Brené and Adam have a bracingly honest conversation about what could go wrong in their collaboration, and how to set new teams, partnerships, and friendships up for success. They discuss the science of avoiding failure and building alignment, and practical strategies for navigating differences—including their own clashing instincts around minimalism vs. maximalism and sarcasm vs. trashtalk. The episode closes with what each of them is listening to, watching, and reading right now.

You can also find The Curiosity Shop on YouTube and Instagram (@thecuriosityshop).

Chapters:

00:00 - How Brené Inadvertently Launched Adam into Podcasting

02:57 - Interpreting Sarcasm 

16:08 - How to Prevent Failure

28:57 - How Could This Partnership Could Go Wrong

38:42 - Learning From Differences

52:05 - How to Align Teams  

1:02:00 - Closing Questions

Show Notes:

Brené and Adam on What They Will Never Agree On - The Curiosity Shop Episode 1

Unless You’re Oprah, ‘Be Yourself’ Is Terrible Advice - Adam Grant 2016 NYT Op-Ed

My response to Adam Grant’s New York Times Op/ED: Unless You’re Oprah, ‘Be Yourself’ Is Terrible Advice - Brené Brown 2016 LinkedIn

How to Love Criticism - Adam Grant 2018 WorkLife with Adam Grant

Adam Grant on The Power of Knowing What You Don’t Know - Brené Brown and Adam Grant 2021 Dare To Lead Podcast

Brené Brown on What Vulnerability Isn’t - Adam Grant and Brené Brown 2023 Re: Thinking Ted Audio Collective

Hypervigilance in Mary Poppins (1964)

The art and science of trash talk with Rafi Kohan - Adam Grant 2024 Work Life With Adam Grant

Performing a Project Premortem - Gary Klein 2007 HBR

Evaluating the Effectiveness of the PreMortem Technique on Plan Confidence - Veinot, Klein, & Wiggins 2010 ISCRAM Conference

The Economics of Gender Differences in Employment Outcomes in Academia - Donna Ginther 2006 National Library of Medicine

Leverage Points: Places to Intervene in a System - Donnella Meadows 1999 The Donella Meadows Project Academy for Systems Change

Narcissists: Are We Surrounded? On Science Vs: - Wendy Zukerman 2024 Science VS Podcast

Human Raised: Nurturing Connection, Curiosity, & Lifelong Learning in the Age - Dana Suskind, MD 2026 Book

The Killing Stones A Detective Jimmy Perez Novel - Ann Cleeves 2025 Book

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