Brene Brown

Brené Brown is a research professor and leadership expert who transforms how organisations understand courage, vulnerability, and human connection. Author of seven New York Times bestsellers and co-host of The Curiosity Shop podcast with Adam Grant, she holds the Huffington Foundation Endowed Chair at the University of Houston and serves as Professor of Practice in Management at The University of Texas at Austin McCombs School of Business. As Executive Chair of the Center for Daring Leadership at BetterUp, she works with Fortune 50 companies, startups, and nonprofits worldwide to build braver leaders and more courageous cultures. Her keynotes equip audiences with research-backed frameworks for leading through change, navigating uncertainty, and fostering authentic connection in the workplace.

Over more than two decades, Brené Brown has fundamentally changed how leaders and organisations approach courage, vulnerability, and human connection through rigorous academic research and real-world application. Her work began in the study of shame and empathy but evolved into a comprehensive exploration of what it takes to lead with authenticity and build cultures where people can show up fully and do their best work. As a research professor at the University of Houston, where she holds the Huffington Foundation Endowed Chair at the Graduate College of Social Work, and as Professor of Practice in Management at The University of Texas at Austin McCombs School of Business, she has built a body of evidence that bridges social science and organisational leadership in ways few researchers have achieved.

Brené has authored seven New York Times bestsellers and co-hosts The Curiosity Shop podcast with Adam Grant, reaching millions of people worldwide with insights that are both deeply human and practically applicable. In 2024, she was named Executive Chair of the Center for Daring Leadership at BetterUp, a role that positions her at the forefront of leadership development in an era of rapid technological change and profound uncertainty. Her influence extends across Fortune 50 companies, startups, nonprofits, civic organisations, and educational institutions, where her frameworks for courageous leadership have become foundational to how teams navigate complexity, build trust, and foster belonging. She continues to expand her research into human emotion and connection, exploring how people and organisations can lead through change whilst maintaining integrity and purpose.

Brené's keynotes are grounded in evidence but delivered through compelling storytelling that makes complex ideas immediately accessible and actionable. She works closely with event organisers to tailor each talk to the specific challenges and opportunities facing their audiences, drawing from her most requested topics: Dare to Lead, Rising Strong, and Braving the Wilderness. In Dare to Lead, she introduces four skill sets that underpin courageous leadership: rumbling with vulnerability, living into values, braving trust, and learning to rise. Rising Strong explores how individuals and teams recover and grow through failure and setback, whilst Braving the Wilderness examines the practices that help leaders foster meaningful connection whilst standing firm in their values. Audiences leave her sessions with practical tools for having difficult conversations, building psychological safety, and creating cultures where courage becomes a shared value rather than an individual burden.