Unlocking Us with Brené Brown

The Parents Circle – Families Forum (PCFF) is a joint Israeli-Palestinian organization of over 600 families, all of whom have lost an immediate family member to the ongoing conflict. In this podcast, we talk to their spokesperson and bereaved mother, Robi Damelin, and Ali Abu Awwad. Ali was imprisoned by Israel for his resistance, bereaved of his brother by a soldier’s gun, and is the founding leader of Taghyeer, a nonviolent movement for social and political change. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Standing Together is a grassroots movement mobilizing Jewish and Palestinian citizens of Israel in pursuit of peace, equality, social, and climate justice. In this podcast, we talk to National co-director Rula Daood and Founding National co-director Alon-Lee Green on what it means to build a movement, to organize people, and what it means to build political will to end the occupation and create equity for all people. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Khaled Elgindy is a senior fellow at the Middle East Institute where he also directs MEI’s Program on Palestine and Israeli-Palestinian Affairs. He is the author of the book, Blind Spot: America and the Palestinians, from Balfour to Trump. In this episode we talk about the internal political struggles among Palestinian leadership and the US’s involvement in the failed peace agreements between Israel and Palestine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this first episode in a series on the possibilities and costs of living beyond human scale, Brené and Esther Perel discuss how we manage the paradox of exploring the world of social media and emerging technologies while staying tethered to our humanness. How do we create IRL relationships where we see and value others and feel seen and valued in the context of constant scrolling and using digital technology as armor? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This is the second episode in our series on the possibilities and costs of living beyond human scale. In this episode, Brené and William discuss group behavior on social media and how we show up with each other online versus offline. We'll also learn about the specific types of content that fuel algorithms to amplify moral outrage and how they tie to our search for belonging.

In this episode, Brené and Craig discuss what is known in the Al community as the "alignment problem" — who needs to be at the table in order to build systems that are aligned with our values as a democratic society? And, when we start unleashing these systems in high stakes environments like education, healthcare, and criminal justice, what guardrails, policies, and ethical principles do we need to make sure that we're not scaling injustice? This is the third episode in our series on the possibilities and costs of living beyond human scale, and it is a must-listen! Please note: In this podcast, Dr. Watkins and Brené talk about how Al is being used across healthcare. One topic discussed is how Al is being used to identify suicidal ideation. If you or a loved one is in immediate danger, please call or text the National Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 (24/7 in the US). If calling 911 or the police in your area, it is important to notify the operator that it is a psychiatric emergency an

Brené interviews New York Times journalists Jennifer Valentino-DeVries and Michael H. Keller, who talk about their investigation into girl influencers and what's driving the larger influencer culture across social media. This is the fourth episode in our series on the possibilities and costs of living beyond human scale. Please note: As part of this conversation, we talk about the pervasive sexualization of young girl influencers (and girls in general) and the predatory nature of the comments they receive online.

Quantitative futurist Amy Webb talks to us about the three technologies that make up the "super cycle" that we're all living through right now: artificial intelligence, wearable devices, and biotechnology, and why, despite the unnerving change, we still need to do some serious future planning.

In this episode Brené and Barrett discuss their learnings on Al and social media and some of their favorite nuggets from each of the guests in the series.

Civil rights leader Valarie Kaur is building a movement to reclaim love as a force for justice, healing, and transformation in America. In this episode, we talk about what led Valarie to courageously explore Sikh ancestral wisdom, how her ancestors' truths parallel what l've learned from the research, and how we need both the eyes of a sage and the heart of a warrior to live a fully meaningful life.

In this episode, Dr. Sarah Lewis joins me again to talk about her new book, The Unseen Truth: When Race Changed Sight in America. With examples from her historical research, she walks me through the power of visual culture in generating equity and justice. We talk about how what we see and what's left unseen shapes everything we believe about ourselves and other people - and how we can start changing the narrative about who counts and who belongs in America.

talk with one of my favorite cultural critics, Roxane Gay, about her long-form essay on Black gun ownership. We discuss how the gun industry frames women as victims in waiting and the importance of dismantling the trope of the "good man with a gun." We also delve into the societal cost of our resisting, rejecting, and resenting nuance and the importance of holding the tension of competing ideas.

Dr. Mary Claire Haver is a board-certified OB/GYN who has helped thousands of women through perimenopause, menopause, and beyond. In this conversation, we discuss the power of unlearning and relearning and her ongoing fight for women's health in every decade of their lives. We also talk about the growing "menoposse" - a group of thought leaders and clinicians who are using their platforms to change the outdated narrative around menopause.

In Part 1 of my conversation with historian Dr. Heather Cox Richardson, we talk about the current threats to American democracy, what's at stake in November, and how we can strengthen our country if we can find the political will. They say don't meet your heroes, but I'm so glad I did — this is one of my all time favorite conversations. I love how Heather doesn't just look at history as a sequence of failures — she also finds the possibilities, creativity, and hope.

In Part 2 of my conversation with historian Dr. Heather Cox Richardson, we unpack the history and mythology that's driving some of the biggest issues in our country. Leaning into the power of narrative and story, she explains how democracies die more often through the ballot box than with guns and tanks. It's a hard and hopeful conversation and absolutely critical listening at this point in our history.

The sisters are back and we're talking about loss, dementia, grief, and how we try to choose laughter and therapy over a fist fight when things get really tough.

A conversation with Vice President Kamala Harris about the strength and fragility of democracy, the power of strong coalitions and collaborations, and how a commitment to justice and fairness can both ground us and drive action.