What Brené Brown has said about Shame

Brown frames shame with three premises: everyone has it, no one wants to talk about it, and not talking about it increases it.

“One, we all have it. Two, no one wants to talk about it. And three, the less you talk about it, the more you have it”

The Curiosity Shop with Brené Brown and Adam Grant: The Emotion Few Talk About, But Many Feel (Apr 23, 2026) · Listen from 3:46

Brown reports that most adults her team interviewed recall a shaming school experience that changed how they saw themselves as learners.

“85% of all adults we've interviewed over two decades can remember something so shaming that happened at school”

The Curiosity Shop with Brené Brown and Adam Grant: The Emotion Few Talk About, But Many Feel (Apr 23, 2026) · Listen from 27:27

Brown argues shame underpins much of capitalism, advertising, and media by selling products that promise to make people lovable.

“Shame is how a lot of pillars of capitalism are built in work and certainly advertising and media”

The Curiosity Shop with Brené Brown and Adam Grant: The Emotion Few Talk About, But Many Feel (Apr 23, 2026) · Listen from 30:23