years of your life, to help us learn more about our-selves.

We are ENOUGH.

[Sara]

I just discovered your blog and Daring Greatly. I listened to your audio this morning and I just wanted to say thank you. Your book, your words, your courage seem to be just what I need in my life right now as I'm trying to get back to a place of being vulnerable and empathetic and not so closed off as I have been for the past two years almost. I am a writer and I love what you said about failure being part of the journey, and I need to remind myself of that daily! I also loved what you said about the exquisite moments being vulnerable. Thank you, thank you. And congratulations for being #1 on The NY Times Bestseller list...THAT IS AWESOME!!!!!

[Madelon]

I like this read-along very much, as I am an auditory learner.Also, the loveliness of your voice does make this come alive.

I am amazed and thrilled that this book is #1 on the NY Times Bestseller List. I find it very heartening that this many people care about what you have to say--this crucial information that can help us heal and be more fully human.

Please keep it up. Thank you!

[marea]

first congrats !... though i already knew it would be #1 :)

I am giving a copy of this book to both my daughters , that is my act of vulnerability... i am opening a convo. about shame and where i might have used shame as intimidation in their lives when they were young ... and if they tell me i did... i plan to give them a full app. because i know first hand how it feels...i have a long history of authority figures in my life, who have used it on me...

You are like a mirror to me, except that i don't use anger...i go inside , get really quiet and leave people in the dust, as i make my escape. LOL...

Thanks again for taking your time to share with us ... marea smiling !

[Shellie]

is there a way to download this in itunes?

[elizabeth]

Congratulations! When I saw you made #1 I imagined you standing in your kitchen getting a call from the publisher but then when I heard on the read-along that you were at the hairdresser and everyone else screamed too- well that just made my day. How exciting- hope you did something to celebrate.

By the way, the read-along session was fabulous!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[marea]

more comments on your talk...
I loved that you brought up shame resolve and how it would be helpful to come from a place of authenticity and integrity.. i might add that compassion is also helpful from my experience...

when you talked about being the good girl and wanting everyone to be happy ...i really related to that ... a teacher of mine really helped me with that when he told me it was not my job to make others happy , just be happy for them when they are happy...it really changed the way i looked at it, kind of freeing :)

p.s. i know why you are well received... because you speak from the heart, we can feel that!...have a great day ... marea :)

[Megan]

Thank you very much for taking the time to do this type of sharing. I am so enjoying this book and I am grateful to be part of the community.

[April]

It's heartening that we are beginning to recognize as a species that certain aspects of our current culture have not served us for a very long time (cave man days - loved that!) and how demeaning, blaming, shaming and bullying another simply keeps everyone on the hamster wheel of hate and guilt. In being totally vulnerable, we become invulnerable - the irony, eh? Your podcast (or whatever it was) was just wonderful. The mere fact your book is a bestseller is the proof positive we're looking for another way, and I think people like yourself make a wonderful compass. Thank you for putting it all out there.

[Lori]

Congratulations on being in the #1 slot! Your work has helped and continues to help me greatly. I am so grateful to you. I'm also very pleased that your work is touching so many lives. It gives me hope and peace of mind. Wishing you continued success!

[Jake]

YOU FRIGGIN' ROCK!!!! Enough said.

Thank you so much!!! I got so much out of the read along today!! PLEASE keep doing classes like this.

I'm trying to save the recording to my computer to play later on iTunes, but I can't seem to get it to save. I'm sure someone is working on that though.

Congratulations on the #1 spot on NYT!!

[Andrea]

Thank you Brene, you deserve to be first on the list! Your work has saved my life. As a perfectionist who always put work first, I completely ignored my own health, even with serious conditions. A deep hearted thank you for sharing your knowledge that has helped so many people. I never would have guessed that my drive to be perfect and superwoman stemmed from the fact that I was ashamed to be sick, to be seen as less than. Thank you for helping us get through the swamp to the other side!

[Danielle]

My book FINALLY arrived today in the UK, and I am so excited! Just listened to this first podcast and it is wonderful, thank you, thank you, thank you. I'm seeing you next week in London on your book tour so triply excited!!!

Please keep doing this amazing and vital work. With love from London xx

[Gretchen]

Congratulations on the success of your book!! I just finished listening to your read-along and had to write you immediately to let you know how helpful it was. I appreciate you taking the time to answer questions and it's an added bonus to have the opportunity to hear you speak from your experience! I recently attended your book signing at Book Passages in Corte Madera and was so inspired by what you shared. Your books have changed my life and have created a foundation for me to dare greatly. When I arrived home to my husband and four boys after hearing you speak last Saturday, the first words out of my mouth were "Brene′ kicks ass!" And I do mean that in the most respectful, loving way. One of my dreams in life is to run retreats for women in beautiful locations around the world where we can be inspired to dare greatly in our lives by working our "edge" (i.e. falling forward into vulnerability) physically and emotionally/spiritually. Part of that dream involves having you come to speak! (The recovering perfectionist in me wants to re-read and re-consider what I've just written but instead, I'm going to post this right away. ;))

[Michelle]

There is so much of me in your book. Hearing you in the read along, sharing stories, gives me hope that I can take the leap to dare greatly. This will be a journey rather than a one-time hop but as I start Chapter 3, I am beginning to believe that the leaps and bounds might not kill me after all!

[Christy]

Found you on the Katie show. I have been listening to your talks online and I've learned so much from you already! Can't wait to read your book and I'm so excited to find this link to you speaking about it. Sometimes things fall into your lap just at the time you need them in your life. That's how I feel about you. Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!

[Alice]

I so love this book - and am SO glad so many are reading it. It is important stuff! I've been working on my own shame and vulnerability for years with my therapist, and you book has given me language and context that has been incredibly helpful. The call was great - I do wish you presented some new insights/stories and not used the same ones so often. That is my only piece of "change feedback" for you. Keep up the great work!

[Alice]

I so love this book - and am SO glad so many are reading it. It is important stuff! I've been working on my own shame and vulnerability for years with my therapist, and you book has given me language and context that has been incredibly helpful. The call was great - I do wish you presented some new insights/stories and not used the same ones so often. That is my only piece of "change feedback" for you. Keep up the great work!

[Alice]

I so love this book - and am SO glad so many are reading it. It is important stuff! I've been working on my own shame and vulnerability for years with my therapist, and you book has given me language and context that has been incredibly helpful. The call was great - I do wish you presented some new insights/stories and not used the same ones so often. That is my only piece of "change feedback" for you. Keep up the great work!