Our Adult RE TED Talk for May is “Listening to Shame” will be held on Wednesday, May 9, 7:00 p.m. The presentation by Brene Brown highlights shame as an unspoken epidemic, the secret behind many forms of broken behavior. Brown explores what can happen when people confront their shame head-on.

Brene Brown is a research professor at the University of Houston Graduate College of Social Work. She has spent the past ten years studying vulnerability, courage, authenticity, and shame. She spent the first five years of her decade-long study focusing on shame and empathy, and is now using that work to explore a concept that she calls Wholeheartedness.

Food for thought: How do we learn to embrace our vulnerabilities and imperfections so that we can engage in our lives from a place of authenticity and worthiness? How do we cultivate the courage, compassion, and connection that we need to recognize that we are enough – that we are worthy of love, belonging, and joy?