I see you.
I see you hustling to get more done—to be the perfect parent/spouse/employee/leader/human
I see that under your polished exterior, you are exhausted, stressed out, and ready for a change.
I hear you.
I hear your inner thoughts (the ones you only admit to your therapist):
- I’m working my ass off, and I’m still not enough.
- If I could just fill in the blank, then I will be happy.
- Why does fill in the blank: parenting, live, work, marriage, staying in shape, having shit together, etc. seem so easy for fill in the blank: name of person who appears to have it all?
- Someday, when fill in the blank: I make more money, the kids are grown, I’m less stressed out, etc., then I’ll have time to work on my own happiness.
But I also hear the still, small voice that says, despite it all, I’m still trying.
I’ve been there.
I’ve been the Queen of 90%—always staying safe by holding back just a little bit, staying small to avoid being criticized, and being afraid to show up as the real (imperfect) ME.
While daring greatly is always a work in progress, I stopped staying small once I was introduced to Dr. Brené Brown’s work, The Daring Way™. Her work was so life changing, I decided I had to drop everything and become certified in her work so that I could pass along the gifts of her work to you. It was then that I learned how to show up, be seen, and live a braver life.
And now, you can too.
I’ve got you covered.
Whether you’re trying to be a better parent, partner, friend, leader, or human (surely one of these applies to you!), you can rest assured that The Daring Way™ programs will transform the way you live, love, parent, and lead.
In other words, this work will transform the way you do you.
Fall 2023 Groups
What is The Daring Way™?
The Daring Way™ programs are highly experiential, intensive, and effective trainings based on the life-changing research of Dr. Brené Brown, who is a leading researcher in the forces that impact our lives the most:
resilience
vulnerability
courage
worthiness
& shame
The Daring Way™ programs are comprised of:
Daring Greatly™
The Daring Greatly™ is a highly experiential methodology based on the research of Dr. Brené Brown. The method was developed to help us learn how to show up, be seen, and live braver lives. By developing shame resilience skills and practicing wholehearted living we are able to transform the way we live, love, parent, and lead.
Rising Strong™
Rising Strong™ is based on the simple physics of vulnerability: If we are brave enough, often enough, we will fall. This is a curriculum about what it takes to get back up and how owning our stories of struggle gives us the power to write a daring new ending. Struggle can be our greatest call to courage and the clearest path to a wholehearted life.
Also…
The Gifts of Imperfection™
& BOLD™
coming soon
Let’s Get REAL
In short, they’re REAL (Relatable, Experiential, Applicable, Life-changing):
Relatable:
Dr. Brown’s research is based on real people—people just like you and me—and the common experiences that hold many of us back. Because the work uses real words of the thousands of people studied, you won’t be lost in clinical jargon. Instead, you’ll be able to relate to the work in a profound way.
Experiential:
The Daring Way™ programs are anything but boring. You will not be lectured, talked at, or be tempted to make your next mental grocery list. Instead, you’ll be inspired to show up, be seen, and lead a braver life through self-reflection and inspired, authentic, and courageous action.
Applicable:
You’ll use your beautiful workbook to take a closer look at your past experiences where you’ve stayed small. You’ll leave the program knowing how to apply Dr. Brown’s research in meaningful, tangible, and do-able ways.
Life-Changing:
Dr. Brown has interviewed thousands of people, revealing that we are all motivated by two things:
- the desire for connection and belonging
- the fear of pain and disconnection
In a misguided attempt to stay connected to others and avoid pain, we live our lives with armor around our hearts to protect us from getting hurt. And that armor is heavy.
While there are endless ways to armor up to avoid pain, the most common are perfectionism, numbing, and foreboding joy.
The Daring Way™ is your invitation to put down that armor once and for all and forever change the way you live, love, parent, and lead.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is This For Me?
Who can benefit from The Daring Way™ programs?
This Daring Greatly™ and Rising Strong™ programs are designed to support individuals who want to show up bravely in their lives, but find themselves held back by the fears and insecurities that cause them to play it small. If you struggle with feeling like you don’t truly belong anywhere; if you’re constantly hustling to maintain your sense of self-worth and self-esteem; if being vulnerable with people you care about terrifies you; or if you struggle with shame and guilt over not being enough or doing enough, then Daring Greatly™ is likely to be just what you need to move forward.
No previous experience with Brené’s work is required to attend – newbies are enthusiastically welcomed!
It should go without saying, but transgender people and people of all backgrounds, cultures, sexual orientations, ages (18+), religions, and races are welcome here.
This all sounds great but I'm still not sure if this will apply to me…
The Daring Way™ and Rising Strong™ programs provide a pathway to the answers to many of our deepest fears: That despite how hard we hustle, we are not good enough and therefore not worthy of love and belonging.
The Daring Way™ and Rising Strong™ programs examine our pervasive culture of scarcity, comparison, and shame. I’ve spent thousands of hours listening to people’s pain, and I haven’t once heard a story that isn’t rooted in these painful concepts.
If you’ve ever had thoughts such as, there’s never enough time for me to get it all done, or she’s skinnier/prettier/more put together than me, or he makes it all look so easy, or I suck, I’m not good enough, etc.,*** you have experienced scarcity, comparison, and shame.
***I’m not a mind reader – so if these thoughts don’t mirror yours, substitute yours in… You know, the ones that you say to yourself throughout the day but wouldn’t dare to utter aloud.
I know, that sounds like a downer. But here’s the good news:
The Daring Way™ teaches ways to move forward into empathy, self-compassion, and wholehearted living.
I am anxious about participating in a group...what is it like?
Many people express this concern when they are thinking about joining a group. The Daring Way™ group is not like many other types of group therapy (where people share without direction or structure).
The Daring Way™ group is a structured—yet flexible—environment with:
- Boundaries: The group itself defines the boundaries that it needs in order to feel safe and supported
- Discussion about resilience strategies and how to use them effectively in your daily life
- Workbook exercises designed for your own personal reflection and insight
- Activities to cultivate connection with other group members (you will learn how shame is a byproduct of being in a relationship, so it can best be healed in the presence of others)
- The practice of mindfulness and compassion
I don’t struggle with shame, but I do struggle with perfectionism. In fact, perfectionism and I are BFF’s! You won’t make me let it go, will you?
Consider this: perfectionism is actually a misguided attempt to minimize the chances of being judged, criticized, or rejected. Deep down, we are all motivated by two things: love and belonging. We think perfectionism will be our ticket to ensure we will always be loved and belong.
Unfortunately, in reality, perfectionism tends to be a fast-pass to feeling less-than, shame, pain, and blame.
Together, we will explore how perfectionism impacts us while strengthening our self-compassion muscles so we can begin to tolerate the reality of being an imperfect human.
We will work to replace the impossibility of perfection with the empowered stance of healthy striving.
What will this really be like?
What if I am in an extremely difficult time in my life, would the Daring Way™ intensive be a good place to process those difficult issues?
It is advised that deep personal issues be shared and processed with an individual counselor. If you and your therapist agree that group work would be appropriate, I would welcome your participation in the Daring Way™ intensive.
If during your work you decide diving even deeper into specific issues is warranted, I will support you in that process to find the best therapist for your needs, or you may see me for individual counseling.
Will I be required to share deeply private issues with the other group members?
I will encourage you to listen to your own wisdom about what is appropriate to share in the group. As your facilitator, I will work to establish an atmosphere of trust among all group members. I will help you find a balance in allowing yourself to show up authentically in the group, and yet not over-share deeply personal material. Each participant decides what healthy sharing may look like for them.
Are you going to make me talk about shame or vulnerability?
I know how difficult it can be to sit with uncomfortable emotions like shame or suffering from a vulnerability hangover. The good news is that I know two magic weapons to help you combat shame and manage vulnerability: empathy and self-compassion. We will do a deep dive into empathy and self-compassion to support you in your process.
Keep in mind that shame and unwillingness to be vulnerable perpetuates feeling disconnected from others. Together, we will build courage and resilience by:
- identifying shame
- disabling the myth that vulnerability is weakness
- sharing our stories (with appropriate vulnerability)
- letting go of the dysfunctional messages from ourselves and others.
By doing these things, we will learn that we are not alone and are all capable of experiencing a sense of love, acceptance, understanding and belonging.
How is an online intensive different than an in-person intensive?
I need more Background Info
What is Wholehearted Living?
The Ten Daring Way™ Guideposts for Wholehearted Living include:
1. Letting go of what people think, and cultivating Authenticity
2. Letting go of perfectionism, and cultivating Self-Compassion
3. Letting go of numbing and powerlessness, and cultivating Resilient Spirit
4. Letting go of scarcity and fear of the dark, and cultivating Gratitude and Joy
5. Letting go of the need for certainty, and cultivating Intuition and Trusting Faith
6. Letting go of comparison, and cultivating Creativity
7. Letting go of exhaustion and productivity as self-worth, and cultivating Play and Rest
8. Letting go of anxiety as a lifestyle, and cultivating Calm and Stillness
9. Letting go of self-doubt and “supposed to,” and cultivating Meaningful Work
10. Letting go of being cool and “always in control,” and cultivating Laughter, Song, and Dance
What is the difference between The Daring Way™ and the Daring Greatly™ method?
As a doctoral student, Brené decided to devote her research to defining ‘Wholehearted Living.’
In other words, she was looking for people living and loving with their whole hearts—despite the risks and uncertainty inherent in doing so. Brené got to work to figure out what these wholehearted people had in common: What were their main concerns, and what were the patterns and themes that defined their Wholeheartedness?
Using the grounded theory methodology developed by Barney Glaser and Anselm Strauss, Dr. Brown’s main research goal was to understand how they experienced shame, wholeheartedness, and vulnerability. Brené then developed a theory that explains how the research participants continually resolve these concerns in their daily lives.
Dr. Brown has spent two decades listening to the stories of the brave, wholehearted, and real people. Their stories were woven into her research findings in a way that will make you wonder if she pulled the words from your own experiences. To learn more about the research process and Dr. Brown’s findings, click here.
The result of all of this was the creation of The Daring Way™ curriculum and the Rising Strong™ curriculum.
When Brené figured out that shame is a universal emotion and therefore is at the core of many of our most painful experiences, her goal became to start a global conversation about shame.
Because we couldn’t duplicate her, she developed a rigorous training program for helping professionals to become trained and certified in her work in order to change as many lives as possible. This resulted in the Certified Daring Way™ designation.
Do I need to read Brené Brown’s books to attend?
I get it…you’re busy. While it’s not required to complete any reading assignments, you might find it helpful to read The Gifts of Imperfection, Daring Greatly, Rising Strong, or I Thought It Was Just Me. You can also watch Call to Courage on Netflix to get a sneak peek of the themes we will be exploring.
Logistics
What does it mean that you’re a Certified Daring Way™ Facilitator Candidate?
The Daring Way™ is an empirically based training and certification program for therapists based on the research of Dr. Brené Brown.
The nitty-gritty is this: to become certified in her work, I attended a three-day, in-person training session, followed by four weeks of intensive online training, plus ongoing case consultation. The experience was invaluable and one that has changed me both professionally and personally.
The real work of being a Certified Daring Way™ Facilitator lies in my day-to-day role as a therapist, mother, wife, friend, sister, daughter, and human. It is my daily choice to choose courage over comfort, maintain boundaries, and practice my values instead of just preaching them. I have spent my career immersing myself in Dr. Brown’s work and guiding others through it as well for one simple reason—The Daring Way™ heals.
You can learn more about me and my counseling practice here.
I want to attend a group with my spouse/sister/parent… Is it advisable for two people from the same family to attend the same Daring Way™ intensive?
The short answer is yes, two members of the same family may attend the same Daring Way™ intensive. Throughout the group, there will be time for deep reflection and sharing, which could be quite beneficial to each of you. Keep in mind that vulnerability is a critical piece of the work, so comfort in that aspect of the intensive might be the deciding factor.
I’ve read that other intensives are 4-5 days in length, why is yours only 2 days?
Most 4-5 day intensives are offered in a treatment facility where expenses escalate quickly and include the cost of lodging, meals, evening activities, and 24-hour staffing requirements.
I offer a 2-day intensive in my office to eliminate while creating an experience that fits within your budget. This 2-day intensive is designed to bring the same powerful results with minimal schedule disruption, meaning you can do a deep dive into the work and return to your life with renewed courage practices.
What does the cost cover?
Group participants of the will receive:
- A 15-minute pre-workshop screening to ensure a good fit with the program and group
- Thoughtful placement into a group of individuals who will help support each other’s growth
- The support of a licensed clinician that has been intensively trained and certified in facilitating The Daring Greatly™ materials
- Workbook (offered only through The Daring Way™ workshops) full of handouts and exercises
- Other supplies to make group a successful experience
- Yummy snacks
- A life-changing experience
What happens if a workshop is cancelled?
Although rare, a group and/or workshop may be canceled or rescheduled if it doesn’t meet the minimum registration requirement. In this event, you will be contacted as soon as this decision has been made and will receive a 100% refund.
Something’s come up, I can’t make it to the workshop!
Due to the demand for these groups, they are non-refundable or exchangeable for any reason. We take a lot of time to prepare for our groups and workshops!
Can someone else take my place if I can't attend?
In the event you have someone who would like to participate in the group in your place, let me know within 48 hours and I will happily honor them taking the class in your place.
What if I can’t attend and can’t find someone to take my place?
I will put aside your personal workshop materials for you to pick up anytime during business hours for the following 2 weeks. You will have the option to complete the material on an individual basis with me through individual counseling.
You can: Show Up. Be Seen. Live Brave.™
Getting Started
1. In order to ensure this intensive will meet your goals for personal growth, I offer a free 30-minute consultation via phone or in person for all participants. You can schedule that call here (choose "I'm a new client" and pre-group session)
2. For an online intensive, you will need access to a strong internet connection and a computer that allows you to do a video conference (has a camera).
3. Reserve your spot using the button below:
About Dr. Brené Brown
Dr. Brené Brown 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 past two decades studying courage, vulnerability, shame, and empathy and is the author of five #1 New York Times bestsellers: The Gifts of Imperfection, Daring Greatly, Rising Strong, Braving the Wilderness, and her latest book, Dare to Lead, which is the culmination of a seven-year study on courage and leadership.
Brené’s TED talk—The Power of Vulnerability—is one of the top five most viewed TED talks in the world with more than 35 million views. She is also the first researcher to have a filmed talk on Netflix. The Call to Courage special debuted on the streaming service on April 19, 2019.
Her groundbreaking research has been featured on PBS, NPR, CNN, The Katie Show, and Oprah Winfrey’s Super Soul Sunday.
The Power of Vulnerability
Brené Brown studies human connection – our ability to empathize, belong, love. In a poignant, funny talk, she shares a deep insight from her research, one that sent her on a personal quest to know herself as well as to understand humanity. A talk to share.
Listening to Shame
Shame is an unspoken epidemic, the secret behind many forms of broken behavior. Brené Brown, whose earlier talk on vulnerability became a viral hit, explores what can happen when people confront their shame head-on. Her own humor, humanity, and vulnerability shine through every word.
Brené Brown on Empathy
What is the best way to ease someone’s pain and suffering? In this beautifully animated RSA Short, Dr. Brené Brown reminds us that we can only create a genuine empathic connection if we are brave enough to really get in touch with our own fragilities.
Brené Brown on Blame
You are probably a bit of a blamer – most of us are. But why should we give it up? In this witty sequel to our most watched RSA Short, inspirational thinker Brené Brown considers why we blame others, how it sabotages our relationships, and why we desperately need to move beyond this toxic behaviour.
The Price of Invulnerability
TEDxKC talk synopsis: In our anxious world, we often protect ourselves by closing off parts of our lives that leave us feeling most vulnerable. Yet invulnerability has a price. When we knowingly or unknowingly numb ourselves to what we sense threatens us, we sacrifice an essential tool for navigating uncertain times — joy. This talk will explore how and why fear and collective scarcity has profoundly dangerous consequences on how we live, love, parent, work and engage in relationships — and how simple acts can restore our sense of purpose and meaning.
Why Your Critics Aren’t The Ones Who Count
There is nothing more frightening than the moment we expose our ideas to the world. Author and vulnerability researcher Brené Brown shows us how to deal with the critics and our own self-doubt by refusing to “armor up” and shut ourselves off. “Not caring what people think,” she says, “is its own kind of hustle.” Instead, we must “reserve a seat” for the critics and our own self-doubt. “Tell them, I see you, I hear you, but I’m going to do this anyway.”