Brené Brown, PhD, LMSW is a research professor at the University of Houston where she holds the Huffington Foundation-Brené Brown Endowed Chair at The Graduate College of Social Work. She has spent the last two decades studying courage, vulnerability, shame and empathy, and is the author of four #1 New York Times bestsellers: Braving the Wilderness , The Gifts of Imperfection , Daring Greatly and Rising Strong . Brené's TED talk, ‘The Power of Vulnerability’, is one of the top five most viewed TED talks in the world with over 45 million views. Brené lives in Houston, Texas, with her husband, Steve, and their children, Ellen and Charlie.