Favourite Books - Atlas of the Heart by Brené Brown
I’ve got a lot of books. Too many, some might say ... I’ve always been an avid reader and there’s something about being surrounded by books - both at home and in the office - that I love. Just knowing that I can trawl through my bookshelves - which are chock-full of information and wisdom from some of the world’s best and brightest - and find the answer to whatever question is bothering me (well, maybe not every question, but certainly most of them) is both comforting and inspiring at the same time.
In fact, I have bookcase upon bookcase filled with every available book on change theory, leadership textbooks, not to mention a bit of holiday reading, of course. The great thing about books is that there is always something new to read… always a new perspective to discover… always a reason to buy more! And always an excuse to pop to IKEA for another BILLY bookcase, and whatever other bits and bobs might ‘fall’ into the trolley along the way.
But back to the books! My current favourite made its way onto my bookcase at the end of 2021. It’s called Atlas of the Heart, and it’s written by bestselling author and leadership coach Brené Brown. This book was sent to me as a member of “The Daring Way” and “Dare to Lead” ™ facilitator community. “Atlas of the Heart” is a really wide-ranging book: it covers so many things, including the full spectrum of human emotions (a whopping 87!) ranging from grief through to love, envy, gratitude and more. It describes in detail the many different feelings that we, as humans, all experience, in life as well as in change. This has made it a really useful reference book for me, both in my work and personal life, and even though I don’t usually ‘do’ coffee table books, this one is well-thumbed and now full of post-it notes.
For me, there are so many reasons why Atlas of the Heart is a fantastic book. Brené Brown is a wonderful communicator, and she uses a combination of science-backed research, personal anecdotes and observation to help us understand emotions better so that we can make more meaningful connections with others. As you may have guessed, I highly recommend this book.
I’ll leave you with one of my favourite quotes from the book, which I think sums up Brené’s teachings perfectly, and which resonates with me not just as a leader, but as a human being:
“In this life, we will know and bear witness to incredible sorrow and anguish, and we will experience breathless love and joy.
There will be boring days and exciting moments, low-grade disappointment and seething anger, wonder and confusion.
The wild and ever-changing nature of emotions and experiences leaves our hearts stretch-marked and strong, worn and willing.”
