Braving the Wilderness Audiobook By Brené Brown cover art

Braving the Wilderness

The Quest for True Belonging and the Courage to Stand Alone

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Braving the Wilderness

By: Brené Brown
Narrated by: Brené Brown
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About this listen

Number-one New York Times best seller

A timely and important new audiobook that challenges everything we think we know about cultivating true belonging in our communities, organizations, and culture, from the number one best-selling author of Rising Strong, Daring Greatly, and The Gifts of Imperfection.

Hello Sunshine book club pick

“True belonging doesn’t require us to change who we are. It requires us to be who we are.” Social scientist Brené Brown, PhD, LMSW, has sparked a global conversation about the experiences that bring meaning to our lives - experiences of courage, vulnerability, love, belonging, shame, and empathy. In Braving the Wilderness, Brown redefines what it means to truly belong in an age of increased polarization. With her trademark mix of research, storytelling, and honesty, Brown will again change the cultural conversation while mapping a clear path to true belonging.

Brown argues that we’re experiencing a spiritual crisis of disconnection, and introduces four practices of true belonging that challenge everything we believe about ourselves and each other. She writes, “True belonging requires us to believe in and belong to ourselves so fully that we can find sacredness both in being a part of something and in standing alone when necessary. But in a culture that’s rife with perfectionism and pleasing, and with the erosion of civility, it’s easy to stay quiet, hide in our ideological bunkers, or fit in rather than show up as our true selves and brave the wilderness of uncertainty and criticism. But true belonging is not something we negotiate or accomplish with others; it’s a daily practice that demands integrity and authenticity. It’s a personal commitment that we carry in our hearts.”

Brown offers us the clarity and courage we need to find our way back to ourselves and to each other. And that path cuts right through the wilderness. Brown writes, “The wilderness is an untamed, unpredictable place of solitude and searching. It is a place as dangerous as it is breathtaking, a place as sought after as it is feared. But it turns out to be the place of true belonging, and it’s the bravest and most sacred place you will ever stand.”

©2017 Brené Brown (P)2017 Random House Audio
Personal Development Personal Success Psychology Psychology & Mental Health Social Psychology & Interactions Inspiring Thought-Provoking Feel-Good Funny Wilderness Survival Stories
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Editorial reviews

Editors Select, September 2017

Everyone should listen to Brene Brown. Her core message about vulnerability is increasingly crucial to our modern, digitally decadent, and chaotic lives. It’s one thing to understand the need for vulnerability, compassion, and courage but something else entirely to live in line with those big-picture ideas. But Brown outlines a precise approach - one that is not only easy to understand but also packed with emotion and meaning. And no one could deliver this message better than Brown herself. She has the voice of a patient but assertive friend that wants to see you succeed, the experience and research to back up her arguments, and a mind that is keenly in tune with the struggles we all face when it comes to finding ourselves and figuring out where we belong. —Michael, Audible Editor

Critic reviews

"[Brown's] research and work have given us a new vocabulary, a way to talk with each other about the ideas and feelings and fears we've all had but haven't quite known how to articulate.... [She] empowers us each to be a little more courageous." (Huffington Post)

"It is inevitable - we will fall. We will fail. We will not know how to react or what to do. No matter how or when it happens, we will all have a choice - do we get up or not? Thankfully, Brené Brown is there with an outstretched arm to help us up." (Simon Sinek, author of Start with Why and Leaders Eat Last)

"It's hard to imagine a Brené Brown audiobook narrated by anyone other than Brené Brown. While her performance isn't perfect or polished, it's authentic - a strength that is no more clearly demonstrated than in a passage that includes her singing. And therein lies the power of her performance, especially when combined with the subject matter.... The result is a timely and thoughtful listen during times of division - within individuals and society." (AudioFile)

Featured Article: The Best Short Audiobooks


Listening to audiobooks can be a great way to expand your mind and learn new things, but listening to longer books also takes time—and who has a ton of free time on their hands? So, even if you don't have many hours in your busy day to devote to listening, you can still enjoy a great audio story and get valuable insights and information too. Who says an audiobook has to be long to be impactful? No matter what genre you're looking for, here are some outstanding audiobooks that are all only a few hours long. These are the best short audiobooks—for entertainment, for learning, and for growth.

Powerful Storytelling • Personal Anecdotes • Authentic Narration • Relatable Examples • Emotional Impact
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I tried fitting in all through my public school years. Then I gave up, dyed my hair, donned combat boots, and started sporting a Mohawk. And I became wildly popular as a nonconformist.
Still, I was miserable. I had no idea how to be me, whatever that entailed.
I love Brene Brown, have all her books, and each has inspired me. Still, inspirational and actionable are two different things.
Finally! Braving the Wilderness has steps one can really, honestly, truly take to get to that fabled goal of Authenticity. Her research brought her to the wonderful checklist, an acronym: BRAVING, where B is Boundaries, A is Accountability, I is Integrity, G is Generosity, and the other letters/elements are covered also in great detail. The challenges that arise with each of these elements are covered, everything, the whole nine yards.
Also, and this I thought was brave of her, Brene discusses how exactly we got to be the volatile, fractured nation we are today; plus she highlights steps we can take to make our interactions with each other more humane, more transformative. And it's not by staying in our own camps either. I know: HARD.
Her narration is warm, her examples, some her own on how NOT to do something, are enlightening, her hope is genuine and contagious.
Okay, so no Mohawk here. But I am ready to take those fearsome, courageous, first few steps...!

Actual Step-By-Step To Authenticity!

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There's SO many points to touch on. Impossible to. Instead, I'll list a few favorite parts. Knowing this is different for everyone who reads.

When Brene' storytells the moment she recognized not 'belonging' to her family. Tears well up. Turned off the audio book. Visited her Instagram page sifting for comfort where others would vibe similar. Left a message for her and the page. Feeling less alone. Start listing to the book again

Wrapping myself around self incrimination and wanting to feel ashamed of truth I recognize through out the book. Hearing her ask me, 'why?' Resembles how she hears the voices of others. Like, Maya Angelo. This is why I like audio books. Especially with her. I hear her voice. Overlap my fears and tears. This comforts me

Her epiphany of what the Maya Angelo quote means for herself is awesome! Proves the journey may have twists and turns. Full of all sorts of happenstances. Some our own doing when we did what we thought would work. If we keep searching for the truth of something that conflicts with our sense of self we eventually find the 'wilderness' and belonging to ourselves. You'll have to read the book to relate

The interview with Viola Davis meant another click of the book off. Tears welling up. Visiting Viola's Instagram page. Leaving a heart felt thank you for her courage and appreciation for lighting the path a little brighter for me

The interview of junior high students at the end. Fitting in verses belonging and their take on not belonging at home ... AGAIN, tearing up. Turn off the book. Reflect. By this point, after immersing myself for a couple of days I felt more secure in where I am. Understanding the wilderness a lot better. My place in it

Showing up in the world will never be the same 'practicing being in the wilderness' every day from now on. Especially, 'not searching for confirmation I don't belong' any longer

My whole life timelines itself reading this book. I could see where moments of my life helped set the course. Eventually, becoming my doing. No more

The VA is helping me sort through how the events of my military service caused a disability my brain struggles with. After hearing this book I feel confident these struggles won't keep me from belonging to myself and 'You only are free when you realize you belong no place — you belong every place — no place at all.' Maya Angelo

'I am the wilderness'

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I really enjoyed this book. I've struggled for years with voicing opinions that may not be held by the masses especially in recent months. I love that Dr. Brown gives so many examples of how we can brave the wilderness, have the tough conversations without agreeing to disagree or having someone ready to kill us, and how we can use curiosity and truly owning up to the fact that we don't know it all to have an amazing discourse that allows us to ultimately experience the sense of true belonging. Love, love, love this book and I appreciate Dr. Brown for writing it.

Much needed book!

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I just finished Braving the Wilderness on Audible. Thank you for doing your own narration. It increases my connection to you 10-fold. Your work has been an inspiration and guidepost on my journey for many years. I have all of your books in print and on Audible. I've done online coursework and book studies with a few "marble jar friends". Someday I'm gonna see you speak live! Thank you for your ongoing willingness to be vulnerable, to show up authentically and to tell your wilderness stories. Your stories shine the light on my path. Thanks to Steve, Ellen & Charlie for sharing you with us! Love you Brene to the moon and back.
From Sharon in Portland

Thank you

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Up there with Marianne Williamson and Wayne Dyer. I have been blessed to follow Brene's journey from academic to spiritual- just I had the privilege of following Dr. Dyer. Here's to wild hearts and scurvy elephants!

Powerful practical spirituality

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So timely. Another great book and message so needed at this time. Honest, fearless writing.

Bravo !!!

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Exactly what I needed when I needed it the most. I was feeling lost in the wilderness and now I understand that I am the wilderness. Time to be me.

Right on time

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This hit home for me. Not JUST a thump on the head in a wake-up kind of way. It hit home like a baseball flying past the bat slamming into the gut. Yeah. THIS. I shared it to my Facebook wall and tagged the people I thought needed to read it.

Like a Baseball to the Gut!

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Every human should read this. It should be required reading. She wrote what need to know in order to navigate this polarized world we live in.

Essential

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I devoured it, nearly from start to finish. Thank you for your energy on my behalf. Energy received. Now, I will grow forward and spend it in a similar fashion.
Bella Bloom

High Fives From Afar

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