Shame and vulnerability defines who we are and how it shapes our future. Although everyone has experience with shame and vulnerability, everyone understands it in a different way. Brené defines it as the fear of not belonging. Daring Greatly offers valuable lessons on shame’s role in work cultures and personal lives, underscoring the need for empathy and mindfulness as tools for navigating shame and fostering healthier connections.

“Do Hard Things” explores the misconceptions surrounding toughness. Using anecdotes from his experience in running together with the latest scientific results, Steve Magness teaches us how to “cultivate real toughness”. Right away Steve dismisses the conventional wisdom that harsh coaching and tough parenting characterized by verbal and physical abuse, produces real toughness. More often than not, such approaches act as filters rather than effective training methods.

Pete Wu’s book ‘De Bananengeneratie’ takes readers on a journey through his personal experiences growing up as a Chinese-Dutch in the Netherlands. Pete was born and raised in the Netherlands, but his Chinese heritage often made him feel like an outsider. He struggled to find his identity as someone who was ‘Chinese on the outside, white on the inside’, which he termed as being a ‘banana’.