Dr. Brené Brown, a renowned researcher, author and speaker whose work explores emotional facets of the human experience, is launching a weekly podcast that kicks off at South by Southwest.
Brown’s “Unlocking Us,” produced in partnership with podcast company Cadence13, is scheduled to launch at 2020 SXSW in March, where she’s slated to have on-stage discussions with activist and #MeToo founder Tarana Burke on the topic of empathy and with Jonathan Van Ness (star of Netflix’s “Queer Eye”) on the topic of vulnerability.
In the podcast series, Brown will speak with guests to explore the ideas, stories, experiences, books, films, and music that reflect the universal experiences of being human, from the bravest moments to the most brokenhearted. Along with topic-based conversations, the podcast series will feature episodes with Brown speaking directly to listeners; audience Q&A shows; and live events. “Unlocking Us” will be available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Radio.com and other podcast platforms.
Over more than a decade, Brown has sculpted a multimedia brand as a leading expert on how emotions and experiences provide meaning in our lives. She has one of the most-viewed TED Talks ever (2010’s “The Power of Vulnerability”) and has penned five No. 1 New York Times bestsellers. Last year, Brown premiered her first Netflix special, “The Call to Courage,” a TED Talk-like performance in which she dispels the misconception that courage and vulnerability are mutually exclusive.
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The project with Cadence13 isn’t Brown’s first crack at podcasting: She first dipped her toes into the podcast waters 12 years ago. “I set up my Mac and a used microphone on my red kitchen table and talked to my then-small community about shame and empathy,” said Brown. “I fell in love with the medium. It was real, honest, intimate, and — my favorite — unpolished.”
According to Brown, heading into 2020 she started thinking about “my work dream list for this decade” and returning to podcasting was at the top of the list. “I’m thrilled to make this dream come true with Cadence13 — they do real and they get it,” she said.
Brown, currently a research professor at the University of Houston, is “a force of nature who empowers and inspires millions of people with her authentic exploration of the human condition,” said Chris Corcoran, Cadence13’s chief content officer.
Listen to the trailer for “Unlocking Us”:
Cadence13 is a division of Entercom Communication’s Radio.com, after the radio broadcaster bought full control of the New York-based startup last year. Cadence13 has a broad lineup that includes shows with Kobe Bryant, Emma Chamberlain, Jon Favreau, and Gwyneth Paltrow. Programming partners include Conde Nast, Crooked Media, Meredith, Mythical Entertainment, Dwayne Johnson and Dany Garcia’s Seven Bucks Productions, TNT and UTA.
Other Cadence13 podcasts aimed at female audiences include Paltrow’s “The Goop Podcast”; Rachel Hollis’ “Rise”; “Happier With Gretchen Rubin”; TheSkimm’s “Skimm’d From the Couch” and “Skimm This”; “Girlboss Radio With Sophia Amoruso”; and Rachel Brathen’s “Yoga Girl: Conversations from the Heart.”