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Education Reading

Latest Read: You Are Your Best Thing

You Are Your Best Thing: Vulnerability, Shame Resilience, and the Black Experience by Tarana Burke and Brené Brown.

You Are Your Best Thing: Vulnerability, Shame Resilience, and the Black Experience by Tarana Burke and Brené Brown.

Tarana Burke is an activist, founder of the MeToo movement, and graduate of Auburn University at Montgomery. Time Magazine honored her work as a 2017 Person of the Year winner and then identified Tarana as one of Time’s 100 most influential people of 2018.

Brené Brown is a research professor at the University of Houston, and visiting professor in management at The University of Texas at Austin McCombs School of Business. Brené is a best selling author on shame research. In fact, I recently finished reading the 10th anniversary of The Gifts of Imperfection.

This book is certainly an amazing collection of 19 stories addressing shame resilience within black communities. In addition, each contributor’s story reveals how they overcame and triumphed. I found each chapter holding a unique voice, as diverse as each contributor’s experience. Indeed, the book culminates with the closing chapter, Where The Truth Rests by Tarana.

This books serves as an inspiration to our global world of what can be achieved. However, the road to identify, confront, and overcome shame is indeed possible.

This is probably the second most important takeaway, each contributor shows that regardless of the impact of shame upon their lives, they took multiple paths to succeed. Their paths indicate there are numerous paths, not just one.

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Education Reading TED

Latest Read: The Gifts of Imperfection

The Gifts of Imperfection by Brené Brown. Dr. Brown is a research professor at the University of Houston. She is also a visiting professor in management at The University of Texas at Austin McCombs School of Business.

The Gifts of Imperfection by Brené Brown

Brené certainly provides insights for those audiences who need guidance on shaming. This book is indeed that resource for those who are seeking hard examples of how to embrace themselves.

The focus of her research, presentations, and writing has indeed the identification of patterns defined as living a “wholehearted” life. Wholehearted people according to her research will certainly dig deep — however in a little different way. They focus on being deliberate, inspired, and ongoing.

Brené is indeed a master storyteller by communicating the concepts, ideas, and her research process.

Certainly the most related segment of the book is within ‘The Gun-for-Hire Shame Storm’ lesson. In addition, I find this to be a common scenario, an organization identifies a gap and chooses to bring in outside consultants.

Certainly, one cannot help but feel for her story which begins by a PTO president who did not stay on focus, but rather introduced a bold statement:

You might not like what you’re going to hear tonight, but we need to listen for the sake of our children. Dr. Brown is here to transform our school and our lives! She’s going to set us straight whether we like it or not!
pg .46

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Education Reading Technology

Latest Read: What Happened To You?

What Happened To You?: Conversations on Trauma, Resilience, and Healing by Dr. Bruce D. Perry and Oprah Winfrey. This book will change the way you view not only your life, but the lives of family, colleagues, and friends.

What Happened To You?: Conversations on Trauma, Resilience, and Healing by Dr. Bruce D. Perry and Oprah Winfrey.

Bruce is a psychiatrist and senior fellow of the Child Trauma Academy in Houston. In addition, he remains an adjunct professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the Northwestern’s Feinberg School of Medicine. In 1987, Bruce began a fellowship in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at the University of Chicago.

Bruce has been a consultant to many high-profile incidents involving traumatized children: The Columbine High School massacre, The Oklahoma City bombing, and The Waco siege.

He also wrote The Boy Who Was Raised As A Dog: What Traumatized Children Can Teach Us About Loss, Love and Healing. Elements of that book are indeed discussed in this book as well.

Bruce began his relationship with Oprah in 1989 and has appeared on the Oprah Winfrey show many times sharing experiences of childhood trauma. Accordingly, Oprah shares her understanding from trauma and adversity from a young age.