Brené Brown is a research professor at the University of Houston's Graduate College of Social Work, where she holds the Huffington Foundation-Brené Brown Endowed Chair. She also teaches management at the University of Texas at Austin's McCombs School of Business as a visiting professor. Brown has spent the last two decades researching bravery, vulnerability, shame, and empathy, and is the author of five #1 New York Times bestsellers, including The Gifts of Imperfection, Daring Greatly, Rising Strong, Braving the Wilderness, and her most recent book, Dare to Lead, which is the result of a seven-year study on courage and leadership. Her TEDx lecture, The Power of Vulnerability, is one of the top five most-viewed TED talks in the world, with more than 50 million views. She also presents the Unlocking Us and Dare to Lead podcasts. She's also the first researcher to have a Netflix video lecture.

On April 19, 2019, the Call to Courage special was released on the streaming service. Brené Brown and her husband, Steve, live in Houston, Texas. Ellen and Charlie are their two children.