Atlas of the Heart: Mapping Meaningful Connection and the Language of Human Experience

Brené Brown is a research professor at the University of Houston and visiting professor at the University of Texas at Austin McCombs School of Business. Brown is a grounded theory researcher, who has authored several bestselling books, such as The Gifts of Imperfection, Daring Greatly, Rising Strong, Braving the Wilderness, and Dare to Lead. Brown’s works focus on recurring themes of courage, vulnerability, shame, empathy, etc. The goal of Brown’s research is to explore the human experience in a way that is accessible to the average person but also has implications for businesses, schools, etc. Brown’s works have been used extensively in professional development settings. 

Since publishing her first book Women and Shame in 1994, Brown has continued to study the impact of shame on the human experience. Her work bridges the gap between popular self-help books and credible, psychological research.

Brown’s TEDx Talk, “The Power of Vulnerability,” went viral after it was posted in 2011. As of 2021, it has over 50 million views and is one of the most-viewed TED talks of all time. Her lecture “Call to Courage” is featured on Netflix. After Atlas of the Heart was published in 2021, she recorded a lecture series, also entitled Atlas of the Heart on HBO Max.