Kindred spirits.

It was obvious on yesterday’s Super Soul Sunday that Oprah and Dr. Brené Brown were forging a long-term relationship as they discussed the most uncomfortable of topics: vulnerability.

The fifth generation Texan had her own issues with vulnerability. A bit surprising for the academic who had devoted many years of research to vulnerability, courage and shame. In 2007, she realized that she wasn’t walking the talk and had a full-on breakdown. After intense therapy, she had a spiritual awakening and revealed her deepest fears at a 2010 TED talk on vulnerability. She became an internet celebrity, reaching over eight million people with that talk.

But the story doesn’t end there.

As Dr. Brown become more popular, the critics came out of the woodwork. She ignored her husband’s advice and read the anonymous negative comments. Devastated, she retreated and spent ten hours watching Downton Abbey reruns. She researched the period and rediscovered the famous Theodore Roosevelt quote:

It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena…if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory or defeat.

Dr. Brown decided she wanted to be the man in the arena and came up with her own personal mantra:

If you’re not in the arena getting your butt occasionally kicked, I am not interested in your feedback.

Throughout the telecast, she offered wonderful insights on the scarcity culture, imperfection, and living wholeheartedly. I am looking forward to reading her third book, Daring Greatly.

Quotable Quotes…

You can’t get courage without walking through vulnerability.

#1 casualty of the scarcity culture is vulnerability.

There is no innovation or creativity without failure. Period.

God is the diving reminder of our inherent worthiness.

There is no joy without gratitude.

When we lose our tolerance for vulnerability, joy becomes foreboding.

Faith – (Vulnerability + Mystery) = Extremism

Authenticity is a choice we make every day, sometimes every hour.

The ego is the hustler and the message is “hustle for your worth.”