We rounded up some of the greatest episodes of ‘Unlocking Us with Brené Brown’ so you can start listening ASAP

Parcast Networks presents “Unlocking Us with Brené Brown.” The #1 New York Times bestselling author, social scientist, and researcher hosts this series. Each episode contains inspiring thought pieces. Brené speaks about her books’ topics and provides advice we can use in our everyday lives. How can experiences create a sense of purpose in our lives? What can our emotions tell us? How can we use courage to better connect with others? These are some of the questions Brené explores on the show.

On the podcast, Brené has honest conversations about the human experience. She explores connections and vulnerability in her signature style. In addition to speaking about ideas from her books, guests join Brené. She loves to learn from others and chimes in with her own ideas on each topic. Episodes discuss daily practices, leadership, self-improvement, and changing the world.

We’ve picked some awesome episodes from Brené’s podcast. New episodes are available every Wednesday.

Glennon Doyle and Brené on Untamed

Author and speaker Glennon Doyle appears on the show’s first episode. We learn that Glennon and Brené are great friends. This episode encourages listeners to be brave. Glennon chats about many of the ideas in her book, Untamed. Brené and Glennon explain how people are conditioned to be fear-based. But people can overcome this by being courageous. If you’re a fan of Glennon’s, you might want to check out her podcast, “We Can Do Hard Things,” an original from Audacy’s Cadence13.

Brené with Austin Channing Brown on I’m Still Here: Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness

Brené speaks with her friend and change-maker Austin Channing Brown on her anti-racism work. Austin’s book, I’m Still Here: Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness is one of Brené favorite reads. Brené shares she judges a book by the amount of times she throws it across the room, and says this one had plenty of air time. Austin is the co-creator of a web series called The Next Question, which Brené has been a guest on. Austin and Brené team up in a project called Share the Mic, a movement where white women with large social media followings highlight the work and stories of black women anti-racism activists.

In this episode, Austin shares that the work of anti-racism is ongoing, becoming a kinder human to treat others better. Austin speaks about love and her faith. When expressing her feelings from 2020, Austin felt sad, but at the same time, she’s inspired by people seeking police reform in the wake of George Floyd’s death. Even though these are hard times, Austin discusses the importance of being kind to oneself and practicing self-care.

We learn a fun fact: that they’re both into jade rolling.

Brené with Tim Ferriss and Dax Shepard on Podcasting, Daily Practices, and the Long and Winding Path to Healing

Healing is a process. And guests Tim Ferriss and Dax Shepard aren’t afraid to share their journeys with Brené in a roundtable episode. Tim Ferris is an author, technology investor, and entrepreneur. Dax Shepard is an actor, comedian, director, and writer. Dax and Tim are also great friends of Brené’s. They have a lot in common and they all host their own podcasts: “Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard” and “The Tim Ferriss Show,” respectively. They speak openly about childhood traumas and addiction. It’s a super long episode, but worth the full listen.

Over the course of this conversation, Brené learns about herself and how the experiences we share together as humans, especially in trying times, can bring us even closer.

Brené with Ashley and Barrett for the Summer Sister Series on The Gifts of Imperfection: Part 1

This episode marks the first in a 6-part summer series with Ashley and Barrett. Barrett is the Chief of Staff for Brené Brown Education. Ashley is a social worker and leads The Daring Way community and internship program at the University of Houston’s Graduate College of Social Work. This episode unpacks the ideas written about in Brené’s book, The Gifts of Imperfection.

Part 1 begins by describing Brené’s “10 Guideposts for Wholehearted Living.” These guideposts include finding authenticity and letting go of certain things to create what you want in your life. Brené stresses the importance of mid-life, which she classifies as spanning from your late 30s until you die. Rather than defining mid-life as a “crisis,” Brené calls it an “unraveling,” a time of searching with lots of time ahead to “show up and be seen.” It’s the time an individual identifies beliefs and defense mechanisms that no longer serve them and then decides to change.

They also discuss their shared love of singer-songwriter Bob Seger and briefly break into their favorite songs from his song catalogue.