Are you tired of being too afraid to reveal your true self to others? If so, then what you read in “The Power of Vulnerability: Teachings of Authenticity, Connections and Courage” will be good news for you. Author Brené Brown explains in this title that openness to new experiences despite fear or shame is the surest way to find joy. She offers her own groundbreaking research as backup. Her word for the people who choose to feel everything, to be fully vulnerable, is “wholehearted.” Your heart will likely feel whole too as you read this inspiring book from this influential woman.

As both a qualitative researcher and a storyteller, Brown has forged a new path to understanding human connection. In doing so, she has lived what she studies and teaches in this book. This work dispels the myth that vulnerability is weakness. Readers learn to face fears and shame without becoming numb to all their positive feelings, such as joy and love. You will discover your inherent self-worth and that it is okay to engage where there is uncertainty. The “10 Guideposts” outlined in this book emphasize the courage and bravery to be imperfect as you embrace who and how you truly are.

When Brown set out on this research journey, she wanted to find a way to measure how people best find meaning and purpose in their lives. What she discovered is not what she had expected. Brown details what she found to be the most important variable from hundreds of interviews: a sense of worthiness. The most resilient people believe they are worthy, she explains, and they tend to find belonging among many social connections for that reason. In her studies, Brown has found that these people are willing to go first, be present, and sit with discomfort. With this book, she offers that path to you.