Unlocking Us with Brené Brown

A conversation with two unforgettable creators: Debbie Millman and Roxane Gay. Debbie is a designer, an author, an educator, and the host of the award-winning podcast Design Matters, and Roxane is a writer, an editor, a cultural critic, and the co-host of the podcast Hear to Slay. Roxane and Debbie are newlyweds, and we talk about their love story, creativity, and the power of a dinner party. Their words and art have been very influential in my life — talking to them about the ins and outs of ordinary life is, in itself, extraordinary.

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Drs. Julie and John Gottman have taken more than 40 years of breakthrough research and written or co-written more than 40 books on marital stability, divorce prediction, and how science can help people have successful, loving relationships. We talk about the toll the pandemic has taken on couples, their work in the context of current events, and practical shifts that can help us take care of each other.

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Emmanuel Acho is a creator, host, and producer of Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man, a web series about racism to drive open and uncomfortable dialogue. His book with the same name is a thoughtful manifesto, a mandate, and a playbook that’s both generous and full of love. We get personal, and we talk about what these important questions mean in the context of history and for culture today.

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In this episode, I talk with philanthropist and global advocate for women and girls, Melinda French Gates. We talk about empathy, the power of story, and her book, The Moment of Lift — a clear and powerful call to action for gender equity.

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In this “On My Mind” episode, we talk about shame and accountability. We discussed this a bit last summer, but I’m going deeper today in light of the insurrection at the US Capitol and the resulting calls to unity without accountability. Dehumanization is the most significant driver of insurrection, and it always starts with language. We are all responsible for recognizing it, stopping it, and holding people accountable for dehumanizing language and actions.

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It’s a podcasters’ roundtable! Tim Ferriss, Dax Shepard, and I talk about everything from preparing for podcasts, parenting, and Ping-Pong to addiction, trauma, and the long, winding road to healing and wholeness. It’s fun and hard and messy. Everything you’d expect from three people who consider curiosity a way of life.

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I talk with President Barack Obama about his life, his work, and his new book, A Promised Land. We dive into the power of leaning into uncertainty and why the rare skill of holding the tension of opposites makes us better leaders, partners, and parents.

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In this “On My Mind” episode, we revisit FFTs and talk about tired brains and new strategies for recovering from too many hard first times.

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David Eagleman is a neuroscientist, New York Times bestselling author, TED speaker, and Guggenheim Fellow, and in this episode, we talk all about the brain and how it works. It’s mysterious, malleable, constantly changing, and up for new challenges. We dig deeper into the research in his book Livewired: The Inside Story of the Ever-Changing Brain on the power of being uncomfortable and trying new things and how important new experiences are for continued brain development and health.

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Priya Parker is a master facilitator, strategic adviser, and the author of The Art of Gathering: How We Meet and Why It Matters. We dig into what it means to come together, why connection requires intention, and the often-invisible structures inside our most meaningful gatherings. Priya even helps me deconstruct my wedding and why, decades later, people still tell me how different and fun it was!

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