Brené Brown: The Call to Courage

Considering Brown's oustanding Ted Talks, this Netflix special comes as a deep disappointment with all of her quirky sayings and ideas being regurgitated in a blant and predictable fashion.

With no original thought, it seems that Brown has ran out of ideas as she akwardly tries to fill up the time with personal narratives which are akward and disjointed in its intended message. Her self-assigned role as a hyped-up comedian story-teller (with more than usual swearing) overshadows the essence of her message.

This Netflix special comes across as stereotypical with many cliches we have come to associate with motivational speakers. There seems to be much less authenticity and vulnerability in Brown's way of presenting, as it seems much more rehearsed and edited.

One is left wondering where Brown's courageous stage presence has disappeared to.

Having followed Brené Brown's work for many years, this Netflix special is what I keep coming back to. It is so personal and universal at the same time. In this talk, Brené uses stories from her personal life as a partner, a mother, a woman and a speaker to bring to life her crucial work on vulnerability and courage. Her stories are so relatable, and it's impossible not to be moved by the vulnerability she actually portrais on stage, as she shares her incredible knowledge about human relationships - both the ones we have with ourselves and with each other.

Brené Brown has an outstanding way of engaging with the audience - throughout the entire special I kept forgetting that this was actually a PhD Professor sharing incredibly well-researched findings from year-long academic study. She will have you laughing from the get-go, smiling, laughing again, feeling compassionate, moved, maybe shed a tear. She is completely no-drama and delivers her wisdom with such integrity.

I highly recommend you to watch this. It truly little over an hour well spent. Just from watching it, there's a good chance you'll come out a little more daring!

First of all English is not my native language, however I really disliked how she delivered it The language she used is very similar to 20 years old noisy American tourists in Rome. She is using words like "dude, OMG, right?, ass etc". all the time. She is so krass. Yet she is talking on very human feelings like shame, vulnerability, courage etc. It sounds like a very uneducated, random housewife is trying to impress people. Not like a sophisticated, profound academic. She could choose a tone for the general audience that would not make her look like a cheap Hollywood movie, but still keep them engaged. She is well experienced, matured and educated to better know how to speak about serious topics with the right attitude. However, she chose to be a dying to be a comedian over Netflix academic. A little of faith in yourself Brené!

Is she a professor, is she a stand up comedian, is she a constant talker... Who even knows.

I felt like I was watching a comedy show because Brene talks and then waits for the audience to laugh. Just her tone and body language and the words she uses. A big part of me didn't connect with her like I did during her first Ted Talk. All she did here is talk about her life. Her husband. Her kids. It was so boring, I'm surprised people were actually sat there paying attention and LAUGHING.

I get you need a narrative to relate to your experiences but she just kept going on and on about her personal stories. Not to mention her constant reference to being a Texan. We get it.

Call to Courage just didn't hit the punchline. There was nothing to learn from this.

I'm so glad that Netflix made this special! Brene is fun, motivational and real- all while giving you a kick in the pants about being courageous with your life. I would suggest it for ages 15 and up because she does touch on some deep topics and traumas. But it's a great watch for any adult, any parent, and a great one to watch with your older teens. One that I will definitely be re-watching. You can check out our full family review with 8 lessons we took from the talk and 8 discussion questions for afterward on our blog- down the hobbit hole blog dot com.

Don't let the bit of cussing and few negative, bitter, reviews keep you from engaging with this one!! Let it inspire and encourage you!