Brené Brown On: How To Succeed Without Being a Bullying, Bullshitting, Power-Hungry Jerk Face

Overview

This episode features Brené Brown discussing her new book, Strong Ground, which explores how to navigate life with integrity, values, and a calm nervous system. The conversation delves into building a strong core, managing emotions, operationalizing values, and embracing paradoxical thinking as a key to personal and professional success.

Notable Quotes

- The ground is your source of stability, agility, balance, and explosive action. – Brené Brown, on the metaphor of finding your ground.

- Fear's got the wheel. I'm not even riding shotgun. I'm tied up in the trunk right now. – Brené Brown, describing the impact of fear on decision-making.

- Anxiety is one of the most contagious affects of all human affects. – Brené Brown, on the ripple effects of emotional states.

🎾 The Pickleball Injury and the Metaphor of Strong Ground

- Brené Brown shares how a pickleball injury led her to realize she lacked physical and emotional core strength.

- Her trainer’s advice to find the ground became a metaphor for grounding oneself in values and stability.

- This concept inspired her book, emphasizing the importance of building on function rather than dysfunction in both personal and organizational contexts.

🧠 Above the Line vs. Below the Line Thinking

- Brené introduces the above the line framework: operating from creativity, coaching, and collaboration versus below the line behaviors driven by fear (hero, victim, or villain roles).

- She highlights the importance of recognizing fear-driven language as an emotional indicator.

- Practical applications include pausing conversations when emotions escalate and revisiting them with clarity.

💬 Language as an Emotional Indicator

- Language acts as a check engine light for emotions, revealing underlying feelings before they are consciously recognized.

- Mislabeling stress as overwhelm can trigger shutdowns; accurate labeling helps maintain functionality.

- Brené emphasizes the importance of mindful language to maintain sovereignty over the nervous system.

🛠️ Operationalizing Values

- Values must be translated into actionable, observable behaviors to have real impact.

- Brené shares her personal values—courage and faith—and how she holds herself accountable to them.

- Misalignment with values manifests as resentment or exhaustion, signaling the need for recalibration.

- She provides a free values exercise on her website to help individuals identify and operationalize their core values.

⚖️ The Power of Paradoxical Thinking

- Paradoxical thinking—holding two seemingly opposing truths—is an elite skill for navigating complexity.

- Examples include balancing discipline with freedom or purpose with profit.

- Brené argues that embracing paradox fosters creativity and resilience, especially in a polarized world.

- She notes that fear and exhaustion hinder paradoxical thinking, underscoring the need for emotional regulation.