As a researcher, Brown interviews people to gather data. The anxieties, fears, hopes, struggles, and dreams that people describe are remarkably consistent. Brown uses this data to show that our sense of shame, fear of vulnerability, and desire to live wholeheartedly by embracing connection and love is a universal human feeling. However, people struggle to live the way that they want to. To deepen her analysis, Brown turns to storytelling to augment her data:

Storytelling is my DNA, and I couldn’t resist the idea of research as story-catching. Stories are data with a soul and no methodology honors that more than grounded theory. The mandate of grounded theory is to develop theories based on people’s lived experiences rather than proving or disproving existing theories (236).

Brown argues that vulnerability is what makes stories powerful. We have to be brave and open about our deepest thoughts to really connect to other people. Throughout her book, Brown models how to do this with candid reflections on parenting, addiction, and her own anxieties and failures.

One of the powerful things about stories, Brown argues, is that we are constantly writing them. The key difference between people who live greatly and those who are too afraid is a sense of worthiness and a belief that they are enough.