Brené with Karen Walrond on Accessing Joy and Finding Connection in the Midst of Struggle

Hi, everyone. I'm Brene Brown, and this is Unlocking Us. And if you can hear excitement in my voice, it's because I'm sitting across from, in real life, my friend Karen Walron today. And she's helping me. She's really helping me. You may remember Karen. We've done a two part podcast on The Light Maker's Manifesto, her new book, which is all about working for change without losing your joy. And I I literally just called her and said, will you be on the podcast? Because I'm losing my mind. I'm in such deep struggle, and I can't access any joy. I feel guilty if I'm happy about something because the world is such a shit show right now, and people are in so much pain. And I know that that's not good, and I write about that not being good, but I can't pull myself out of it, and I don't know what's going on. And she sits down with me, and it was just healing. That's the word I have to use. It was healing. Like, her words are healing. Like, her images are healing. It was healing. I'm so glad you're here. If you're struggling with how to be fully connected in your life and feel joy and acknowledge beauty and also fight for the things that we need to fight for right now, this will be a great podcast for you. It's a game changer for me. I'm so glad you're here. Avoiding your unfinished home projects because you're not sure where to start? Thumbtack knows homes, so you don't have to. Don't know the difference between matte paint finish and satin or what that clunking sound from your dryer is? With Thumbtack, you don't have to be a home pro. You just have to hire one. You can hire top rated pros, see price estimates, and read reviews all on the app. Download today. At Criminal, we've made it a tradition every December to dedicate an episode entirely to animals who are really going for it. And Tony, what happened when you pulled over? Nothing out of the ordinary until I saw the cat on the back of the roof behind the luggage carrier. Listen to our fifth annual Animals episode on Criminal wherever you get your podcasts. Alright. Before we jump into the conversation, let me tell you about my friend, Karen Wallernd. She's a lawyer, leadership coach, photographer, and activist who is wildly convinced that we are all uncommonly beautiful. Her first book, The Beauty of Different, Observations of a Competent Misfit, provides irrefutable evidence, the only kind of evidence Karen would ever provide, that the thing that makes us different is a source of our superpower. Oh, it's such a good book. Her current book, The Lightmaker's Manifesto, How to Work for Change While Holding on to Your Joy, helps us name the skills, gifts, values, and actions that bring us joy, identify the causes that spark our empathy and concern, and …