Braving the Wilderness: The Quest for True Belonging and the Courage to Stand Alone

Brené Brown’s book Braving the Wilderness: The Quest for True Belonging and the Courage to Stand Alone was published in 2017 and is a continuation of Brown’s 20 years of research on perfectionism, shame, vulnerability, empathy, belonging, and leadership. Her work has received national recognition, and she is the author of seven books, five of which have gone on to become New York Times bestsellers. Brown is also known for her 2010 TED talk “The Power of Vulnerability,” which, with over 46 million views, has become one of the platform’s five most-viewed talks. In 2019, her filmed lecture The Call to Courage was released on Netflix.

Born Cassandra Brené Brown (November 18, 1965) to Charles Arthur Brown and Cassandra Deanne Rogers, Brown is the eldest of four children. In 1969, her family moved from San Antonio, Texas, to New Orleans, Louisiana. After brief stints in Houston and Washington, DC, the family eventually moved back to Houston when Brown was in middle school. She is married with two children, and her family is active in the Catholic Church.

Brown holds a Bachelor of Social Work (1995) and a Master of Social Work (1996) from the University of Texas at Austin, and she received her PhD in Social Work from the University of Houston (2002).