Brené Brown, Ph.D., LCSW
Huffington Foundation-Brené Brown Endowed Chair at the Graduate College of Social Work, University of Houston
The Wholehearted Child: Guideposts for Helping Children Cultivate a Resilient and Hopeful Spirit
Based on twelve years of pioneering research, Brené Brown, Ph.D. will explore strategies that parents and teachers can utilize to help children develop a spirit of hope, gratitude, connection, and perseverance. Brown explains that if wholeheartedness is a goal for our families, then above all else we should strive to raise children who: 1) Engage with the world from a place of worthiness; 2) Embrace their vulnerabilities and imperfections; 3) Feel a deep sense of love and compassion for themselves and others; 4) Value hard work, perseverance, and respect; 5) Carry a sense of authenticity and belonging with them, rather than searching for it in external places; 6) Have the courage to be imperfect, vulnerable, and creative; 7) Don’t fear feeling ashamed or unlovable if they are different or if they are struggling; 8) Move through our rapidly changing world with courage and a resilient spirit.
Brown is a research professor at the University of Houston Graduate College of Social Work. She is a nationally renowned speaker – her 2010 TEDxHouston talk is one of the 10 most popular TEDx talks, nearly six million views, and she was a featured national TED speaker in 2012. She is the author of The Gifts of Imperfection and I Thought It Was Just Me (but it isn’t), both best sellers. Her presentations are noted for their wit, compassion, honesty and insight – there’s much to relate to in her appealing message, and her hopeful, optimistic, endorsing manner is a great spur to live “wholeheartedly” as you go out into the world.

Upcoming Events
After the Spike: Population, Progress, and the Case for People
Michael Geruso, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Economics at the University of Texas at Austin
Katy Milkman, Ph.D.
James G. Dinan Professor at The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania
ON ZOOM
Having It All: What Data Tells Us About Women’s Lives and Getting the Most Out of Yours
Corinne Low, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Business Economics and Public Policy at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania
Jessica Calarco, Ph.D.
Professor of Sociology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison
ON ZOOM
Mastery: Why Deeper Learning is Essential in an Age of Distraction
Tony Wagner, Ed.D.
Senior Research Fellow at the Learning Policy Institute and bestselling author
Ulrik Juul Christensen, MD
Chief Strategist at the Area9 Group
Fernande Raine, Ph.D.
Historian, Social Entrepreneur, and Founder and Co-Lead of History Co:Lab
ON ZOOM