Rising Strong: How the Ability to Reset Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead

Written by Brene Brown

Narrated by Brene Brown

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • When we deny our stories, they define us. When we own our stories, we get to write the ending.

Don’t miss the five-part Max docuseries Brené Brown: Atlas of the Heart!

Social scientist Brené Brown has ignited a global conversation on courage, vulnerability, shame, and worthiness. Her pioneering work uncovered a profound truth: Vulnerability—the willingness to show up and be seen with no guarantee of outcome—is the only path to more love, belonging, creativity, and joy. But living a brave life is not always easy: We are, inevitably, going to stumble and fall.

It is the rise from falling that Brown takes as her subject in Rising Strong. As a grounded theory researcher, Brown has listened as a range of people—from leaders in Fortune 500 companies and the military to artists, couples in long-term relationships, teachers, and parents—shared their stories of being brave, falling, and getting back up. She asked herself, What do these people with strong and loving relationships, leaders nurturing creativity, artists pushing innovation, and clergy walking with people through faith and mystery have in common? The answer was clear: They recognize the power of emotion and they’re not afraid to lean in to discomfort.

Walking into our stories of hurt can feel dangerous. But the process of regaining our footing in the midst of struggle is where our courage is tested and our values are forged. Our stories of struggle can be big ones, like the loss of a job or the end of a relationship, or smaller ones, like a conflict with a friend or colleague. Regardless of magnitude or circumstance, the rising strong process is the same: We reckon with our emotions and get curious about what we’re feeling; we rumble with our stories until we get to a place of truth; and we live this process, every day, until it becomes a practice and creates nothing short of a revolution in our lives. Rising strong after a fall is how we cultivate wholeheartedness. It’s the process, Brown writes, that teaches us the most about who we are.

ONE OF GREATER GOOD’S FAVORITE BOOKS OF THE YEAR

“[Brené Brown’s] research and work have given us a new vocabulary, a way to talk with each other about the ideas and feelings and fears we’ve all had but haven’t quite known how to articulate. . . . Brené empowers us each to be a little more courageous.”—The Huffington Post

• Language: English
• Publisher: Penguin Random House Audio Publishing Group
• Release date: Aug 25, 2015
• ISBN: 9781101913819

Brene Brown

Brené Brown é norte-americana, doutorada em Serviço Social e professora e investigadora na Graduate College of Social Work da Universidade de Houston, no Texas. É uma oradora de renome internacional e ganhou vários prémios de ensino, incluindo o College’s Outstanding Faculty Award. A sua palestra TEDxHouston de 2010, The Power of Vulnerability, é uma das cinco mais vistas no site TED.com, com mais de 40 milhõesde visualizações. Em 2019, tornou-se a primeira investigadora a ter uma palestra filmada pela Netflix, o documentário O Poder da Coragem. É autora de cinco bestsellers do New York Times, incluindo A Coragem de Ser Imperfeito (2013) e A Imperfeição É uma Virtude (2015), também publicados pelaNascente, A Força da Coragem (Marcador, 2016), Braving the Wilderness (2017) e Atlas of the Heart (2021).

Reviews for Rising Strong

[pnwkatie · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

This book is solidly meh. Given the fonts and the platitudes, it reads more like a vapid girl's instagram account. I've liked Brene's other books a great deal, but this one has very little meat on its bones.

[drfuriosa · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

An interesting and inspiring exploration of how we perceive, interrogate, and grow from failure. Definitely something I needed to read as an adjunct professor.

[coffeefairy · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I’m not even sure where to begin. This book has brought up so many thoughts and desires to find solutions for areas in which I want to rise strong and be brave. Lots of food for thought.

Yes, Brown shares a lot of personal anecdotes. (I remember reading a review where the reader didn’t care for that.)

I’m ok with it and here’s why. Brown is a researcher and without anecdotes, all we would have is history and facts and those tend not to stick in our brains or feel applicable to our lives. Personal stories though? Yep.

Admittedly I’m left feeling a little anchor-less right now. The book brought up a lot of stuff I want to work through but I admit to not knowing where to begin or feeling like I have the energy to begin and I also feel a lot of fear around diving in to the work.

Usually this means I need to devote time to the thoughts and maybe do some more emotional and practical fact finding. If I have any amazing breakthroughs, I’ll surely let y’all know. :)

[sturlington_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I was inspired to read this after listening to a talk by Brene Brown that was more or less a summarized version of this book. I found a lot of useful, pratical advice here on dealing with difficult emotions. However, I felt like I was left with some questions, particularly around the rumbling stage of the process. I also wasn't entirely clear on vulnerability, but perhaps that requires reading a different book. I appreciated how Brown summarized the key findings from her previous books, which I have not read, at the end to provide some context.

[koharteh-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is quite simply and profoundly the way I want to walk through the world, and the way I want others to walk through the world. Society-changing.

[ajlewis2_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

There is very practical advice on dealing with uncomfortable emotions, especially those surrounding a sense of shame when we fail. One of the big points I took away is to capture the story I'm telling myself about my fall by writing an unedited first draft of that story. It is the story we "make up" and believe at the time. Being willing to do that will allow me an opening to be curious about the reality of that story and look for what is going on with me. The author gives many examples of stories from her own life and the lives of others who were willing to share them. I found these examples of the process very helpful. I found the book enjoyable to read as well.

[calavari · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Rising Strong by Brene Brown This book came to me just when I needed it. There's a lot about story telling and about the stories we make up in our heads about a situation before (or instead of) finding the real truth. I appreciated the in-depth look at that part of our interactions. I especially loved the use of a single story to illustrate how things go rather than using several stories and showing the progression of the situation as her understanding of the situation evolved.
I LOVED that you can't skip day 2. It's something I needed a reminder of in my own writing. It's also a good reminder in general of dealing with life and things. I was totally jealous of the visit to PIxar.
I LOVED the whole section takes a long look at the idea of whether or not people are doing the best they can. Note: the biggest difference between people who believe that and those who don't is perfectionism.
I LOVED the look at her social work class and intersectional biases and privileges. It made my feminist heart flutter.
I found the following question interesting: What has to end or die so that we can experience a rebirth in our relationships?
Overall, I loved this book as much as the last two. I think it would be a valuable book to read for anyone in a leadership or managerial position as well as all parents. Even new couples and old married couples could probably learn something about their interactions using the tools here. But you have to want it, you have to be willing to be vulnerable, to stand in the arena. I know people who spend so much time and energy protecting themselves that they'd never understand the points made here, and that's okay. I hope they find their own ways. No one solution works for everyone but this is definitely worth the try.
I also appreciated that it reviews key points of Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead and The Gifts of Imperfection: Let Go of Who You Think You're Supposed to Be and Embrace Who You Are.

[cecilturtle · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

While we might know why we fall down and make mistakes, we might not know what are our true triggers. Identifying those triggers is what allows us to not only get up again but also to recognise them as pitfalls to be avoided in the future. Through precise steps, solid research and all sorts of personal and professional stories, Brown walks us through the process of becoming stronger people. Her terrific sense of humour makes the whole read an enjoyable, provocative learning experience.

[books_ofa_feather · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Wow, wow, wow!

I don't mind admitting that MORE of this book needs to be implemented in my life. I know I didn't come away retaining as much as I wanted to. It was a good kind of overwhelming, all the knowledge and research Brené shares here. I was listening to the audiobook which doesn't allow for the greatest note-taking experience. I plan to own this soon and read again. As I told a friend, "My anti-write-in-books self has never wanted to WRITE ALL OVER a book more than this book makes me want to. I need to have a physical copy!"

And to quote her (hope you don't mind Lauren), "Isn't it amazing!? Like a train wreck to the heart... in the best possible way."

Quotes from the book (which is in no way a full list of all the A-HA moments I had):

“We’re sick of being afraid and we’re tired of hustling for our self-worth. We want to be brave, and deep inside we know that being brave requires us to be vulnerable.”

"More information means less fear based story making."

“Our rational, grown-up selves are good liars. The five-year-old tyrants within us are the ones who can tell it like it is.”

[hippielunatic · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This was a fair-to-middling book for me. I have some personal baggage against Brene Brown, but I was able to get past the majority of it to read this book, which was suggested to me by someone I respect greatly.

All in all, it was a feel good book, about the importance of recognizing failing as part of the process. It helped to outline that struggles are real, and that recognizing the issue and getting past the desire for easy fixes are what it takes to move to the next stage of your life.

Some of the stories spoke directly to me, some of them did not, and I do not blame Brown for this. They were all excellent examples of her theories and process... though I do have to say that it felt repetitive at times, which may be when my active mind stopped listening, though my eyes kept scanning the words.

[detailmuse · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Brene Brown believes in what she calls “wholehearted living” and champions others to it through a series of three books she summarizes as follows:

"The Gifts of Imperfection -- Be you.
Daring Greatly -- Be all in.
Rising Strong -- Fall. Get up. Try again."

I came to her through a TED Talk and then Daring Greatly, about the emotional value of vulnerability and specifically the value of making mistakes. A wonderful takeaway from it that I will remember forever is the “Man in the arena” quote from a Teddy Roosevelt speech. So, I was interested to read this follow-up about resilience, and did find some of her case studies illustrative and helpful.

But: she really annoyed me in this book. First was her dozens (hundreds?) of claims that her work is truly research and deserves respect, and second was a realization that I really don’t like her very much.

I still want to read her earlier book, The Gifts of Imperfection, but don’t think I’ll pursue her writings from here forward.

[st5croixsue · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Brown does a fabulous job getting down to the nitty gritty of what is behind the emotions that we experience and how to grapple with them before reacting. Her research and insight is remarkable.

[streamsong_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Brene Brown is absolutely my favorite author of psychology for the lay person. Her latest book, [Rising Strong] adds to my admiration of her work and her vision.

“The epigraph for [Daring Greatly] is Theodore Roosevelt's powerful quote from his 1910 'Man in the Arena' speech:

'It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood' who strives valiantly; … who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly.' “ p. xxI

The problem with living, but especially when you are daring greatly and living wholeheartedly, is that you will end up face down in the arena. Instead of avoiding this position, Brown suggests we have a new and unique perspective while we are down there and suggests way to evaluate the whys and get on with the 'what next?'s' in order to truly get on with the life we want.

I especially enjoyed her concept of 'the story I am telling myself' since the story we tell in our heads is often not a reflection of what is truly going on, especially when one is trying to make sense of another's actions.

4.5 stars. I plan to share this book with several people in my life.

[buildalife · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I love Brene Brown's work. It's accessible and funny and practical. "Rising Strong" didn't resonate with me as much as her earlier work but I still took away some useful ideas to play with. I'm rumbling. . . (thank you, Brene, for giving us language!)

[amysan_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This was my first Brene Brown book, but it won't be my last. I read this at a perfect time, as I was already rumbling with some things but didn't have the words for what I was doing. It really helped me see things in a new way. I'll be recommending this one!

[sarahkat84-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is a wonderful book that devolves slightly into self help speak by the end. I admit I'm a Brene Brown fan so this may be a little bit of a biased review. I just love this topic moving through failure and how to recover/learn from falling in a productive way.

Brene Brown is an approachable and charismatic writer. She uses both factual and anecdotal stories to elaborate on her topic.

Reading this book was a very positive experience for me and I will definitely be reading again in the future.

[stembie3 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This is the first of Brown's books that I've read and I enjoyed the conversational tone of it. The stories she told as examples were meant to help drive her points home; however, I did get a little bored with the repetition and even though I kept waiting for the author to get to the point, she never seemed to.

I plan on going back to read her other books to see if they are a little more cohesive.

[bpreed-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Although I am new to Brene Brown's books, I have heard quite a few of her lectures and loved them all. This book did not disappoint!! The book, on one level, is easily readable. Brene Brown is a storyteller and her writing style engaged me from the start. On another level, the most important level, the book is difficult because it deals with hurts and failings. I don't know about you but I don't know a single person who hasn't been slam dunked by life at least once. Brene helps guide you to move through the hurts to a place where you can own ALL of your history and not just the good parts. Avoiding the difficult stories allows them to mess with your life from the unacknowledged shadow side. Brene gives a road map for moving through these "dark" stories in a healthy manner. I recommend this book to everyone.

[feministmama · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I so loved her TED talk on vulnerability. It has helped my boyfriend and I to be able to talk more openly about our vulnerabilities. And I SO wanted to like this book. But I don’t think there’s anything wrong with Brene Brown, I think it’s me. I think my attention span for this kind of thorough analysis of the subject is as long as a TED talk. I will say this though, the chapter where she talks about “doing the best you can’ has stuck with me. She describes meeting this terrible person and describing the events of her meeting to her therapist who replies “she’s doing the best she can” while Brene Brown thinks how can someone doing something terrible be doing the best she can? I’ve asked myself that same question, as other drivers cut me off on the road or someone blows smoke in my face walking down the street. This is a very difficult concept to grasp and I will have to read this chapter again to cope with this. So I would recommend this book if you can slog through long explanations and Oprah-esque style feel good affirmationy kinds of language or just skip around for the short version. It’s still a good book and worth having around

[johanne-712835 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Brene Brown's latest book continues to affirm authenticity. Her witty and grassroots style of sharing what she discovers through her academic investigations into healthy living stick with me due to the stories used to share the information. I would highly recommend this book and any of her work.

[bevfuller · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I had previously read "Daring Greatly" and learned so much from Brene. "Rising Strong" is another great, informative, helpful book. I highly recommend it.

[karen59_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

After reading Daring Greatly I couldn't wait for the next Brene Brown book. I treasure how she gets right into the muck and mire of emotions and shows us how liberating it is to be authentic and genuine. Rising Strong, continues this exploration and focuses on how to rise up when faced with difficulty, with failure and own our stories in order to write an ending that is brave and courageous and true to ourselves. Although initially excited about the premise in this book I was disappointed by it. The book seemed chaotic, full of jargon without a real shape or cohesiveness to it. I found my mind wandering, annoyed to be reading the same anecdote over and over. It seemed like a dashed off version of the her previous books and as someone who has done qualitative research, did not see how she was applying her research to this book. I am still looking forward to Brene Brown's next book because I believe she has valuable insights but this one just didn't impress.

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to review this book for an honest opinion.

[rglossne · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Although I am not usually a fan of self-help, I did request this book from Library Thing Early Reviewers, based on Daring Greatly (which I read most of) and general positive buzz. Brown's writing is easy to read and clear, I enjoyed her stories, and if I take nothing away from this book than the idea that most people are doing the best they can, it will have been well worth the time. And I love the notion of a shitty first draft, and will use it. On balance a good worthwhile read.

[porch_reader · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

In Brown's previous books, she encourages vulnerability, authenticity, and wholehearted living. She sums up the message from [The Gifts of Imperfection] as "be you" and the message from [Daring Greatly] as "be all in." But in achieving those goals, it is likely that we will fall and doubt ourselves. So, [Rising Strong] is about how to rise back up after you fall. Using examples from her own life and examples from her research participants, she discusses the importance of being curious about your emotions and the importance of "rumbling" with the stories that you are telling yourself after you fall. Picking up on themes from her previous book, Brown goes even further in providing tools to help us brave our falls and rise strong.

One of my favorite quotes: "The irony is that we attempt to disown our difficult stories to appear more whole or more acceptable. But our wholeness - even our wholeheartedness - actually depends on the integration of all of our experiences, including the falls."

[wincrow · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Brenè Brown is back with her third book on the subject of vulnerability.
I've read nearly all of her other books, and I've loved them. When Rising Strong came up as one of the books in the Early Reviewers program, I was excited, and even more so when I found out I won a copy.

In the introduction Brenè gives a summary of her books, and I felt that was spot on. I nodded while I read it, a little knowing smile on my lips. I felt this book was the natural conclusion for her other books on the subject of vulnerability. The books flow well with each other, and I never felt that I was rereading a previous book. Another reviewer said they liked the personal stories that she told, and I agree with that. The inclusion showed us that Brenè practices what she preaches, some of those stories made me cringe because she was so vulnerable.

The biggest surprise for me was my reaction to the book. While I enjoyed her other two books, Gifts of Imperfection and Daring Greatly, this one really resonated with me. It struck a cord deep inside. That is why I didn't write that review when I first finished it. Because I had to digest, reread, highlight, and put into practice what I read before I could review it. I would recommend this book to everyone because I think that there is something for everyone in it. I think reading her other two books would be helpful, and as previously stated I think they build wonderfully on each other, but it isn't necessary. This book can, and will, stand on its own.

[starsandscribbles · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Brene Brown, who’s responsible for works like Daring Greatly and the Gifts of Imperfection, has come out with a new title expanding upon the same lines as her previous books.
While I, myself, normally do not read anything along the lines of a “self-help” book, this book came to me at the right time. I received this galley after I was terminated from work. I had completely forgotten about it until it arrived in the mail.

I was rather hesitant, for on the galley it stated that this is about “[t]he reckoning. The rumble. The revolution.” I didn’t need an infomercial. And at first glance, that is what it seemed like.

But then I actually started to read the book, and I was amazed how the text correlated to what I was actually experiencing at the time after my termination. I had let this downfall define me, and I was terrified of letting myself be open to new opportunities. I was angry, confused, and dealing with a lot of emotion that I had not dealt with before. I was questioning my abilities in my professional life and doubting myself.

Brown’s philosophy makes sense, and that’s why I like it. It may not suit everyone, but it’s definitely an eye opener. I realized that I was going about applying for new jobs the wrong way and I needed to be honest with myself about why it happened.
For me, the reckoning had already started. I started asking myself hard questions and understood why it happened. And while it wasn’t entirely my fault, I realized that I let fear guide my decisions while at my previous position. It was through this revelation that I changed my way of thinking and got a second chance.

What I like most about Brown’s writing is that she remains positive and her approach is rather simple. Don’t get me wrong - I‘m not saying that the idea of rising strong is nothing new; rather, the idea seems to be missed by so many of us that it’s essential for Brown to remind us of what we have to do.

Pop culture reference are mixed into the anecdotes of the text. The author prefaces the books by saying that is just the way she explains things and gets points across. For me, it worked and I appreciated them. But it may not be everyone’s cup of tea.

But there was one thing that did bother me throughout the book, and that was Brown referring regularly to her previous books. Now, I understand that she was using those examples to illustrate points. However, for those people who have not read those other books, I was at a loss. I will try to read the previous titles if time allows.

In conclusion, I would recommend Rising Strong for public libraries with popular collections or with self-help areas/collections. The pace, references, and (perhaps with me, in this case) real life experience made me think more deeply about my own emotions and life situations and is relatable to library patrons.

[jillian_kay · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I went into this book thinking I wouldn't like it. I was, of course, wrong. I got so much out of this book, that almost every page has a dog ear, an underline, and a highlight.

This book unpacks the processes that we go through when we are knocked to the ground, and get back up again. It is a wonderful, and inspiring book. Highly recommended.

[sarahsponda · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I read Daring Greatly but you don't have to have read Brené Brown's previous books to get something out of Rising Strong. It can stand alone. In the introduction, Brown summarizes the messages of her books; this was helpful to me:

Gifts of Imperfection: Be you.
Daring Greatly: Be all in.
Rising Strong: Fall. Get up. Try again.

Although they were not in the ARC, the final version of Rising Strong will have appendices that touch on her earlier work. I am looking forward to reading them.

The first half of the book covers the alliterative Reckoning-Rumble-Revolution process. This is a framework for recognizing when you are "getting hijacked by emotion" and figuring out why you feel that way, and then reconciling the discordance between what you think and where you actually are --- and then figuring out what all that means. This is not easy stuff! The next five chapters discuss real-life examples (most from Brené -- this almost qualifies as a biography!) of people rumbling with shame, expectations, perfectionism, grief, judgment, forgiveness, etc. The last chapter touches on how Rising Strong can be used in the workplace, community, and at home.

I know this book is based on Brené's research, but I most appreciated the stories she shared about herself. She is honest and vulnerable and messy and down-to-earth. I think the combination of research and self is what makes her work so powerful.

[jillrhudy · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I really enjoyed this book and felt that it was full of practical help in recovering from life's disasters and disappointments. I learned the difference between guilt and shame and how to make guilt instructive and productive without internalizing it and destroying your own self-image with shame.

The best part of the author's advice was about confronting your own emotional morasses that keep you awake at night by classifying them "the story I'm making up." It turns out that "the story you're making up" about events usually has nothing to do with facts and everything to do with emotions and reading other people's minds. It's okay to "rumble" (as the author calls it) with negative emotions for a while, once you've correctly identified them ("reckoning"); in fact, dealing honestly with how you feel is the only healthy path through setbacks. If this sounds like a cliche, read the book and try Brown's techniques.

[debnance_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Brene Brown has stoked up the conversation about the power of vulnerability. In Rising Strong, Brown reminds us of the downside of vulnerability: when we dare, we fall. She shares stories of struggle to rise again on the road to a wholehearted life.

I want to be vulnerable. I want you to be vulnerable. Let’s read this book. Let’s talk about this book. Let’s be vulnerable. Let’s be wholehearted.