Brené Brown Junkie

A couple of years ago I started reading devouring books, podcasts, TED talks and blogs that were bent in the direction of positive psychology, aka "happiness."  It started as a personal interest but was instantly relevant to my work world as well.  There is a slew of notable people who have had an impact on me and most of them are in my links to the right of your screen.

One stands out in particular: Brené Brown.  Maybe it is because I just finished her audio series on The Power of Vulnerability but she is really so... great.  Accessible, heart-warming, realistic, relatable and so insightful.  I've read her books, track her on FB, check in on the blog and have watched the TED talks (1 and 2) multiple times each.

These are all great but what I like most is listening to her talk.

So for my fellow Brené Brown (BB) junkies, here is a run down of all the interviews & podcasts I've hunted up:

• TED Radio Hour: Making Mistakes, a conversation about her TED talk on shame.  It is nice to get a less formal conversation about the great TED talk.
• Smart People Podcast.  This BB stalking led me to my new favoritest podcast.  They interview a lot of the same people that make the TED, FreshAir, etc rounds but I find the Smart People Podcast interviews resonate more with me. 
• On Being: The Courage to Be Vulnerable.  A quieter, reflective take on the topic - as you should expect from the lovely Krista Tippet.
• Chase Jarvis Live: Brené Brown.  I haven't listened to to it yet but they discuss cultivating creativity.
• Catalyst Project: Dr. Brené Brown & Dr. Henry Cloud.  Another I haven't yet listened to yet! Henry Cloud wrote Boundaries for Leaders so perhaps that title explains a bit about the content.
• The Power of Vulnerability: Teachings on Authenticity, Connection, and Courage.  I thought it was an audio version of a printed book but it is actually a six disc recording of a six part workshop.  It is edited, polished, well produced and all that but unscripted and conversational.  It is one I plan on going back to regularly.  Be not afraid of the six hours!

The Man in the Arena

It is not the critic who counts;

not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles,

or where the doer of deeds could have done them better.

The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena,

whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood;

who strives valiantly;

who errs, who comes short again and again,

because there is no effort without error and shortcoming;

but who does actually strive to do the deeds;

who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions;

who spends himself in a worthy cause; 

who at best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement,

and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly,

so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls 

who neither know victory nor defeat.

        - Teddy Roosevelt, by way of Brené Brown

Enjoy!

Field Report: Ocean Monkey

Last weekend Christopher and I had a quiet winter getaway at the Oregon coast and got to see an Ocean Monkey hanging out on the beach.  You probably don't realize how crazy lucky we were to have seen this.  They are super rare, extremely shy and there are researchers who have spent years (years!) hoping to catch a glimpse.  We had the monkey hanging out in the yard where we were staying and playing on the beach right in front of us for almost a full half hour!

The North American ocean monkey (brachyteles hypoceanus) is a very rare and little known species. It is larger than any other new world monkey and very solitary in its tendencies.  The ocean monkey typically lives alone or in very small troops of two or three and never more than five.  It is elusive, wily and rarely seen in the wild.  Due to all these factors the total population is quite difficult to determine but is estimated at less than 50 in total.

As California's coastal population has expanded the ocean monkey has been moving steadily north and today dot the forested coasts of between Northern CA and the PNW.  Increased tourism and coastal development combined with continued global warming has led the few who study this species of brachyteles to predict ocean monkeys will migrate into lower British Columbia by 2030 - if not sooner.

The monkey we observed was on its own and pretty typical size and coloring.  It had the characteristic brow, grey, white mottled hair on the majority of its body with a splash of striking white around the mouth.  It was mostly pretty calm hanging out on the small porch overlooking the ocean and walking back and forth on the beach.  It took notice of Christopher at one point and started playing/flirting with him a bit and we got this pretty sweet picture out of it.