Atlas of the Heart: Mapping Meaningful Connection and the Language of Human Experience

Brené Brown, PhD, MSW

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Alice says:

This is a great read for anyone who wants to better understand their emotions, improve communication, and build more meaningful relationships. It’s especially helpful for people who struggle to identify or express what they’re feeling, feel emotionally overwhelmed, or want to deepen their self-awareness and connection with others.

It gives readers a language for emotions and experiences that many people feel but don’t always know how to describe. The author combines research, storytelling, and practical insight in a way that helps readers better understand themselves and navigate relationships with more clarity and compassion.

What I appreciated most is how relatable and accessible the book feels while still being deeply insightful. The way Brené Brown breaks down emotions and human experiences helps people feel seen and understood. I also liked that the book encourages emotional honesty and vulnerability without making it feel overwhelming or clinical.

The book explores a wide range of emotional experiences, including grief, shame, anxiety, perfectionism, loneliness, belonging, and vulnerability. Some people may find parts emotionally activating, especially if they are reflecting on personal relationships or difficult life experiences. The book invites a significant amount of self-reflection and emotional exploration.

This book can help people build emotional vocabulary, increase self-awareness, and improve communication in relationships. Many people find that being able to better identify and name their emotions leads to healthier coping skills, stronger boundaries, and more authentic connections with others. It’s a practical and approachable resource for emotional growth and relational understanding.

In Atlas of the Heart, Brown takes us on a journey through eighty-seven of the emotions and experiences that define what it means to be human. As she maps the necessary skills and an actionable framework for meaningful connection, she gives us the language and tools to access a universe of new choices and second chances—a universe where we can share and steward the stories of our bravest and most heartbreaking moments with one another in a way that builds connection.

Over the past two decades, Brown’s extensive research into the experiences that make us who we are has shaped the cultural conversation and helped define what it means to be courageous with our lives. Atlas of the Heart draws on this research, as well as on Brown’s singular skills as a storyteller, to show us how accurately naming an experience doesn’t give the experience more power—it gives us the power of understanding, meaning, and choice.

Brown shares, “I want this book to be an atlas for all of us, because I believe that, with an adventurous heart and the right maps, we can travel anywhere and never fear losing ourselves.”

About the Author

Dr. Brené Brown is a research professor at the University of Houston, where she holds the Huffington Foundation Endowed Chair at the Graduate College of Social Work. She also holds the position of visiting professor in management at the University of Texas at Austin McCombs School of Business.

Brené has spent the past two decades studying courage, vulnerability, shame, and empathy. She is the author of six #1 New York Times best sellers and is the host of two award-winning Spotify podcasts, Unlocking Us and Dare to Lead.

Brené’s books have been translated into more than 30 languages, and her titles include Atlas of the Heart, Dare to Lead, Braving the Wilderness, Rising Strong, Daring Greatly, and The Gifts of Imperfection. With Tarana Burke, she co-edited the best-selling anthology You Are Your Best Thing: Vulnerability, Shame Resilience, and the Black Experience.

Brené’s TED talk on the Power of Vulnerability is one of the top five most-viewed TED talks in the world, with over 50 million views. Brené is the first researcher to have a filmed lecture on Netflix, and in March 2022, she launched a new show on HBO Max that focuses on her latest book, Atlas of the Heart.

Brené spends most of her time working in organizations around the world, helping develop braver leaders and more-courageous cultures. She lives in Houston, Texas, with her husband, Steve. They have two children, Ellen and Charlie, and a weird Bichon named Lucy.

About Alice Davies

Alice is a psychotherapist based in Chicago Illinois.  She works with individuals, couples, and diverse relationship structures navigating dating, relationship conflict, breakups, attachment differences, communication struggles, financial stress, and questions about how to build healthier, more fulfilling connections. She uses a warm, collaborative, and practical approach grounded in Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) and Solution-Focused Therapy (SFT) to help clients better understand relationship patterns, improve communication, and create meaningful change. Alice strives to create a space where clients feel understood, supported, and empowered to move forward with greater clarity and confidence.